Iowa State has withdrawn from its advisory role in the Agrisol-led land investment project in Tanzania. Dean of Agricultural and Life Sciences Wendy Wintersteen issued a statement Friday stating that the university has chosen to withdraw due to misinterpretations about why Iowa State was involved.

“It has not been directed at what originally compelled us to explore program development in Tanzania — the role agricultural education can play in helping small farmers and families struggling against poverty and hunger,” Wintersteen said in the statement.

The decision came after numerous media reports of the potentially controversial nature of the project, given its involvement with refugees that currently occupy the land of a few of the potential re-development sites.

In a statement issued to the Daily, Wintersteen said “[W]e withdrew from a direct role to address perceptions and questions on potential conflicts because a member of the Board of Regents was involved. Prior to that, our direct role had been to consider how educational programs for Tanzanian farmers and families could be designed to combat poverty and hunger, similar to programs we established in rural Uganda.”

Iowa State stepped back into an advisory role last fall, and began looking at community development projects that included initiatives, like community trust funds and AIDS education.