A recent plea for help in dealing with a different kind of drought in Africa prompted a flood of donated agricultural publications from UC Davis researchers. Abdalla A. Abdalla, a UC Davis graduate and the current ambassador to the United States for the Republic of Sudan, wrote his alma mater in August. His request: send scientific publications in the agricultural sciences to information-hungry Sudanese university libraries. A scarcity of foreign currency was limiting their access to current and past research, he wrote. Campus researchers filled 40 boxes, weighing an estimated total of 2,000 to 3,000 pounds, with the latest research information on crop production, livestock raising and pest management. Charles Hess, director of international programs at UC Davis and coordinator of the response, believes the shipment will help Sudan become more efficient and self-supporting in its production of food. "Our hope is that it will have a lasting impact and result in better agricultural techniques," he says.