AIARD Awards Committee

Albert Ayeni, Chair

The Association for International Agriculture and Rural Development (AIARD) makes three awards: (1) AIARD Distinguished Service Award; (2) AIARD Younger Professional Award; and (3) AIARD Special Service Award.

1. AIARD Distinguished Service Award (DSA)

The DSA was established in 1982 to honor persons who have contributed, in a major way, to achievement of AIARD's goals and objectives. The selection criteria used in judging the candidates include: (1) demonstrated public service that has advanced AIARD's purposes; (2) innovative contributions to AIARD programs; and (3) length of service in the international area and in AIARD. The DSA is the association's opportunity to recognize excellence in its own members. Since its inception in 1982, the DSA has been awarded to at least one person in every year except 1993, 1997 and 2000.

2. AIARD Young Professional Award (YPA)

The YPA was established in 1990 to recognize early career contributions to the achievement of the goals and objectives of the AIARD. The award's selection criteria include the following: (1) demonstrated public service that has advanced the purposes of AIARD; (2) innovative contributions to AIARD programs; (3) commitment to international agriculture and rural development and to AIARD; and (4) the recipient must be 40 years of age or younger.

3. AIARD Special Service Award (SSA)

AIARD, from time to time, makes its Special Service Award (SSA) to recognize special efforts or significant contributions to the achievement of AIARD's goals and objectives. Candidates for this award do not have to be citizens of the United States. The criteria used in judging a candidate include: (1) A career-long commitment to the goals of AIARD through active support for international agriculture and rural development initiatives over a professional career of at least 25 years; (2) Significant contributions to international agriculture and rural development through research, teaching, practice, service, or leadership; (3) A previous recipient of at least one other career recognition award from a public sector, professional, or civil society organization, or a university; (4) At least 45 years of age during the calendar year in which the nomination is made; and (5) An AIARD non-member.

Serving on the Awards Committee

The AIARD Awards Committee performs an important service to AIARD and the broader international agriculture and rural development community. Service on this committee provides AIARD members with a real opportunity to foster greater public awareness not only of the contributions made by our community of development professionals but also of the development challenges that lie ahead. Participating in the process of nominating and selecting the individuals to be honored with an AIARD Award brings with it a real sense of providing service to the broader international agriculture and rural development community.

Rationale for Awards

"To me, recognitions for exceptional services and contributions should be a vital part of any dynamic, vibrant and growing organization. By recognizing people for their contributions and exceptional services we send a strong message to everyone, including AIARD members, that hard work, creativity and exceptional services to AIARD and its cause are not going to be ignored or taken for granted. It is going to be noticed and recognized and will be publicized in due ways to provide visibility and professional recognition as rewards for such professional services and contributions. This should be AIARD's way of telling the recipients what they did was important and made a difference. By recognizing them, AIARD wants to tell the world who the awardees were and what they did that made a difference in enhancing the quality of human life in our global community. ...by recognizing various recipients for their distinguished contributions, AIARD is letting the world know what AIARD is all about and what it is that it is trying to accomplish. AIARD, as an organization, is no better than what its members are collectively doing and contributing to the society at large."
- Dr. Ikbal Chowdhury