The International Program in Agricultural Production and Crop Management is a long-standing, two-way student mobility partnership between the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Iowa State University (ISU) and the University of Costa Rica (UCR). For more than 27 years, CALS has collaborated with UCR through the departments of Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology (PPEM) and Horticulture.
From July 21–31, 2026, CALS will host 12 UCR students and 2 faculty members for a 10-day program coordinated by Barb Clawson (Horticulture) and Erin Hodgson (PPEM). Participants will explore Iowa’s diverse agricultural systems through tours of industry leaders such as Syngenta Seeds, Kemin Industries, and John Deere Des Moines Works, along with visits to local farms, orchards, vineyards, and greenhouses.
The group will also experience campus and regional highlights, including Reiman Gardens, the ISU Horticulture Farm, the Iowa Arboretum, the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, and the Des Moines Farmers Market. Cultural activities will include attending an Iowa Cubs baseball game and a Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) Field Day.
This exchange is reciprocal. Iowa State students visited Costa Rica in March 2025 and will visit again in March 2027 through the Integrated Management of Tropical Crops in Costa Rica, a spring break, credit-bearing study abroad program.
Together, these programs provide hands-on learning and foster meaningful cultural exchange while strengthening a long-standing global partnership.