Progress 09/01/14 to 08/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:Audience targeted by this project was mainly composed of undergraduate students, freshmen or transfer students, coming into the program Agricultural and Environmental Systems of the Department of Natural Resources at NCA&T State University, especially students with a specific interest in urban food production and coming into the concentration Urban and Community Horticulture (UCH). The population of students includes a majority of African-American. Students of other degree programs and other concentrations of the Department of Natural Resources at NCA&T State University have also shown interest in the Urban Food Platform (UFP) and participated in the project,as well as in new courses of the UCH program developed thanks to this grant. This included students from Landscape-Architecture, Biological Engineering, Agricultural Education (Undergraduate + Master), and Agricultural and Environmental Systems with the concentrations Sustainable Land Management and Environmental Studies. The target audience also included: students from the Early STEM College at NCA&T State University, who did service learning or worked at the Urban Food Platform; the community of Greensboro NC; and peers with an interest in Local Food and Urban Food Systems. The program at the Urban Food Platform reached out to community members and students outside campus for educational tours / gardening workshops at the platform. A strong relationship with community members was also maintained through donation of plant material and produce from the Urban Food Platform. Changes/Problems:Due to a delayed startof the project in first year, a one-year extension was requested to allow for completion of the project after good progress in second and third year. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project provided new opportunities of training and experiential learning activities for the students of the Department Natural Resources and Environmental Design. Through the development of a "Urban Food Platform " (UFP) on campus, students have been given access to new possibilities of hands-on activities for the development of practical skills associated with research activities and courses of the curriculum Agricultural & Environmental Systems / Urban and Community Horticulture. Training opportunities have been also provided to 5 to 8 students per year, most of them working part time in staffing roles at the UFP, and the others either volunteering or doing service-learning within the framework of their studies at the Early Stem College on campus (2 students in service learning during the course of the project). Among other things, horticulture students learnt how to build a platform of raised beds, build a greenhouse structure, build an irrigation system and plant / maintain / harvest food crops. The effort required during all these activities contributed to team building and the development of soft skills. The convenient location of the platform favored the development of special activities, and the development of a container community garden at the UFP, which contributed to establish connections with students of other majors, faculty and staff seeking for training in growing food. The Ag Club of the Early Stem College used the UFP for experiential learning activities. Training opportunities were also provided locally to community members through the organization of educational tours and workshops at the UFP, focusing on gardening and food production: Food production workshop for GTCC Middle College High Gardening workshop for the teachers of GC School Garden Network Field Trip of the "Sustainable Food System" major of Guilford College In term of professional development: the PI was able to attend 5 conferences and increase her knowledge and network in the area of urban food production. The expertise gained throughout the project allowed her to compete and arrive 2nd in the Early Career and Leadership competition of the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) with "Engaging Students in Ag. Through the Development of an Urban Food Platform". Conferences attended included: 2015 Annual ASHS Conference, New-Orleans LA, August 4-7, 2015. 4th Seedstock Conference, San Diego CA, November 3-4, 2016 Urban Food System Symposium, Olathe KS, June 22-25, 2016 2017 Annual ASHS Conference, Waikoloa HI, September 19-22, 2017 Urban Food System Symposium, Minneapolis MN, August 8-11, 2018 How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results of the project have been disseminated to students via lectures, laboratories, on-line materials, the development of research activities, and tours or activities involving the Urban Food Platform. Results have been shared with members of the community through tours and visits of the Urban Food Platform (i.e. 2016 Guilford County Local Foods Week), class assignments involving projects and/or service-learning in the community (through HORT 350 and HORT 351, especially), through presentations at local events / conferences (3rd and 4th Annual Foodstorm Conference on Feb. 25th, 2017 and Feb. 17th, 2018, respectively; Small Farms Week on March 19-25th, 2017 and March 25-31 th , 2018) and through workshops organized at the platform in the spring 2017. Results have also been shared every semester with the on-campus community through the Adopt-A-Pot program, through special events organized at the platform for World Food Day in the fall and Earth Day in the spring, through Newsletter and media release of the College of Agriculture and Environmental Science (On the Move and Media Release of December 2016). Results were shared with peers through the 3 posters and an oral presentation at international conferences during the course of the project: - A poster was presented at the Urban Food Systems Symposium in Olathe KS in June 2016: Huchette O., Wofford A.B., McGee T.M, Joyce A.A. 2016. Using Square-Foot Gardening as a Tool to Teach Crop Science in Urban Settings. Urban Food Systems Symposium. Olathe KS, June 22-25, 2016. - An oral presentation and a poster were presented at the 2017 ASHS Annual Conference in Waikoloa, HI. The presentation was given during the Early Career Competition session: Huchette O. Engaging Students in Ag. Through the Development of an Urban Food Platform. 2017 ASHS Annual Conference. Waikoloa, September 19-22, 2017. The poster focused on experiential learning at the UFP: Huchette O., Wofford A.B., and W.M. Randle. 2017. Developing an Urban Food Production Platform on Campus to Enhance Experiential Learning of Horticulture Students. 2017 ASHS Annual Conference. Waikoloa, September 19-22, 2017. - A poster was presented at the Urban Food Systems Symposium in Mineapolis MC in August 2018: Huchette O., Randle W.. 2018. Connecting Students and the Community on Local Food Issues. Urban Food Systems Symposium, Minneapolis MN, August 8-11, 2018. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
North Carolina A&T State University started in fall of 2013 an undergraduate degree program with a concentration in "Urban and Community Horticulture (UCH)" to educate and train future professionals in urban food production. The approach that was selected, as the UCH curriculum was designed, was to develop a curriculum based on experiential learning to provide students coming into the program with limited agricultural experience with the necessary "hands-on" exposure to be successful. This was the first program in the 1890 Land Grant system focusing on urban food systems, and the project was intended to build the capacity of the UCH program by: developing the infrastructure necessary to provide quality experiential learning opportunities on campus; assisting with recruitment and retention of high quality students; and improving the quality of the program by developing core course materials to educate future urban food professionals ready to solve real society issues. The grant was used to develop the surrounding grounds of the campus greenhouse, building multiple growing structures for students' hands-on experience on what became the "Urban Food Platform" (UFP). The development of the platform itself served as a learning experience for students who contributed to building its various structures through classes' hands-on projects or work studies throughout the course of the project. The UFP now includes 38 raised beds of various size, 4 cold frames, vertical growing structures, 4 hydroponic towers, 40 fabric pots, a pergola providing a shaded seating area for outdoor classroom as well as 2 picnic tables, and a 12x25-ft passively heated and cooled greenhouse for students use. As a result, the UFP is a new facility offering teaching, research and outreach opportunities feet away from the classroom. It is a great tool for recruitment and community engagement. It openly showcases UCH students' work and research in urban food production, and gives a new platform for gathering on campus and organizing special events and celebrations. Close to 400 lbs of food produced at the UFP during the course of the project was given to students and local food organization. Accomplishments on the various objectives of the project: The first objective was to develop the infrastructure necessary to support student's experiential learning for the concentration Urban and Community Horticulture (UCH) of the undergraduate program Agricultural and Environmental Systems in the Department of Natural Resources at NCA&T State University. The infrastructure was built in 2 phases: The first phase, which was completed during the second year, focused on the front area of the Reid Greenhouse on campus. This area includes 12 raised beds equipped with drip irrigation, vertical growing structures made by students, 3 cold frames and a container community garden. The second phase, which was the main focus of the third and fourth year, was developed on an additional space close by the Reid Greenhouse. Following campus approval, implementation started during the summer 2016 to include 23 new raised beds.Nine raised beds were first used in the fall 2016 by students of HORT 420- Vegetables for Small-Scale Production. Dwarf fruit trees and shrubs were planted in the Spring 2017. Raised beds were also used to offer hands-on opportunities to the Ag club of the Early Stem College on campus. SmartPots and drip irrigation were added at the end of the spring 2017. Additional growing structures on that platform include: a passive heating / cooling 12x25-ft greenhouse structure built in the Fall 2016 by the class of HORT 410-Season Extension; a pergola built by students during the summer 2017; and 4 hydroponic towers. In the last year of the project, students added shelves and benches to the greenhouse. Two picnic tables were added near the pergola. The capacity of the UFP was also increased with 3 additional raised beds, 1 cold frame, 1 outdoor storage unit and sensors for climatic data recording. The program also gained the capacity to collect harvest data, freeze seeds for storage and refrigerate produce from the UFP. Various tools and equipment were acquired to support students' experiential learning and proper maintenance of the UFP. 2. The second objective was to support students' recruitment in Urban and Community Horticulture (UCH). Recruitment material was initially developed with the help of students and used for recruitments events, regularly attended by faculty and students involved at the Urban Food Platform (UFP). The UFP itself, by showcasing students' work and research activities, has served as a recruitment tool. Many people walk by the platform every day and observe or ask questions, curious about new crops or new projects under progress. Taking advantage of these opportunities, we organized special events with students at the platform, and shared our work by celebrating important dates such as World Food Day and Earth Day. Special events, tours and workshops have been organized every semester at the UFP throughout the course of the project. Presentations at local events and international conferences on the project were made in 2016, 2017, 2018, and contributed to promote the UCH program as well. The number of students in the new horticulture program increased by over 50% and 30% in year 2 and 3 of the project, respectively. The number of graduates increased from 0 at the beginning to 7 per academic year at the end of the project. The College of Agriculture and Environmental Science developed recruitment material during the course of the project, including a video in 2017-18 which features the UFP. The UFP is also featured in the 2018 Local Food Guide of Guilford County Cooperative Extension as an educational resource for the community. In 2017, the PI of the project was awarded second place in the Early Career and Leadership competition of the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) with "Engaging Students in Ag. Through the Development of an Urban Food Platform". It is expected that further impact will be observed on student number after the end of this project. 3. The third objective was to develop course materials to educate urban food professionals ready to solve real society issues. The following required horticulture courses of the UCH curriculum were revised to include experiential learning at the UFP: HORT 330- Plant Nutrition, HORT 301- Plant Disease Management Strategies, HORT 334-Plant Propagation, HORT 420-Vegetables for Small-Scale Production. New courses were also developed: HORT 210-The Science of Plants, HORT 402-Grapes and Small Fruits, HORT 403- Specialty Crops, HORT 410- Season Extension. HORT 350-Factors Affecting Urban and Community Horticulture, and HORT 351-Practice in Sustainable Horticulture, were developed to include service learning and community engagement. Below are examples on how courses were revised / developed to include experiential learning: • HORT 334- Plant Propagation produces plant material used in outreach projects as well as seedlings used in the raised beds. The Spring production was used to organize a "salad bar" event for Earth Day 2017 and 2018. • HORT 301- Plant Disease Management Strategies includes projects encouraging student observations of plant material on campus. • In HORT 420- Vegetables for Small-Scale Production, students are responsible for their own vegetable production using raised beds of the UFP. • HORT 410- Season Extension worked on the construction of the 12x25-ft unheated greenhouse structure. Students also apply yearly low tunnels and covers to the raised beds for season extension. • HORT 350- Factors Affecting Urban and Community Horticulture and HORT 351-Practice in Sustainable Horticulture, focus on community projects and service-learning, and include special activities at the UFP for World Food Day and Earth Day.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Huchette O., Randle, W.M. 2018. Connecting Students and the Community on Local Food Issues. Urban Food Systems Symposium, Minneapolis MN, USA, August 8-11, 2018. Poster.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Huchette O. 2017. Engaging Students in Ag. Through the Development of an Urban Food Platform. 2017 ASHS Annual Conference, Waikoloa HI, USA, September 19-22, 2017. Oral Presentation.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Huchette O., Wofford A.B., Randle, W.M. 2017. Developing an Urban Food Production Platform on Campus to Enhance Experiential Learning of Horticulture Students. ASHS Annual Conference, Waikoloa HI, USA, September 19-22, 2017. Poster.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Huchette O., Wofford A.B., McGee T.M, Joyce A.A. 2016. Using Square-Foot Gardening as a Tool to Teach Crop Science in Urban Settings. Urban Food Systems Symposium. Olathe KS, June 22-25, 2016.
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Progress 09/01/16 to 08/31/17
Outputs
Target Audience:Audience targeted during this reporting period was mainly composed of undergraduate students, freshmen or transfer students, coming into the program Agricultural and Environmental Systems of the Department of Natural Resources at NCA&T State University, especially students with a specific interest in urban food production coming into the concentration Urban and Community Horticulture (UCH). The population of students includes a majority of African-American. Students of other degree programs and other concentrations of the Department of Natural Resources at NCA&T State University have also shown interest in the Urban Food Platform (UFP) and new courses of the UCH program developed thanks to this grant. This may include students from Landscape-Architecture, Biological Engineering, Agricultural Education (Undergraduate + Master), and Agricultural and Environmental Systems with the concentrations Sustainable Land Management and Environmental Studies. The target audience also included students from the Early STEM College at NCA&T State University, who did service-learning or worked at the Urban Food Platform, the community of Greensboro NC and peers with an interest in Local Food and Urban Food Systems. This year's program at the Urban Food Platform reached out to community members and students outside campus for educational tours / gardening workshops at the platform: three were organized in the Spring for students of other Colleges / Schools in Greensboro (Guilford College, and GTCC Middle College High), as well as for the teachers of the Guilford County School Garden Network. A strong relationship with community members was also maintained through donation of plant material and produce from the Urban Food Platform. Changes/Problems:Due to a delayed start in the project in year 1, a one-year extension was requested to allow for completion of the project after good progress in year 2 and 3. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has provided opportunities of training and experiential learning activities for the undergraduate students of the Department Natural Resources and Environmental Design, especially through the courses HORT 420, HORT 410, HORT 301, HORT 334, HORT 350, HORT 351 and HORT 210 for this third year. Training opportunities have been also provided to 4 students working part time in staffing roles on the grant, as well as to additional students working or volunteering at the Reid Greenhouse. Two of these volunteers came weekly work at the platform, one of them was doing service-learning within the framework of his studies at the Early Stem College on campus. Among other things, horticulture students learnt how to build a platform of raised beds, build a greenhouse structure, build an irrigation system and plant / maintain / harvest food crops. Training opportunities were also provided to community members through the organization of tours and workshops in the spring: Food production workshop for GTCC Middle College High Gardening workshop for the teachers of GC School Garden Network Visit of a class of the "Sustainable Food System" major of Guilford College How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results of the project have been disseminated to students via lectures, laboratories, on-line materials, and tours / activities involving the Urban Food Platform. Results have been also shared with members of the community through visits of the Urban Food Platform, students' class projects involving projects and/or service-learning in the community (through HORT 350 and HORT 351, especially), through presentations at local events / conferences (3rd Annual Foodstorm Conference on Feb. 25th, 2017; Small Farms Week on March 19-25th, 2017) and through workshops organized at the platform in the spring 2017. Results have also been shared with the on-campus community through the Adopt-A-Pot program, through special events organized at the platform for World Food Day in the fall and Earth Day in the spring, through the Newsletter (On the Move) and media release of the College of Agriculture and Environmental Science (On the Move and Media Release of December 2016). Results will be shared with peers through the presentation of a poster and an oral presentation during the 4th year of the project (submitted and accepted during this 3rd year for presentation at the 2017 ASHS Annual Conference). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In Year 4, it is expected to complete the project and develop a plan for the maintenance of the Urban Food Production Platform. More specifically, activities during the 4th year of the project will include: - To complete the second part of Urban Food Production Platform (UFP II) with the objective of having a hydroponic system and the students' greenhouse fully functional for use by students. - To intensify the recruitment effort - Having the platform being located on campus has shown to be an effective recruitment tool as it brings attention on our program. There is a need for development of signage, efficient communication messages and use social media in order to increase the impact of the project and support the recruitment effort. - To continue to organize events and outreach opportunities around the Urban Food Platform, which also contribute to the recruitment effort. Celebrations at the Urban Food Platform will be planned at the minimum for World Food Day 2017 as well as for Earth Day 2018. Besides, the Adopt-A-Pot will continue to engage students, faculty and staff on campus and raise awareness on the goals and results of our project. - To continue to revise and develop courses, especially the experiential learning part of the courses for best using the Urban Food Platform. - To continue the effort on professional development (participation to conferences / workshops), and collaborations thanks to this project.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The third year of the project focused on continuing to build the infrastructure necessary to support student's experiential learning for the concentration Urban and Community Horticulture (UCH) of the undergraduate program Agricultural and Environmental Systems in the Department of Natural Resources at NCA&T State University. The infrastructure to be built was planned to be done in 2 phases. The first phase, which was completed during the second year, focused on the front area of the Reid Greenhouse on campus (UFP I). This area includes 12 raised beds (nine 8x4-ft and three 4x4-ft) equipped with drip irrigation on a mulched area, vertical structures made by students, and a container community garden which can welcome a maximum of 30 SmartPots open to faculty, staff and students ("Adopt-A-Pot" program). The second phase, which was the main focus of the third year, concerned the development of a second growing platform close by the Reid Greenhouse, on part of an empty lot (UFP II). Following approval, design and set up of the water access, implementation started during the summer 2016 with the construction of nine 4x4-ft containers, twelve 2x2-ft containers, and two additional 2x8-ft containers on a mulched area. The 4x4-ft containers were first used in the Fall 2016 by the students of HORT 420- Vegetables for Small-Scale Production. Dwarf fruit trees and shrubs were planted in the twelve 2x2-ft containers in the Spring 2017. The 2x8-ft containers have been used in the Spring 2017, one for herbs and specialty crop productions, and one for offering hands-on opportunities to the Ag club of the Early Stem College on campus. SmartPots and a drip irrigation system covering the entire growing area were added at the end of the spring to increase the growing capacity of this second platform. Additional structures were added during the course of the year: the class of HORT 410-Season Extension built in the Fall 2016 a passive heating / cooling 12x25-ft greenhouse structure; a pergola was added during the summer 2017; and 4 hydroponic towers have been started by students during the summer 2017 as well. During this third year, both platforms have been used for classes' experiential activities: students of Vegetable Production planted fall crops at both platforms; students of Plant Propagation planted summer crops at the platform UFP I; students of Season Extension built the greenhouse structure of the UFP II; students of IPM and Plant Disease Managements collected plants and insect samples for ID of pests and diseases when possible. The food produced in the raised beds was donated on campus and to local organizations aiming at reducing hunger in the community (Backpack Beginnings, Share the Harvest). Besides, efforts continued on course revision to include experiential learning using the Urban Food Platform: The course HORT 420- Vegetables for Small-Scale Production was revised and offered for the first time in the Fall in order to facilitate heavy involvement of the students on the Urban Food Platform. Students started to work on summer crops planted in the spring by students of Plant Propagation and maintained over the summer, then switched to Fall crops, each student being responsible of a growing area as part of a semester project. The course HORT 410- Season Extension was revised to use the Urban Food Platform on campus. In the Fall 2016, the construction of a 12x25-ft unheated greenhouse structure was used as a semester project for the students of the class. The lab times were used for implementing concepts of greenhouse construction and build the greenhouse that is intended to be used by students for their transplants needs at the platform. One new course was also developed and offered for the first time in the Spring 2017: HORT 210- The Science of Plants, which will provide students with the necessary background in plant physiology and botany. The third year of the project focused also on increasing community outreach and communication for increasing recruitment efforts: Besides University recruitment opportunities, Faculty and students participated in several local opportunities to communicate on the Urban Food Platform and results of the grant: McGee T.M., Martin J.C. and Huchette O. 2017. Student Engagementin the Local Food Movement. 3rd Annual FoodStorm, Guilford College, Greensboro NC. Participation in the Small Farms Week, March 19-25th 2017, organized by the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences and Cooperative Extension: Ag. Awareness Expo on 03/20/17, andEducational Forum on 03/31/17 (Showcase of Excellence). Organization of workshops: March 25th, 2017 - Food production workshop for GTCC Middle College High. April 6th, 2017 - School Garden workshop for the teachers of GC School Garden Network. May 4th: Field trip of a class of the "Sustainable Food System" major of Guilford College. A 2x8-ft raised bed was given to the Ag club of the Early STEM College on campus. Students worked on projects of social media communication (Facebook, Instagram). A poster has been submitted for presentation at the ASHS 2017 Annual Conference in Waikoloa, HI in September 2017 (Huchette O., Wofford A.B., and W.M. Randle. 2017. Developing an Urban Food Production Platform on Campus to Enhance Experiential Learning of Horticulture Students. 2017 ASHS Annual Conference. Waikoloa, September 19-22, 2017). A presentation will be given during the Early Career Competition session at the ASHS 2017 Annual Conference in Waikoloa, HI as well (Huchette O. Engaging Students in Ag. Through the Development of an Urban Food Platform. 2017 ASHS Annual Conference. Waikoloa, September 19-22, 2017). The Urban Food Platform will be featured in the new recruitment video of the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Huchette O., Wofford A.B. and Randle W.M. 2017. Developing an Urban Food Production Platform on Campus to Enhance Experiential Learning of Horticulture Students. ASHS 2017 Annual Conference. Waikoloa HI, September 19-22, 2017. (Poster)
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Progress 09/01/15 to 08/31/16
Outputs
Target Audience:Audience targeted during this reporting period was mainly composed of undergraduate students--freshmen or transfer students, coming into the program Agricultural and Environmental Systems of the Department of Natural Resources at NCA&T State University. The population is a majority of African-American students. The program witha concentration in Urban and Community Horticulture (UCH) targets especially non-traditional students coming into the program with a specific interest in urban food production,and was the principal audience targeted. Students of other degree programs and other concentrations of the Department of Natural Resources at NCA&T State University also showed interest in the new courses of the UCH program and in the Urban Food Platform (UFP) being developed thanks to this grant. They were part of the target audience, and included students from Landscape-Architecture, Biological Engineering, Agricultural Education (Undergraduate + Master), and Agricultural and Environmental Systems with the concentrations Sustainable Land Management and Environmental Studies. The target audience also included high school students from the EarlySTEMCollege at NCA&T State University, the community of Greensboro, NC and peers with an interest in local food and urban food systems. Changes/Problems:Progress and start of the second phase of implementation of the Urban Food Platform has been delayed due to water access capacity, which was resolved in August 2016. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has provided opportunities of training and experiential learning activities for the undergraduate students of the Department Natural Resources and Environmental Design, especially through the courses HORT 301-Plant Disease Management Strategies, HORT 334- Plant Propagation, HORT 350- Factors Affecting Urban and Community Horticulture, HORT 351- Practice in Sustainable Horticultureand NARS 608- Special Problems in Natural Resources. Training opportunities have been also provided tosix students working part time in staffing roles on the grant, as well as to additional students working or volunteering at the Reid Greenhouse. Among other things, horticulture students learnedto build a platform of raised beds, and a student of Landscape-Architecture developed a 3D map for the second phase of the Urban Food Platform, which was presented during the tour of the Urban Food Platform during the Guilford County Local Foods Week Celebration in June 2016. The project provided also professional development opportunities for the Project Director of the grant, who participated to 2 conferences funded by the grant during the reporting period: 4th Seedstock Conference: Innovation and the Rise of Local Food (San Diego, CA, November 3-4, 2015) Urban Food Systems Symposium (Olathe, KS, June 22-25, 2016) How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results of the project have been disseminated to students via lectures, laboratories, on-line materials, and tours/activities involving the Urban Food Platform. Results have been also shared with members of the community through visits of the Urban Food Platform under progress, students' class projects involving service-learning in the community (through HORT 351 and the GC School Garden Network, especially) and through the Guilford County Local Foods Week Celebration (https://guilford.ces.ncsu.edu/local-foods-celebration-wednesday-june-22nd/ https://www.facebook.com/guilfordeats/events?ref=page_internal). Results have also been shared with the on-campus community through the Adopt-A-Pot program, and with peers through the presentation of a poster at a national symposium on urban food systems. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In Year 3, it is expected: to continue on working on building the Urban Food Production Platform (UFP) with the objective of having the second phase of the platform functional. to continue the recruitment effort, having the platform being located on campus has shown it can be an effective recruitment tool as it brings attention on our program. It is planned to work on communication and social media to increase the impact of the project and support the recruitment effort. to organize events and outreach opportunities around the Urban Food Platform, which also contribute to the recruitment effort. A celebration around the Urban Food Platform is planned for World Food Day 2016 as well as for Earth Day 2017. Besides, the Adopt-A-Pot programwill continue to engage students, faculty and staff on campus and raise awareness on the goals and results of our project. Adopt-A-Pot was very successful in the past year, this program has increased by 20% itsmembers since it first started and was including in the spring 25% ofmembers from the Early STEM College on campus. to continue to revise and develop courses including experiential learning using the Urban Food Platform. As an example: HORT 420- Vegetables for Small-Scale Production will be revised to include experiential learning on the Urban Food Platform. A new horticulture course has also been accepted as a new required course in sophomore year of the Urban and Community Horticulture curriculum and is expected to be offered in the spring. to continue the effort on professional development (participation to conferences/workshops), and collaborations thanks to this project.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The second year of the project focused on continuing to build the infrastructure necessary to support student experiential learning for the concentration in Urban and Community Horticulture (UCH) of the undergraduate program, Agricultural and Environmental Systems in the Department of Natural Resources at NCA&T State University. The infrastructure to be built was planned to be done in 2 phases: the first phase focusing on the front area of the Reid Greenhouse on campus was started in the first year and was finished and made fully functional during the second year. This area now includes 12 raised beds (nine 8x4-ft and three 4x4-ft) equipped with drip irrigation on a mulched area, vertical structures made by students, large SmartPot containers as well as a container community garden named "Adopt-A-Pot" composed now of 28 Smart Pots open to faculty, staff and students. the second phase concerns a second area close by the Reid Greenhouse, which was an empty lot at the beginning of the project and was subject to approval and discussions around layout and water access. The implementation of this second phase could be started successfully at the end of the second year. This area currently includes a mulched area with nine 4x4-ft containers for vegetable production, twelve 2x2-ft containers for fruit production, and two additional 2x8 containers that could be used for herbs and specialty productions. Plans have been made for adding a greenhouse structure to that area in the Fall 2016. Additional elements are expected to complete that new growing area during the third year of the project. During this second year, the nine 8x4-ft raised beds from the front area of the Reid Greenhouse have been used mainly for students projects (undergraduate and graduate), for data collection, and for students experiential learning associated with courses (or summer programs in the case of the STEM program on campus). Part of the food produced in those raised beds was donated for realizing cooking demonstrations on campus with a local chef and for supporting a local organization aiming at reducing hunger issues among children (Backpack Beginnings). Fifty pounds of vegetables grown by students and freshly harvested from the raised beds were donated to Backpack Beginnings in April and May. Besides, efforts continued on course revision to include experiential learning using the Urban Food Platform: The course HORT 334- Plant Propagation was revised and offered for the first time in the spring, which allowed heavy involvement of the students on the Urban Food Platform. Students produced and planted the seedlings used in the raised beds for both spring and summer production. The course HORT 301- Plant Disease Management Strategies was revised as well and offered for the first time in the fall, allowing more students observations of plant material on campus. Both courses HORT 350- Factors Affecting Urban and Community Horticulture and HORT 351-Practice in Sustainable Horticulture continued to evolve to include the new Urban Food Platform and more experiential learning in the community. A student of HORT 351 used his on-campus experience of food production to do some service-learning at a local school and help educate 4th graders how to better grow food from their school garden. He also introduced them to square-foot gardening as a tool to teach STEM disciplines using the garden. This successful experience, that was made possible thanks to the project, fostered our relationship and collaboration with the Guilford County School Garden Network, which would like more interaction and possibly to welcome more of our students at school gardens. Two new courses were also developed and proposed to students during that second year: HORT 602- Grapes and Small Fruits and HORT 603- Specialty crops. Both courses will be revised in the light of the second phase of implementation of the Urban Food Platform to include more experiential learning. The second year of the project focused also on increasing community outreach and start sharing the results of the project, especially for recruitment: The Urban Food Platform was part of the program of events of the Local Food Week organized in Guilford County, and was toured as an example of urban farm on June 22, 2016. A poster was presented at the Urban Food Systems Symposium in Olathe, KS at the end of June (Huchette O., Wofford A.B., McGee T.M, Joyce A.A. 2016. Using Square-Foot Gardening as a Tool to Teach Crop Science in Urban Settings. Urban Food Systems Symposium. Olathe KS, June 22-25, 2016.) The Early STEM College on campus spent half a day on July 26 at the Urban Food Platform as part of their Summer Ag program. Enrollment inUrban and Community Horticulture has increased byfive percentfrom the Fall 2015.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Huchette O., Wofford A.B., McGee T.M, Joyce A.A. 2016. Using Square-Foot Gardening as a Tool to Teach Crop Science in Urban Settings. Urban Food Systems Symposium. Olathe KS, June 22-25, 2016. (Poster)
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Progress 09/01/14 to 08/31/15
Outputs
Target Audience:Audience targeted during this first reporting period was mainly composed of undergraduate students, freshmen or transfer students, coming into the program Urban and Community Horticulture (UCH) of the Department of Natural Resources at NCA&T State University. The population of students includes a majoritywho areAfrican-American. The UCH program also targets non-traditional students coming into the program with a specific interest in urban food production. Students of other degree programs or concentrations of the Department of Natural Resources at NCA&T State University also showed interest in the new courses of the UCH program and in the Urban Food Platform (UFP) being developed thanks to this grant. They are part of the target audience for this first year. The target audience also included students from 8th to 12th grade attending the E.S.M.T (Exploration of Science andMath in Technology) summer camp on campus. Thethree sessions of the summer camp included in their program a tour and discussions on plant science at the UFP, especially around the new platform of raised beds. Changes/Problems:Timely start and progress on the grant was delayed by an interruption in the contract of the Co-PD (Ms.. Huchette) between October and mid-December. Active work on the grant was reinitiated at the return of Ms. Huchette, who became the project director for the grant (Amendment 1 on 02/27/15). Progress on the Urban Food Platform has been also taking more time than expected and required several discussions and plan / layouts revisions as the university has been working on the University master plan to include projects of new constructions. A change in the administration also occurred in this first reporting period, with a change in the SAES leadership in June 2015. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has provided opportunities of training activities and professional development for the undergraduate students of the HORT 351 class. Training opportunities have been also provided to thetwo students working in staffing roles on the grant, as well as to additional students working or volunteering at the Reid Greenhouse. The project provided also professional development opportunities for the Project Director of the grant, who participated two conferences funded by the grant during the reporting period: - One local conference (2015 Piedmont Grown Annual Conference) - One national conference (2015 ASHS conference in New-Orleans LA) How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The results of the project have been disseminated to students via lectures, laboratories, on-line materials, and tours / activities involving the Urban Food Platform. Results have been also shared with members of the community through visits of the Urban Food Platform under progress (i.e. Children's museum in Greensboro NC, Guilford County Extension Office). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In Year 2, it is expected: - To continue working on building the Urban Food Production Platform (UFP) Expectation is to complete the first phase of implementation of the UFP and continue discussions/work on second phase of implementation. Depending on discussions on campus, look at increasing growing space inside the Reid Greenhouse rather than outside. - To increase recruitment effort and work on supporting material for recruitment Make contact with Ag Communication to checkon progress of SAES work on recruitment material for new programs (such as Urban and Community Horticulture). - To organize more events around the Urban Food Platform Events should include the celebration of World Food Day and Earth Day, besides continuing/improving concept of "Adop-A-Pot". - To develop a new course including experiential learning component using the Urban Food Platform - To increase professional development (participation to conferences/workshops), and collaborations
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The first year of the project focused on starting building the infrastructure necessary for student experiential learning in orderto support the new undergraduate degree program - Urban and Community Horticulture (UCH). Plans and a draft layout for the Urban Food Platform (UFP) to be implemented thanks to this project were submitted in the fall of 2014, and further discussed/revised in the spring of 2015 with the university facilities department. Discussions led to the start of a first phase of implementation of the UFP and to the proposal at the end of May 2015 of a revised layout for a later second phase of implementation. The first phase of implementation focused on the surroundings of the Reid Greenhouse and started in April 2015 with the construction of vertical growing structures by the students of the course HORT 351. SmartPot containers were also added around the greenhouse, 24 of them being used for an "Adopt-A-Pot" event organized within the framework of this grant to increase exposure of students, faculty and staff to the UFP on campus. The construction of new raised beds in front of the Reid Greenhouse started in May 2015. Nine 8x4-ft raised beds could be planted in a replicated design between June 10 and 12 for collection of data and preparation of the fall semester. Besides, discussions started with the services of Ag Communication on campus regarding the development of recruitment material. Photos were taken by the photographer on campus during the Earth Day event organized by the students of HORT 351 for further use in future recruitment material. Progress was also made on courses of the UCH curriculum, especially with the development of HORT 351, which included heavily involvement of students with the community through individual service-learning projects focused on urban horticulture and local food systems, and a group project focused on building the Urban Food Platform on campus.
Publications
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