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By Josiah Pailay/0881913880 0760808849/Josiahpailay96@gmail.com
More than 50 Liberian students are embarking on a new educational and agricultural journey in Israel, where they are expected to receive advanced hands-on training in modern agricultural practices through the Arava International Center for Agricultural Training (AICAT).
The latest group of young Liberians is part of a growing partnership that continues to provide students from Liberia with opportunities to gain practical knowledge and international experience in agriculture.
Upon their arrival in Israel, 50 pulse students were welcomed at Ben Gurion International Airport, marking the fourth batch of Liberian students to participate in the AICAT program.
The students were warmly welcomed by members of the Liberian community in Israel, including AICAT alumni who have previously completed the program.
Among those present to welcome the new students was Peter Kollie, an AICAT alumnus, along with a Liberian graduates of the University of Haifa in northern Israel.
The students are expected to spend approximately 10 to 11 months in Israel undergoing academic, professional, and practical agricultural training.
Their program will expose them to modern farming technologies and practices, including crop production, irrigation, greenhouse management, farm management, soil and water management, and other areas of agricultural development.
The hands-on nature of the program is expected to give the students practical experience that can be transferred to Liberia after their return.
The initiative comes at a time when Liberia continues to seek greater investment in agricultural education, youth participation in farming, food production, and modern agricultural technologies.
Meanwhile, AICAT’s administration encouraged the selected students to view the opportunity not only as a privilege but also as a responsibility to acquire knowledge and skills that can contribute to the development of their families, institutions, communities, and Liberia.
They have also encouraged the students to respect the opportunity, work hard, learn from their Israeli instructors and host farms, and return home prepared to apply their knowledge.
They also expressed solidarity with students who were not selected for the current opportunity, reminding them that missing one opportunity does not mean the end of their journey.
The growing number of Liberian students traveling to Israel through AICAT reflects the increasing interest among young Liberians in acquiring practical agricultural skills and international exposure.
For the newly arrived students, the journey now moves from the airport to the farms, classrooms, greenhouses, and agricultural communities of Israel’s Arava region where they will spend the coming months learning, growing, leading, and preparing to serve Liberia.
