Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 112 Part 5.djvu/706

 112 STAT. 3464 PUBLIC LAW 105-385 —NOV. 13, 1998 States businesses and other United States entities to invest in rural sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in ways that will develop the capacities of small-scale farmers and small rural entrepreneurs, including women, in sub-Saharan Africa. (b) SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.—I t is the sense of the Congress that— (1) the Overseas Private Investment Corporation should exercise its authority under law to undertake an initiative to support private agricultural and rural development in sub- Saharan Africa, including issuing loans, guaranties, and insurance, to support rural development in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly to support intermediary organizations that— (A) directly serve the needs of small-scale farmers, small rural entrepreneurs, and rural producer-owned cooperative purchasing and marketing associations; (B) have a clear track-record of support for sound business management practices; and (C) have demonstrated experience with participatory development methods; and (2) the Overseas Private Investment Corporation should utilize existing equity funds, loan and insurance funds, to the extent feasible and in accordance with existing contractual obligations, to support agriculture and rural development in sub-Saharan Africa. 22 USC 2293 SEC. 105. AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND EXTENSION ACTIVITIES. "^ ^' (a) DEVELOPMENT OF PLAN. —The Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture and appropriate Department of Agriculture agencies, especially the Cooperative State, Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES), shall develop a comprehensive plan to coordinate and build on the research and extension activities of United States land-grant universities, international agricultural research centers, and national agricultural research and extension centers in sub-Saharan Africa. (b) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.— Such plan shall seek to ensure that— (1) research and extension activities will respond to the needs of small-scale farmers while developing the potential and skills of researchers, extension agents, farmers, and agribusiness persons in sub-Saharan Africa; (2) sustainable agricultural methods of farming will be considered together with new technologies in increasing agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa; and (3) research and extension efforts will focus on sustainable agricultural practices and will be adapted to widely varying climates within sub-Saharan Africa.

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