WRITTEN BY: Matthew Burkhart (mkburkha@ncsu.edu)
NC State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) is strengthening its partnership with the Technical University of Moldova (TUM) to enhance agricultural education, research and innovation in the Eastern European nation. Building on decades of ties between North Carolina and Moldova, this collaboration is now focused on modernizing Moldova’s agricultural sector and preparing its workforce for the challenges of the 21st century.
The relationship between North Carolina and Moldova stretches back to 1999, when the two regions established a multifaceted sister-state partnership. Over the years, this connection has expanded from military and civic exchanges to encompass medicine, education and now, agriculture. The latest phase of collaboration began in 2022, when NC State and TUM began a series of reciprocal visits through the Moldova Rural Competitiveness and Resilience Activity.
Chadi Sayde, associate professor in NC State’s Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, has played a leading role in the effort.
When Sayde first visited Moldova in September 2022 to explore potential collaboration, he met with the Technical University of Moldova, and over time, this relationship evolved into a formal partnership. In October 2023, NC State and TUM signed a memorandum of understanding to expand the partnership specifically into agriculture, focusing on climate-smart irrigation, precision agriculture and agricultural technologies.
A central goal of the partnership is to help Moldova build a comprehensive research, education and extension system — one modeled on the U.S. land-grant university approach. While Moldova’s agricultural sector employs a quarter of its population and boasts some of the richest soils in Europe, the country has faced declining enrollment in agricultural programs and a disconnect between universities and the farming community since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
“There are no extension services. There is a big disconnect between the university and the field. The university’s mission is only to teach, without having a strong applied research or extension,” Sayde said. “Our role is to support the Technical University of Moldova in their critical reform and modernization of the education system, as well as providing critical advice and support in establishing strong applied research programs and extension outreach.”
NC State’s expertise in agricultural extension and applied research has become a model for Moldovan counterparts.
“They are really intrigued by our system, by the mission of our system and how we apply it to provide applied information and research that is relevant to stakeholders,” Sayde said.
Sayde said the collaboration aims to adapt elements of North Carolina’s extension model to Moldova, helping the country avoid “reinventing the wheel” and instead benefit from proven strategies.
The partnership between NC State and the Technical University of Moldova focuses on four main areas. First, faculty from both institutions are working together to bring modern technologies like data-driven agriculture and robotics into Moldova’s farming practices, which includes updating curricula and offering hands-on training. Second, experts are collaborating to improve crop and animal production, enhance feed quality and boost animal nutrition. Third, the partnership is helping Moldova develop its agritourism sector by building a skilled workforce and strengthening marketing strategies to attract more visitors and investment. Finally, there is a strong emphasis on modernizing agricultural education, increasing applied science research and promoting greater gender balance among faculty and students.
Recent activities include faculty and student exchanges, workshops and joint research projects. In November 2023, a Moldovan delegation visited NC State to learn about the integration of education, research and extension.
“The primary aim of this visit was to explore how NC State integrates education, research and extension within its land grant mission. This insight is particularly relevant for TUM as it seeks to reform its agricultural curriculum, enhance its applied research initiatives and better integrate extension and outreach into its educational framework,” Sayde said.
The collaboration has gained significant momentum, with strong support from the North Carolina Secretary of State’s office, the NC National Guard and other stakeholders. A speaker exchange program is underway, bringing faculty from both universities together to share ideas and foster joint grant proposals.
Sayde emphasized the importance of a system-wide approach.
“You cannot just look at a small, narrow angle and expect to fix the whole situation. It’s a system approach. We have to look at the university as a source of scientific information, the Ministry of Agriculture, the industry, the farmers, local governments and so on. Our role is to facilitate the conversation with different teams and bring them all together.”
Future plans include expanding the partnership to other Moldovan universities, establishing dual degree and joint certification programs and engaging the private sector in research and workforce development. The ultimate goal is to create a sustainable framework for academic exchange and innovation that will benefit Moldova’s agricultural sector and contribute to its economic development.
“We are seeing the future already: how there will be huge pressure on agriculture to produce more food for an ever-growing population while reducing the environmental impact of our intensive production. This is a global problem that we cannot solve only in the U.S. We have to address it globally and we have to address it together,” Sayde said.