The CALS Global Fellows Program supports CALS undergraduate students from any major in pursuit of challenging, professionally-focused summer internships and research placements that enhance and complement their career goals and academic progress, while enriching their undergraduate experience with diverse cultural and international immersion. Through key partnerships, the Global Fellows Program provides a platform for students to make positive and definable contributions to global organizations and communities.

Acceptance to the program is competitive and a limited number of students are selected each year. Selected Fellows receive a stipend to offset major expenses.

Funding:
Funding for the CALS Global Fellows Program, Manor House program in Kenya is fully funded. 

For details on the estimated cost of this program and more information on possible funding opportunities, visit the cost tab.

Students who are rewarded a CALS Global Fellows Grant will be required to complete 3 parts to the program: a pre-engagement portfolio (completed in Canvas), a continuous 7–8-week internship or research placement in an international setting, and a 1-credit post-engagement course in the first 7-weeks of the Fall 2023 semester (ALS/GDEV 3105).

Suggested majors and/or professional interests: IARD, Development Sociology, Agriculture Sciences, Animal Sciences, Environment & Sustainability, Applied Economics and Management, and interests in food systems, markets, sustainability, crop and livestock production, education and more. 

Placement Opportunities

Placements: up to 3 placements (in-person)

The mission of Manor House Agriculture Center is to provide smallholder farmers with practical training, research and extension services in ecological agriculture and agricultural enterprise development. Manor House has been an organic agriculture training center for the past 35 years. It is located in Trans Nzoia county Kenya, which lies on a 1800-2200 masl plateau between Mt Elgon and the Cheranganyi Hills. Daily temperatures are in the high 70’s and go down into the 50’s at night.

The school sits on 40+ acre compound. It is a secure and peaceful setting. The infrastructure includes classrooms, dormitories, kitchen and dining areas, admin block, assembly hall, church and staff houses. The grounds are spacious and include 4 fairly large organic gardens, a 10 acre organic farm and a large sport’s field where the county team holds their soccer matches. The farm and garden provide students with a healthy and diverse diet of organically produced foods.

• Deep Dive into Food Systems Issues in Northwest Kenya: Students research sustainable food and agricultural system issues in Kitale,  a town of 250,000 people in northwest Kenya. Cornell students will work with local students and a diverse group of team mentors to assess the hypothesis that growing awareness of food safety and nutrition concerns is priming increased consumer interest in organically grown foods. The team will also interact with local organic farmers to assess opportunities and barriers to meeting such demand.  

• Preferred Qualifications: Open-minded, intellectually curious, gets along well with others and can live and work in a rural area—some background/knowledge in agriculture and rural development and experience with supporting local markets and businesses. 

About Kenya

Lining the coast of the Indian Ocean, Kenya offers a bounty of sights, including the savannah, lakelands, the mountain highlands, and the Great Rift Valley. The famous Mt. Kilimanjaro climbs to view from it's location in Tanzania. 75% of Kenyans make their living from agriculture, and 85% of those are small-scale farm holders. Kenya is notorious for heavy rains, but also has been struck by severe, year-long droughts. This climate calls for activities surrounding the protection of farm land, the rivers, and the people of Kenya.

We encourage you to apply to your first-choice program only. There is a space within the application to indicate if you have a second choice. If you are interested in two opportunities that are very different from one another and would prefer to write two statements of purpose, you may upload both to the same application in ONE document. Make sure they are clearly titled with the correct placement opportunity IF you are writing two statements. For reference, click here to review examples of statements from past participants.   

You may preview the application without starting an application by clicking on the “preview application” button next to the apply button. All applications contain the same questions and all information related to the program can be found within the experience page. There is no additional information within the application.