The 42nd Annual Meeting of
The Association for International Agriculture
and Rural Development

June 4-6, 2006

Speakers and Panelists

Otto Gonzalez

Otto Gonzalez is currently serving as the Afghanistan Technical Assistance Leader for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service, International Cooperation and Development Program Area.(USDA/FAS/ICD). Over the past two years Dr .Gonzalez has served as the Team Leader managing USDA's technical assistance efforts for reconstruction in Afghanistan. These efforts are undertaken in collaboration with USAID, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. military. Based in

Washington, with periodic travel to Afghanistan, Gonzalez has overseen the selection and deployment of USDA technical specialists as agricultural advisors on Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs), as well as the development of specialized USDA technical assistance for a variety of agricultural reconstruction activities with USAID/Afghanistan. Prior to serving as Team Leader, Gonzalez's first activities in Afghanistan were organizing USDA assistance for helping start the Afghan Conservation Corps in 2003. Gonzalez has been with USDA for nearly ten years, and helped develop USDA's post-Hurricane Mitch reconstruction activities for Central America, 1999-2001. He has a Ph.D. (1994) in Natural Resources and Environment from the University of Michigan.