Innovation for Agricultural Training and Education

The mission of the Innovation for Agricultural Training and Education (InnovATE) project is to achieve sustainable food security, reduce poverty, promote rural innovation and stimulate employment by building human and institutional capacity. The program focuses on all aspects of agricultural training and education including: youth, gender, and workforce development, at the primary, vocational/technical, university and post-graduate levels.
Innovation for Agricultural Training and Education—innovATE— seeks to match the market's demand for skilled employees, including the demand for youth and women, with the supply of trained agricultural professionals. The program directly supports agricultural education and training (AET) capacity building efforts by undertaking country assessments and providing program design and reform recommendations to improve the effectiveness of AET institutions. InnovATE also carries out analytical work to provide development practitioners with recommendations on good practices and tools to facilitate agricultural education and training system development.
InnovATE is managed by the Office of International Research and Development at Virginia Tech, which works in partnership with the following institutions to achieve the goals of the program:
- USAID - United States Agency for International Development
- University of Florida
- Pennsylvania State University
- Tuskegee University
InnovATE is a Leader With Associates cooperative agreement supporting agricultural education and training capacity development through September 2017.