The Agricultural Development Council, established by John D. Rockefeller 3RD, provided graduate-level fellowship awards to outstanding students in 16 Asian countries.

Click the above map to view A/D/C fellowships awarded in each country from 1954-1985.

Originally named the Council on Economic and Cultural Affairs, the A/D/C supported advanced degree studies of 588 men and women during its 32-year history. Most attended universities in the United States, and some studied in Europe and Australia. In addition to educational funding, the A/D/C strengthened local academic institutions, sponsored conferences and supported research initiatives.

The Council was highly successful in identifying scholars who possessed leadership skills and a deep commitment to improving their countries. More than 90 percent of A/D/C fellows returned home to put their knowledge and new practices in place.

Today many A/D/C scholars continue to play important roles in shaping the development of their countries as leaders of organizations, government agencies, and global corporations.

In 2005, Winrock created the John D. Rockefeller 3RD (JDR 3RD) Scholars Program to build on the A/D/C's legacy of developing the capacity and leadership of the region's scholars. The JDR 3RD Scholars Program aims to support the next generation of Asian scholars in tackling rural poverty by commissioning cross-border applied research teams on pressing agriculture and environment challenges.

  Learn more about the A/D/C

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A/D/C fellows, we want to reconnect with you!

Cultivating scholar-leaders in Asia since 1954