@NMSU
Sheikh visits NMSU as part of economic improvement project
A Bedouin sheikh visited New Mexico State University in July as part of a joint effort to improve the economy of his native land of Jordan through a sharing of strategies and ideas.
As part of the trip, Sheikh Hussein Abunwier visited faculty and staff in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES), and also toured the Corona Range and Livestock Research Center and the Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center (CDRRC), learning about topics that included rangeland restoration, livestock husbandry and animal science. Sheikh Hussein also discussed forage possibilities, women's health issues and youth concerns with area experts during his two-week stay in the United States.
"The sheikh is being a real leader in thinking of new and innovative ways to improve the economy and well-being of his tribe," said Derek Bailey, associate professor of Range Science and director of CDRRC.
The project is a joint effort funded by the United States Agency for International Development and implemented between NMSU, the International Arid Lands Consortium and Jordan's Badia Research and Development Center (BRDC).
The goal of the long-term project, started in 2005, is to educate Jordanians on the economic role of limited water, how to use water efficiently in crop and animal production, and also how to improve the marketing channels for crop and animal products.
Bailey and Jim Libbon, interim associate dean of ACES, have been working on a rangeland restoration project at Sheikh Hussein's village in southern Jordan.
Through a translator, Sheikh Hussein said the people of his tribe are the most important part of taking on this project and that he would use the tools he gained on this trip to aid in developing new enterprises and jobs for his tribe, as well as address health and youth issues.
"Some of these techniques I can apply in Jordan, but some of the other techniques maybe not because there is a cost issue," he said. "To know is better than not knowing about these (techniques)."
Jordan and New Mexico lie on almost the same latitude and have very similar weather and land conditions, making this effort ideal to see what practices are being done in similar regions.
Sheikh Hussein said he enjoyed his visit to the United States and getting to meet with community members. He added that he was grateful for the hospitality he was shown and looked forward to continuing the relationship between Jordan and the university.
He presented Dean Lowell Catlett with a couple of small gifts that are on display in the lobby of Gerald Thomas Hall.
Sheikh Hussein was joined on his tour by Ahmad Al-Qadi, with BRDC; Raed Halalsheh, an NMSU graduate student in the Department of Animal and range Sciences who is researching the toxic compounds of snake weed for his doctorate; and Ismaiel Abuamoud, a graduate student at NMSU who is working on a doctorate degree in economic development. Both Halalsheh and Abuamoud said they plan to use their doctorate degrees to help the Jordanian people in the future.
Written by Audry Olmsted.