Non Technical Summary
The PACE program builds a sustainable cycle for agricultural education by connecting high school students and undergraduate students with Ag-industry professionals and community leaders in some of the highest-need areas of the nation in Alabama's Black Belt. The new secondary school agriculture course and innovative Conversation Enterprises and Agribusiness curricula will provide secondary school and undergraduate students with a rich educational foundation and extension experience focused on the Education Needs Area. During the 3-year program, UWA will increase its capacity by developing one new and one improved curriculum in the College of Business and Natural Sciences and Mathematics, respectively, and develop the Black Belt Fresh Harvest Market, designed to be a learning lab and student-driven enterprise. This model has the potential to scale across the nation as we ignite the spark of agriculture and entrepreneurship with secondary school students, and provide curricula and experiential learning to STEM and business students who will grow and run a new enterprise with guidance and expertise from the West Alabama Center for Conservation and Agriculture. In this proposal, the University of West Alabama (UWA), a minority-serving institution, will partner with the University Charter School, to meet the goal of this project. Dr. Lee Stanton, and Dr. Veronica Triplett, will serve as the institution's Co-Principal Investigators and project leads, as they have extensive experience guiding students through similar experiences and engaging Ag-industry professionals in the work.

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
903	6099	1060	50%
806	0899	3020	50%

Knowledge Area
806 - Youth Development; 903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery;

Subject Of Investigation
0899 - Wildlife and natural fisheries, general/other; 6099 - People and communities, general/other;

Field Of Science
1060 - Biology (whole systems); 3020 - Education;

Goals / Objectives
The major goals are the following:1.) Develop an interdisciplinary, experiential curriculum that allows students to explore careers in conversation and agriculture with a business emphasis.2.) Engage the West Alabama Center for Conservation and Agriculture (WACCA) to support Partners in Agribusiness and Conservation Enterprises (PACE) programming as conservation and agriculture experts.3.) Host a summit for prospective industry and community partners to expedite an exchange of ideas to improve the agriculture industry in West Alabama.4.) Host an annual event for secondary school students, college students, and Ag/Conservation professionals in West Alabama to strengthen student recruitment and to promote careers in the agriculture industry.5.) Develop an agriculture student-driven enterprise located on the University of West Alabama campus.

Project Methods
Efforts will include:Year 11. Request regional, state and national search of Conservation and Agri-business related programs from the Education Advisory Board as well as disseminate surveys to Ag-industry experts to identify and aid in the development of new curriculum for the UCS Agriculture course, and courses and practica for the Conversation Enterprises and Agri-business programs.2. We will appoint a liaison to work with West Alabama Center for Conservation and Agriculture to develop Ag education programming and manage student interns.3. We will host the Inaugural Secondary School, College Student, & Ag Professionals Conference on the UWA campus and will feature local, state, and regional Ag experts to share their expertise on careers, technology, and trends in the Agriculture industry. Students will participate in hands on learning during the conference and engage in activities such as soil and water testing, drone technology in farming, aquaponics, and farm equipment operation.4. The project team will work with UWA administration on the technical aspects of developing the Black Belt Fresh Harvest Market. The BBFHM will be a student-driven enterprise located on the University of West Alabama campus. At BBFHM, students in Conservation Enterprises and Agri-Business majors at UWA as well as students in agricultural programs at University Charter School will gain hands-on experience with the business side of their endeavors. BBFHM will include community orchards and garden areas dedicated to producing local fruits and vegetables and an open-air commercial space where UWA and UCS students will market their products. Students will be engaged in every aspect of the business from production to sale. Required practica and internships within the Conservation Enterprises and Agri-Business programs will stimulate experiential learning employing the BBFHM as an educational tool. Services will include a wild game processing facility operated by students in the Conservation Enterprises program, a small-scale aquaculture operation in which catfish grown on-site are processed and marketed for sale, the development of a microbrewery, where graduate-level students trained in conservation and agri-business courses will brew craft beers for sale, production of local honey for sale, production of local eggs for sale, as well as food booths that allow students to market and sell locally-produced food. This would incorporate the UCS "farm to table" pizza, fried catfish harvested on site, venison jerky processed at the BBFHM farm, and many others. Student interns will work to identify an official name for the market and begin drafting a business and marketing plan.Year 21. We will host the Inaugural Ag-Industry and Community Partners Summit for prospective industry and community partners and will feature local, regional, and national experts who will share their expertise on conservation and agriculture management.2. We will host the 2nd annual Secondary School, College Student, & Ag Professionals Conference.3. Student interns will implement the work of the market and seek appropriate contracts and licenses required for BBFHM.Year 31. We will establish the Black Belt Fresh Harvest Market (BBFHM). The primary purpose of BBFHM will be to provide students with experiential learning opportunities related to future careers in Agri-business. In conjunction with the activities at BBFHM, innovative hands-on practica will be created to train Conservation Enterprise students for those specific skill sets. Practica will include Game processing and safe handling procedures, vegetable and fruit production, canning and preservation, fermentation and beer brewing, and bee keeping. Interpretive displays at BBFHM will illustrate to the public the nature of the student training as it takes place, providing students with an increased sense of ownership, inspiring stewardship in site visitors, and strengthening cultural awareness of cultural and natural resources. Many of the activities to be offered at BBFHM will require certifications and/or permitting. This will be included as an important element of the training process for students, and allow them to develop the skills and experience needed to be successful in agri-businesses after graduation.2. We will host the 2nd annual Ag-Industry and Community Partners Summit, as well as the 3rd annual Secondary School, College Student, & Ag Professionals Conference.This project will be evaluated both internally and externally annually. The internal evaluation team will consist of the key personnel of UWA, UCS, and the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research. The project team will hire an external evaluator to complete the external evaluation. One component of the evaluation plan is to assess the baseline data collected from the key stakeholders. Qualtrics, a survey software program, will be used to develop and analyze surveys. The external evaluator will provide guidance, feedback, and suggestions regarding this project's outreach to stakeholders. Major components of the evaluation will include:1. Student/faculty or other stakeholder learning and engagement.2. The number of students/faculty or other stakeholders impacted by the project as a result of the proposed activities, either directly or indirectly3. A summation of who benefited the most (and the least) from the project4. An explanation of what revisions, improvements, or enhancements we will make, funding permitting, to increase the value of this project in the future; and5. Ideas about how to make projects like this project more cost-effective.