The Oklahoma Agricultural Leadership Program assists potential leaders to develop a deeper understanding of themselves and of people. This includes personal and group study and interaction, improving skills in communications, and developing a commitment to future leadership roles in Oklahoma agriculture.
The Program Director, Edmond Bonjour, is preparing to take his current class to the Great Rift Valley of Kenya for two weeks of agricultural immersion. Oklahoma Farm Report’s Ron Hays caught up with Bonjour to hear about the trip.
The group will depart on Sunday, February 16. Bonjour said, “We have a really good program lined up for Class 21 that will stretch them tremendously by some of the visits that we have planned.”
During the trip, the class will be exposed to everything from roses to mobile dairies to interactions between Kenyan wildlife and livestock and an animal orphanage. They will also observe conservation aspects and participate in tree plantings.
“We essentially only stay one night in Nairobi after we land, and then we leave the next day and spend all of the time Northwest of Nairobi in the Great Rift Valley which is the central area for agriculture,” Bonjour shared.
Oklahoma State University Associate Professor of Medical/Veterinary Entomology Dr. Bruce Noden visited with the class last month to tell them about his upbringing in that area and provide perspective to the students.
Class 21 will be wrapping up their time in the program after the trip to Kenya and applications for students to be a part of Class 22 should become available within the next week. They will be due back on May 1st for consideration.
“If anyone has any names they want to send me, we can send invitations out,” he said. “We already have a list of over two hundred people to invite to apply.”
More information can be found on the Oklahoma Agricultural Leadership Program website.
