Biography

Jose Alejandro Polanco-Jaime, Ph.D. (KILP-1) has directed the University Food Program at the National University of Mexico-an outreach endeavor which carried out applied research and training for food companies, farmer organizations and government. He has also been Deputy Director of the National Institute for Rural Training and also Technical Director of the Center of Agrarian Studies. Alejandro's training includes two PhDs and a master's degree. Presently, he teaches rural development. He is responsible of on line courses (introductory and advanced) for professionals and paraprofessionals advising rural entrepeneneurs (small farmer organizations). Alejandro Polanco has published four books on public policy and management of agricultural research and extension as well as on the value chain of maize, the main staple food of México. Alejandro studied Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science at UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico) and obtained graduate degrees from the Veterinary School of Vienna, Austria (M.Sc.) and from the University of Göttingen, Germany (Dr. Sc. Agr.). Later at Cornell University in New York, he graduated with a dissertation conducting the first modern public evaluation of the main Mexican agricultural research organization, INIFAP, (National Institute for Forestry, Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Research). Successively, Alejandro has served as Deputy Director of the National Agrarian Research Center and as Deputy Director of the National Institute for Rural Training. He has been advisor to the Undersecretary of Rural Policy of the Ministry of Agriculture and consultant to multilateral organizations assisting the design of public policies for the agricultural education and research system. At UNAM he served as the Director of the University Food Program, as a liaison for society and industry. Today, he is responsible for online courses for rural development. One of his main goals at UNAM is to increase awareness and motivate action among staff and students for sustainable development of rural territories. He is the director of Learning by Doing for Rural Development “Aprender Haciendo para el Desarrollo Rural,” an NGO inspired by John Dewey´s pedagogical approach. Alejandro has also participated in the Hubert Humphrey Program as a spokesman of the class 1985-1986 and written five books related to rural policy making in the field of science, technology and education.