News

Sixteen graduating FAO scholars from MATE participated in the event organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food on 29 July 2026.

From Buda Campus five students from the MSc in Horticultural Engineering programme, one scholar from the MSc in Plant Protection programme received their degrees. From Szent István Campus, Gödöllő eleven students earned their degrees in the MSc in Crop Production Engineering program.

Viorel Gutu, head of the FAO Regional Office in Hungary, also attended the event and, in his opening remarks, praised the achievements of the Hungary-FAO partnership.

Photo: Csaba Pelsőczy/ Ministry of Agriculture and Food

MATE graduate Tsend-Ayush Batbold from Mongolia spoke on behalf of the students, and her speech was met with a standing ovation.
The significance of this scholarship, which has a history spanning 18 years, is best summed up by the words of our Mongolian student; therefore, here is a quote from her farewell speech:

 Photo: Csaba Pelsőczy/ Ministry of Agriculture and Food

„(…)Just two years ago, we arrived in Hungary from very different corners of the world. We brought with us diverse cultures, unique perspectives, different experiences, lifestyles, and a shared vital mission: to deepen and broaden our knowledge and to contribute to a more sustainable, food-secure world. 
Today we gather here having successfully completed our mission, having successfully completed our Master of Science degrees. 
Being an FAO-Hungarian government scholar is an unique privilege. This scholarship program has been a catalyst for both our professional and personal transformation. Professionally, we transitioned from passionate students into specialized professionals. We were pushed to bridge the gap between academic theory and real-life agricultural applications.
On a personal level, this journey reshaped our worldviews. Living far from home forced us to develop unwavering resilience. We learned the true meaning of adaptability, empathy, and international cooperation. 
Our experience living and studying in Hungary was a beautiful tapestry of opportunities and challenges. Academically we were provided with all necessary resources to learn, study and develop ourselves. However, every journey has its hurdles. We had to navigate an academic workload, adapt to a completely new climate, and to master the notoriously complex yet very beautiful Hungarian language- even if our daily conversation was just limited to „Jó napot kívánok” and „Köszönöm szépen”. Yet every challenge became an opportunity. The initial culture shocks quickly melted into deep appreciation for Hungary’s history, rich culture, stunning landscapes, and warm hospitality. 
Standing here on behalf of my fellow scholars, I can confidently say that we are not leaving Hungary the same way we arrived. We have formed an unbreakable global network and life-long friendships. We shared late night studies, intense field and lab works, we navigated cultural barriers together and helped each other grow, explore, and overcome all the problems we faced for the past two years.  
Graduation is not our final destination, it is our launching pad. I hope all the knowledge, experience, wisdom, network, and friendship we gained here will guide us, inspire us, and support us wherever we go. 
We owe our deepest gratitude to the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN for their immense generosity in funding our education, for believing in our potentials, and for organizing interesting bonding activities and events throughout the entire program. Thank you to all our professors, supervisors, and university staff for guiding us with kindness, patience, expertise, and passion. Thank you to all our family and friends for their all-time unwavering support. 
Thank you and congratulations to all the graduating scholars.  
I wish you all the best in your future endeavours!” 

Photo: Csaba Pelsőzcy, Ministry of Agriculture and Food

Congratulations to all graduating FAO scholars!

By Kinga Szabados