Source: DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to
ENGAGE STUDENTS AND FACULTY IN LATIN AMERICAN AGRICULTURE AS A MODEL FOR GLOBAL INVOLVEMENT AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
TERMINATED
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1004077
Grant No.
2014-38821-22442
Project No.
DELXCR1
Proposal No.
2014-03052
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Program Code
EP
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2014
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2018
Grant Year
2014
Project Director
Alvarez, M.
Recipient Organization
DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY
1200 NORTH DUPONT HIGHWAY
DOVER,DE 19901
Performing Department
Agriculture and Natural Resour
Non Technical Summary
Training future leaders who have a good understanding of food and agriculture issues at the global level is very important. There are limited study abroad opportunities for minority students in the field of agriculture and this program intends to address that limitation. Each year a cohort of 12 students from Delaware State University, Alabama A&M University and Tuskegee University will travel to Costa Rica and work with researchers at CATIE, a world renowned institution in sustainable agriculture research. This experiential learning opportunity will help strengthen the students understanding of agricultural practices and knowledge base. The program will also facilitate researcher exchanges between three US institutions and CATIE. Students will also enroll in International Agriculture course and will be assessed for the knowledge and critical thinking among other skills. The program goals also align with the strategic goals of USDA NIFA as well as the three institutions.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
90301991060100%
Knowledge Area
903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery;

Subject Of Investigation
0199 - Soil and land, general;

Field Of Science
1060 - Biology (whole systems);
Goals / Objectives
1) Build educational, research, and extension partnerships with CATIE in some of agriculture's challenge areas and enhance students' global competence and professional opportunities; 2) Facilitate international scholar exchange, experiential learning, education, research, and to provide the practical context for understanding Costa Rica's agricultural industry; 3) Comparative studyof agricultural, social and culturalsystems of Costa Rica with those of the United States; 4) Link the study abroad program to joint teaching and research initiatives at CATIE, with DSU, AAMU and TU
Project Methods
Plan of Operation and Methodology: Each year a team of students and faculty members will go to the host institution, CATIE in Costa Rica. Host institution will offer opportunities for language and cultural trainings, scientific research, and visiting research site and facilities. Travel scholarships will be offered to selected students to fund their travel expenses. Immediate inputs to the curricula will include field trips, lecture series, seminars, and classroom presentations. Case studies will be developed from the experiences gained that will be implemented to enable faculty and students discuss their Costa Rica experiences. a. Planning visit (October 2014) : As a follow up to the planning visits, we will make an initial start-up trip to Costa Rica within 45 days of funding to establish the necessary protocols for implement this project, develop a work plan, finalize cooperative agreements, and constitute the interdisciplinary teams that will design program modules. Upon return home from the start-up trip, a report will be compiled documenting lessons learned and key variable inputs will be incorporated in the planning of other activities. Students will be introduced to this international exchange program through a series of seminars in the first semester of each year. Applicants will be evaluated using the following criteria: academic performance and course work, letters of recommendations, evidence of an interest, and applicable international training in agriculture and related sciences. In addition, the committee will seek evidence of a strong work ethic and commitment to research, education, and outreach. Minority students majoring in agriculture, environmental science, and natural resource sciences who have no previous abroad opportunity for research or education will have first priority. The students selected will manifest a genuine interest in exploring a global experience, desire to participate in an ongoing research, education, and outreach training project, and enthusiasm about meeting the challenges of international study and travel programs. We expect that most of our participants will be from groups (minority and females) traditionally underrepresented in the sciences. This intern program will focus on providing opportunities for students to interact with faculty and students in Costa Rica. The program will be composed of activities such as Spanish language training, Costa Rican social and cultural trainings, research and educational training in agricultural and environmental sciences. Students will be required to register for a 3-6 credit hour study abroad course, and in collaboration with the mentoring faculty, develop an area of emphasis or specialization that best suits and enhances their experiences and desires. The experiential learning aspect of each project will be designed in such a way as to utilize innovative methods of delivering instructions such as via webcasting and teleconferencing among Costa Rica, DSU, AAMU, TU and other participating HBCUs to enhance the quality and effectiveness. While in Costa Rica, students and faculty will have the opportunity to attend lectures in introductory Spanish, visit research laboratories and field sites, and interact with Costa Rican students and faculty for social and cultural related activities. Students will be prepared for the cultural and linguistic environment of Costa Rica and the host university. All students will be adequately informed about the existing conditions in Costa Rica through printed materials, web pages, and personal briefings about the institutions, cities, and the country in general. Additionally, during the fact finding trips in the first year, visiting faculty members will have the opportunity to personally address issues related to future student and faculty visits. Protocols will be developed and implemented to help students quickly adjust to the host institution's country. All activities conducted by students will be under the close supervision of the faculty members of DSU/AAMU/TU and the host institution. Each student will be required to prepare a daily journal of their activities and experience, a final report to summarize their experiences, a report of their research project, and present their research and overall learning experiences at the end of the program before departing Costa Rica. Students will also assess the effectiveness of the program and suggest potential recommendations for future improvement and better management of the program. The U.S. and Costa Rica faculty will identify areas of research and experiential learning which will be mutually beneficial and which will also enhance the student learning outcomes defined by the leadership team. We will jointly and actively seek research funds from both countries to support future activities and cultural diversification of our graduates? preparations for participatory citizenship in a complex, diverse, and globally-interconnected world. Potential areas of research include, but are not limited to: soil conservation, soil quality and health, soil meta-genomics, microbiology and phylogeny, tropical crops production, tropical soils and wildlife ecology, conservation biology, biostatistics and modeling, landscape ecology and ecosystem modeling, bioenergy, crop breeding, molecular biology and genomics, forest ecology and management, GIS and Remote Sensing applications in agricultural and environmental sciences, food biotechnology, conservation genetics and bioinformatics, hydrology, water quality, soil physical properties, and climate change. Specific research projects will be designed after the initial visit.

Progress 09/01/14 to 08/31/18

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience are undergraduate and graduate students and faculty. Efforts to reach these audiences included presentations, conferences, seminars, field trips, and educational in-services, national webinars and videos. This project has provided 46 students with study abroad international experiential learning opportunity to Costa Rica. Once students returned to their campuses, they were expected to make class presentations to share their experience and also to enter competitive poster or oral presentation sessions. Many posters, awards and a video documentation have resulted from this program. Since the beginning of this program, four students from EARTH University have chosen Tuskegee University (1) and Delaware State University (3) for internships and two are now doing their MSc at DSU. Two faculty members of CATIE and two from EARTH University have visited our campuses to review curriculum, research capacity and discuss further collaboration. One student has returned to farming after participation in this study abroad program and another has taken up assignment with USDA-APHIS at the Wilmington Port, where the fresh fruits from Central and South America arrive for the North East. This project has helped to position students for career path and to encourage them to participate in USDA-FAS and USDA-APHIS supported initiative through the 1890 Foundation. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The program has provided 46 students and seven faculty members with an international orientation to the different strategies involved in sustainable agricultural practices and the maintenance and management of the germplasm of diverse tropical fruits, such as coffee and cacao. Other areas that triggered much interest included sustainable tourism practices that enabled small rural communities to be better prepared for competitiveness and to cope with climate change. Faculty members have also strengthened their curriculum on international sustainable agriculture courses. In addition, many students at EARTH and CATIE universities are familiar about our universities and considered us first choice for internships. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Students and collaborating faculty members have made several presentations at conferences. In one national United State Department of Agriculture-Foreign Agricultural Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-FAS/NIFA) webinar, entitled "Opportunities for International Engagement and Research Cooperation", a presentation was made about the study abroad program. In the Professional Agricultural Workers Conference, a major annual workshop, where participants from several universities, community members and organizations participated, a presentation was also delivered. Seminars were also delivered at the college level at partnering institutions, which many students and faculty attended. Presentations at the local chapters of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS), agricultural and teaching conferences, and through other forms of advocacy have served as common ways of dissemination. The students also shared videos developed from the mission in their Sustainable Agriculture class, as well as in their respective communities. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The project provided 46 students with study abroad international experiential learning opportunity. Many of the students who participated confirmed that the study abroad experience met their expectations. It helped them in their Spanish language learning, and they appreciated the hands-on approach to supplement class room learning, and the soundness and rigor of the class room sessions. They are better aware about food import/export logistics. Students also expressed how the study abroad program has helped them learn more about themselves and pledged to change attitude and work on personal improvement and determined to learn the language. They expressed appreciation for being made aware about the struggle of small farmers and business owners in the US and other countries and expressed interest to continue to travel. The trip has helped them to understand new/different ideas, concepts and cultures. It will help them to make a difference in their community. When asked if they have experienced any changes in personal qualities or values? In summary: It was easy to notice that there was a change in the students' personal values. They realized that there are a lot of things most people in the US take for granted that other people struggle to get. They were also very impressed about how knowledgeable young Costa Rican children are about environmental issues. One student said "I value small things in life a lot more than before. I practice sustainability but I have never been near where the level or scale that this entire town, or country practices it without issue. It was nice to hear children speak effortlessly about sustainability, climate change, global warming etc". The host country instructors' perception about the program was also very positive. All those interviewed thought that the students were engaged and eager to learn new concepts about how agriculture sustainability is practiced in other countries. They did not notice any significant difference between students from the different universities.

Publications


    Progress 09/01/16 to 08/31/17

    Outputs
    Target Audience:Target audience are primarily undergraduate and graduate students, primarily minority students as well as participating faculty members, who are involved in strengthening ctheir curriculum in sustainable agriculture, global studies and international health. Students completing the certificate course will be better positioned for carriers with USDA-FAS and USDA-APHIS. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This year's program provided students and faculty an opportunity to experience what internationalizing the curriculum means and first hand experience of the kinds and range of diversity that it entails, and its relevance to their research and studies. The range of discussions and exercise also helped the students to get a better understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity and cross-cultural interaction, and what is involved in preparation for international trade of fresh tropical produce to the US. In addition, this international experience provided the students and faculty the opportunity to get a clear understanding of how strategic tropical germplasm for important tropical crops, such as coffee and cacao are managed and the roles they play in crop improvement for adoption to new challenges. They were also involved in measuring trees and calculated the rate of carbon sequestration. This program has strengthened the college's initiative to truly internationalize its curriculum and partner with other colleges that lead in other relevant topics, such as global studies and international health. Based on the pre-trip and exit-trip surveys, most of the students stated that the mission exceeded their expectation and have personally and academically grown from this experience. Some of the students explained that it was very satisfying to see how other people were so friendly and welcoming and that this was an eye-opening experience. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?For this mission, most of the recommendations for improvement by the last group of students were implemented. As a result the students were very satisfied with the balance of classroom and field or hands-on activities. During the mission, the student participants discussed and shared their lessons and experience with each other and made very constructive recommendations. When they return to their respective campuses they will present posters, class presentations/seminars and will present papers at Professional Agricultural Workers Conference (PAWC), MANRRS Conference, their group club meetings, and through other forms of presentations, university web sites, face book, webcast and other forms of social media or advocacy. Through a pre and post-mission survey, the change in students' impression and understanding of the program continues to be assessed. The outcome will be shared with all partners and used for improvement for the next cycle and shared at workshops and conferences. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?This program is strengthening its linkages with other related courses at DSU and partner universities to consolidate the inter-institutional strategy for teaching partnership, so that students can obtain a certificate in International Engagement or International Studies. There will be intensive recruiting to attract more students from different departments such as biology, economics, health, physics. This approach will further strengthen linkage with USDA-FAS and USDA-APHIS partners.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? During the period the study abroad mission to Costa Rica was undertaken. Students from DSU/TU/AA&M and faculty members from TU and DSU participated in the trip to CATIE and EARTH in Costa Rica. At both institutions, the students were provided with lectures and field trips for orientation to outreach and survey practice, and observatio of farming system at model sites demonstrating the use and impact of agroforestry practices. Its successful adoptionin coffee and cacao production, and silvopastoral systems with livestock and its role in carbon sequestration were all well delivered and appreciated by the students. The significant other activity was the delivery of lectures by rural development specialists conducting research on community's perception of climate change and developing indicators that explore the linkages between ecosystems and human societies in the context of natural risks that they perceived. The students also went to model sites implementing good agricultural practices, such as integrated pest management, for export of fresh fruits (mangoes, banana) to the US. At each institution, the students were able to mingle and interacted with students conducting business projects (entrepreneurship), rural communities for cultural observation and appreciation, and orientation to another life style and to the Spanish language. This orientation model encouraged and facilitated international interactions for both faculty and students and promoted international education and cross-cultural awareness and competencies.

    Publications


      Progress 09/01/15 to 08/31/16

      Outputs
      Target Audience:The target audience are undergraduate and graduate students, especially minority students at all participating universities as well as participating faculty members, who are using the experience to strengthen their curriculum in sustainable agriculture and to expand the scope to include international perspectives/experiential learning. In addition, the students will be better positioned for careers in US agriculture. Changes/Problems:Two other institutions (Florida A&M University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore) collaborated joined on this study abroad mission to CATIE and EARTH University was added to the program. Thoe other adjustment in terms of the scope of the program for the students was the addition of presentations from USDA-APHIS and USDA-FAS representatives in Costa Rica. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The three-week study abroad provided students with an orientation to the science involved in sustainable agricultural, and sustainable tourism practices that will enable communities to be better prepared to be competitive and to cope with climate change. Through class room lectures and field trips students were able to grasp a better understanding and appreciation of the importance of agroforestry, and the role it plays in coping with sustainable management and what is involved in organic production in tropical conditions. They had a better understanding of what is involved in the adoption of best practices by a community that is strengthening and improving its sustainable eco-tourism and an appreciation of the different cultures and scales of agricultural activities between US and Costa Rica. The students were lectured by a multi-disciplinary faculty and had the opportunity for on-site research experience on management strategies in different agro-ecologies and in the management of diverse tropical fruits germplasm. They were also given lectures on the importance of trade negotiations. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Most students were satisfied with their study abroad experience and will be preparing posters for presentations in different fora such as class seminars, Professional Agricultural Workers Conference (PAWC), MANRRS Conference and through other forms of presentations/advocacy. They will share videos developed in their Sustainable Agriculture class as well as in their respective communities. Through a pre and post-mission survey, the change in students' impression and understanding of the program was assessed. The outcome will be shared with all partners and used for improvement for the next cycle and shared at workshops and conferences. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Using the webpage, brochures, and showing the video developed and, along with other forms of social media by students, and campus web page and news paper, there will be much efforts done to capture the attention of a new cadre of recruits for the next cycle. The MANRRS chapter and the college student ambassadors and other groupings on the various campuses, will be used to popularize the program. Announcement in the different classes/seminars will also be done by faculty members. Students who express interest will be encouraged to apply and to submit their applications along with letters of recommendation, which will be reviewed in February-March, 2017. This will be followed by interviews and students with no previous study abroad opportunity for research or education will be highly encouraged.

      Impacts
      What was accomplished under these goals? During the period, a second study abroad mission with 14 students was carried out. On this occasion, two other institutions, Florida A&M University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore joined. In addition to CATIE the students also had an orientation to EARTH University, where they had more hands-on experiential learning. At both institutions, the students were provided with lectures and field trips to model sites demonstrating the use and impact of agroforestry practices. Its successful practice in coffee and cacao production, and silvopastoral systems and its role in carbon sequestration were all well delivered and appreciated by the students. The significant other activity was the delivery of lectures by USDA-APHIS and USDA-FAS representatives in Costa Rica to the students. They also lead the students to a model site implementing good agricultural practices for export to the US. At each institution, the students were able to mingle and interacted with rural communities for cultural observation/appreciation and orientation to another live style and language/Spanish.

      Publications


        Progress 09/01/14 to 08/31/15

        Outputs
        Target Audience:The target audience are udergraduate and graduate students, especially minority students, at all 3 universities as well as participating faculty members, who are using the experience to strengthen their curriculum in sustainable agriculture and to expand the scope to include international perspectives. In addition, the students will be better positioned for careers in US agriculture. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The three week study abroad provided students with an orientation to the science involved in sustainable prcticies that will enable communities to be better prepared to cope with climate change. Through class room lectures and field trips students were able to grasp a better understand and appreciate the importance of agroforestry, and what is involved in organic production in tropical conditions. They had a better understanding of what is involved in best practices and community based sustainable tourism and an appreciation of the different cultures and scales of agricultural activities between US and Costa Rica. The students were lectured by a multi-disciplinary faculty and had the opportunity for on-site research experience on management strategies in different agro-ecologies and in the management of diverse tropical fruits germplasm. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The students were very satisfied with their study abroad experience and will be preparing posters for presentations in different fora such as calss seminars, Professional Agricultural Workers Conference (PAWC), MANRRS Conference and through other forms of presentations/advocacy, and showing the video developed in their Sustainable Agriculture class aas well as in their respective communities. Through a pre and post-mission survey, the change in students' impression and understanding of the program was assessed. The outcome will be shared with all partners and used for improvement for the next cycle. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Using the webpage, brochures, and showing the video developedand, along with other forms of social media by students will be done to capture the attention of a new cadre of recruits for the next cycle. The MANRRS chapter and other student goupings on the various campuses, will be used to popularize the program. Announcement in th different classes/seminars will also be done by faculty members. Students who express interest will be encouraged to apply and applications along with letters of recommendation will be reviewed in February-March, 2016. This will be followed by interviews and students with no previous abroad opportunity for research or education will be highly encouraged.

        Impacts
        What was accomplished under these goals? Within the framework of our MOU and project objectives with CATIE in Costa Rica, the first study abroad mission for 14 minority students was successfully accomplished. The students were provided with lectures and field mission to model sites demonstrating the use and impact of agroforestry practices. Its successful practice in coffee and cacao production, and silvopastoral systems was well delivered and appreciated by the students. The students and participating faculty had a good orientation to challenges and working models of agriculture and rural development models of the humid tropics and dry (low rainfall) ecology in Costa Rica. In addition they interacted with rural communities for cultural observation/appreciation and orientation to another language/Spanish.

        Publications