Last month I had the wicked cool opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. to learn about different organization involved with international development. While there we visited: Oxfam, CNFA, USAID, USDA, and Senator Bob Casey office. Each of these organizations develops and implement programs to end food insecurity, promote gender equality, and establish access to the market for farmers in developing countries. It was really cool to see the magnitude of aid these organizations provide and all different sectors involved. What I learned is that you have to be a transdisciplinary problem solver when it comes to international development issues. For example, finding a solution for food insecurity. Many professional and politicians may have their own views of ending food insecurity and are convinced that they have the "right answers." But food insecurity is such a complex issue in itself, so it's going to take professionals from all different fields coming together and working collectively to create a new solution beyond disciplinary boundaries. By being a transdisciplinary problem solver, you are able to see beyond one discipline but understand how some can connect and work together. When thinking about this, it reminded me of Agricultural Education. Ag teachers have a various amount of knowledge in different disciplines. But they are able to pull from these disciplines to create an entirely new product for their students. Moving forward I am excited to see how else I can become a transdisciplinary problem solver!
