Source: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS submitted to NRP
MODERNIZING AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION THROUGH COMMUNITY BASED, CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1023541
Grant No.
2020-70003-32314
Cumulative Award Amt.
$149,455.00
Proposal No.
2020-03546
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2020
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2023
Grant Year
2020
Program Code
[ER]- Higher Ed Challenge
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS
410 MRAK HALL
DAVIS,CA 95616-8671
Performing Department
Agr & Env Sci Deans Office
Non Technical Summary
R1 land-grant institutions like UC Davis provide students with myriad opportunities to excel in FANH sciences, yet Latinx, Native American, first generation, and low-income undergraduates--collectively known as Rising Scholars-- remain underrepresented in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES), and few Ethnic Studies courses, such as Chicana/o Studies, integrate FANH science material into their curricula. We aim to support the education of Rising Scholars in FANH disciplines and Chicana/o Studies who interact with the UC Davis Student Farm. We will design innovative curricula, offer experiential learning opportunities, and focus on student recruitment and retention in FANH majors, all centered around a community-based, culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy, while also considering the context of food insecurity that many students face. This approach builds on academic literature linking students' sense of belonging to academic success, and recognizes that student food security is positively correlated with academic performance. In addition, we will provide career and leadership workshops to strengthen these students' access to public/private sector careers through enhanced partnerships between a wide range of UC Davis units. This proposal brings together an interdisciplinary team of faculty and staff from CA&ES, the College of Letters and Sciences, the Student Farm, Internship and Career Center, and Strategic Retention Initiatives.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
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
1021499107030%
7046010302070%
Goals / Objectives
This project has three objectives:Objective 1. Through culturally relevant and responsive curricula, increase Rising Scholar sense of belonging in the campus community, interest in FANH sciences and careers, and learning in FANH sciences.Objective 2. Provide Rising Scholars with experiential, community-engaged internships.Objective 3. Facilitate Rising Scholar entry into public and private sector FANH careers, through information dissemination about available career opportunities, leadership training to increase competitiveness in the job market, and direct linkages to potential employers.
Project Methods
Objective 1. Through culturally relevant and responsive curricula, increase Rising Scholar sense of belonging in the campus community, interest in FANH sciences and careers, and learning in FANH sciencces. Activities: Activity 1a: Update the curriculum for Plant Sciences (PLS) 193, "Garden and Farm-Based Experiential Education." Plant Sciences 193 educates 25 undergraduates to conduct food and agriculture-based garden tours for elementary schools in the region; students in this course learn about garden and farm-based experiential education in Winter through lectures and field based activities and then lead "Kids in the Garden" tours in Spring as interns. Last year, 25 student interns led 1,800 K-5 students in garden tours through the Student Farm's "Kids in the Garden" program. With input from our interdisciplinary faculty team, including faculty from Plant Sciences, Native American Studies, Chicana/o Studies, and the CA&ES Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Programs, we will revise the course content for PLS193 to emphasize culturally responsive and culturally relevant teaching methods and activities. The new content will include a discussion of and activities related to culturally relevant crops, indigenous farming practices, the history of agriculture and the diversity of people engaged in agriculture in California, while acknowledging contested issues in agriculture (e.g., the impact of new technology on farm labor) and other topics identified by our faculty team.Activity 1b: Hosting a Chicana/o studies course at the Student Farm to improve Rising Scholar access to Farm resources. The Student Farm began to host Chicana/o Studies courses in 2018 after learning that students in that major were interested in food and agriculture and that Hispanic students majoring in FANH disciplines often minor in Chicana/o Studies to increase their sense of belonging (Deeb-Sossa personal comm.). As part of this grant, we will host CHI110 (Sociology of the Chicana/o Experience) for three field trips to the Student Farm. Overall, the Student Farm will create opportunities for students to share knowledge about gardening and farming, increase their understanding of social and political issues around plants and food, and celebrate their farmworking and indigenous roots through field-based activities such as planting the "Three Sisters" - an intercropping method for corn, beans and squash. Students in previous course visits noted that "[The visit to the Student Farm] ... gives me a way to connect with my roots and culture" and "Seeing plants used by my culture made me feel included." Fostering this greater sense of belonging is the primary focus of Objective 1.Objective 2: Provide Rising Scholars with experiential, community-engaged internships. Activities: Expand Food Access Internship program. We currently host 30 food access internships a year at the Student Farm and donate 8,000-10,000 pounds of produce per year to campus partners. Our distribution partners include: the Pantry, Basic Needs Center, Educational Opportunities Program, NAASSC, and LGBTQIA Resource Center. This program will be expanded in two innovative ways. First, in addition to growing and gleaning produce for donation, which provides hands-on farming experience, student interns will develop food security programming for the project's campus distribution partners, listed above. Programming may include workshops or informational videos, covering topics such as campus statics on students most impacted by food insecurity, where to access food resources, culturally relevant recipes, and how to grow your own food. Second, the Student Farm will focus on growing more culturally relevant crops for donation to key campus community partners. Overall, the expanded internship program will improve the quality of experiential learning at the Student Farm by helping students feel more connected to their campus food system and student community, have a deeper understanding of campus food security, and increase food access.Objective 3. Facilitate Rising Scholar entry into public and private sector FANH careers, through information dissemination about available career opportunities, leadership training to increase competitiveness in the job market, and direct linkages to potential employers. Activity: Develop a workshop series highlighting FANH career opportunities - especially related to the USDA. We will forge a partnership between the Internship and Career Center, the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and Strategic Retention Initiatives on campus to improve student access to FANH employment. Specifically, we will develop an FANH workshop series to guide students on USDA career opportunities, building a professional network, developing leadership skills related to communication, professionalism, and teamwork, resume building, and applying to USDA and other public sector jobs. These workshops will build on materials and partnerships the Student Farm has already created through its Leadership Development Training Program and a workshop it co-organized with the USDA and ICC on NRCS careers. Colleagues from CCLASS, NAASSC, ICC and CA&ES will assist with promotion of these events to help reach Rising Scholars. We will also share workshop announcements with our faculty and food distribution partners. During these workshops, we will also connect students to internship and career services available on campus. The overall goal is to help Rising Scholars articulate the value of their background and perspectives, enhancing their confidence to enter and prosper in FAHN professions.

Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/23

Outputs
Target Audience:During this project 274 students participated in updated courses affiliated with this project and 64 students have interned with the food security internship program more than half were Rising Scholars. Up to 23 people participated in the Professional Development Workshop Series. We did not collect demographic data for this workshop series, but students who participated were affiliated with the UC Davis Minorities/Multiculturalism in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS) chapter. An additional 100 students attended events hosted by this project in collaboration with its partners and we reached an additional 1,350 students through social media and produce donations. We follow the lead of the UC Davis Hispanic Serving Institution Task Force by referring to underrepresented students, especially first generation, low-income, Chicana/o, and Native American students as "Rising Scholars" (Aldana et al. 2019). Changes/Problems:We experienced a number of challenges over the course of the project related to the COVID-19 pandemic and unexpected staffing changes. The COVID-19 pandemic changed the university and learning landscape. We were able to adapt our internship program to remote learning and meet public health guidelines for in-person internships, but did not anticipate the impact on our partners capacity. This combined with staffing and administrative changes meant that we needed a no-cost extension to complete Objective 3 and the external evaluation. Unexpected staffing changes and administrative turnover also impacted the pace of our progress. Two long-term employees (with 30+ years experience each) retired during the COVID-19 pandemic, and one of the initial project PIs left her position near the end of the project. At the same time our pre-identified external evaluator left the project due to staffing changes at their organization. We were able to overcome these challenges and identified a new evaluator during the second year of the project. We appreciated the No Cost Extension which allowed us to meet all of our objectives. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training opportunities associated with this project included activities related to the courses and outlined above where students gained greater proficiency in organic crop production and farm and garden based experiential learning. In addition, students participating in PLS49 gained skills in FANH job searches, resume development and cover letter writing. Students participating in the MANRRSxStudent Farm Professional Development Workshop Series learned about USDA-NRCS internship opportunities and federal resumes, how to search for agricultural jobs, and how to write a resume and cover letter for an industry job. Student employees who work at the Student Farm participated in a Leadership Development Training Program that focuses on technical and transferrable skills they need to be effective peer-mentors in the field. Transferable skills included inclusive leadership, communication workshops focused on group management, and reflecting on and practicing leadership values. Technical skills included irrigation practices, greenhouse management, and tractor driving. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We created a website for the project. We shared project outputs, such as the "practice briefs" and evaluation summaries, and informally discussed our results with colleagues affiliated with the UC Davis strategic retention initiatives and our network of faculty network actively developing more inclusive learning environments. This includes faculty in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Studies as well as faculty in Chicana/o Studies, Native American Studies, and Asian American Studies. We presented our findings at the 2022 UC Davis Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Conference, as well as conference of geographers. We plan to present lesson learned and practice briefs at conference of Sustainable Agriculture Education Association. We had informal conversations with colleagues at other campus student farms and shared our results with relevant listservs. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Through this project we aimed to modernize agricultural education through community based, culturally responsive, experiential learning which we integrate into coursework, internships and professional development workshops. Across our various efforts 274 students participated in updated courses affiliated with this project, 64 students have interned with the food security internship program, and 100 students attended events hosted by this project in collaboration with its partners. Up to 23 people participated in the Professional Development Workshop Series we organized in collaboration with the UC Davis MANRRS chapter. We reached an additional 1,350 students through social media and produce donations. We donated 30,117 pounds of produce, including culturally diverse produce, has been donated to campus distribution partners such as the ASUCD Student Pantry and UC Davis Aggie Compass Basic Needs Center. Our external evaluator completed their evaluation and determined that "changes to curriculum, internships, [and] additional programming --meaningfully impacted Rising Scholars' sense of belonging in the campus community as well as their interest and access to FANH careers." Objective 1a. The curriculum for PLS193 was updated to make it more culturally relevant and responsive by incorporating new readings, activities, and guest speakers that addressed inclusivity in garden-based learning, indigenous ways of knowing, and nurtured a sense of belonging. Across the two years, 36 undergraduate students took this course and led virtual and remote garden-based tours for 390 K-5 children from schools in the surrounding region. Our evaluator collected survey data from year 1 and found that that the majority of student's their sense of belonging increased through taking PLS193 and a majority (67%) indicated an increased interest in FANH Science. For this course, only year 1 data was included, because there were not enough survey responses for year 2. In addition, among respondents there were too few Rising Scholars to include. Objective 1b. The curriculum for CHI113 (Latin American Women's Engagement in social Movements) and CHI114 (Women of Color Reproductive Health and Reproductive Politics in a Global Perspective) were updated with a virtual field trip to the UC Davis Student Farm. Field trips included a welcome, land acknowledgment, and gratitude for people who work the land, a tour and history of the student farm, guided activities meant to nurture a sense of belonging, and in year 2 a video that welcomed students to the space and included interviews with alumni who are children of farmworkers and who have found meaningful careers in the agricultural industry. 102 students were enrolled in these courses. Our evaluator found that of the 69 students who filled out the evaluation survey 63% (44) self-identified as Chicanx/Latinx in the class, 82% (36) of those students indicated that their sense of belonging increased with the field trip. Notably, 14/15 (93%) of students who are children of farmworkers reported that their sense of belonging increased. Objective 2. We successfully expanded the experiential learning opportunities associated with our food access internship program. We hosted 64 interns across the two years. In addition, we identified and grew more culturally diverse produce to distribute to partners - such as gailan, methi, jimica, sweet potato leaves, and papalo and donated over 30,117 pounds of produce to distribution partners. We developed relationships with two new distribution partners, posted and developed social media programming content related to food security on the @ucdfreshfocus and @aapiseedstewards Instagram pages, tabled with food security information at 4 distribution partner sites, hosted farm tours for 2 distribution partners, and supported 2 partners with produce for cooking demos. We hosted two events (Cultural Diversity of Sacramento Valley Farms and Seeds to Asian Heritage) for a total of approximately 100 attendees. In addition, two interns developed "how to" videos for the Aggies Grow Veggies Youtube page. The Aggies Grow Veggies project is a student-led movement to get more students growing their own food and to make gardening more accessible, affordable, and appealing for all UC Davis students. Finally, another two interns created a Sustainable Agriculture Job Search Information Sheet for students searching for internship and job opportunities. Interns participating in their first quarter at the Student Farm are considered general internship. Our evaluator found that of the 51 students who completed a Fresh Focus "general internship" and submitted a journal or report; 20 were Rising Scholars. Ten of these students completed their internships remotely while UC Davis was operating remotely during the pandemic (Fall 2020, Winter 2021, Spring 2021). Overall, Rising Scholars described their internship experiences as positive, hands-on learning opportunities within a supportive environment that helped them feel more connected to other students, the Student Farm, the campus food system, UC Davis generally, and the greater Davis area. Rising Scholars frequently used the words "confident" and "comfortable" in their final reports and final journal entries to describe their mastery of specific tasks as well as their overall academic outlook at the end of their internship. While both onsite and remote interns shared learning about community and regional partners, onsite interns demonstrated a much greater understanding of campus food security. Ultimately, over the course of the internship Rising Scholars felt more connected to their campus food system and student community and that the experience was meaningful. Objective 3. We co-developed and co-hosted a 3-part Professional Development Workshop Series with the UC Davis MANRRS chapter and the Internship and Career Center. The first workshop was held at the Center for Chicanx and Latinx Academic Student Success. Workshop topics included USDA-NRCS internship opportunities and federal resumes, how to search for agricultural jobs, and how to write a resume and cover letter for an industry job. Our evaluator found that up to 23 students participated in the workshop series. Of the 8 students who responded to the evaluation survey all students felt that the workshops were helpful or very helpful. During Year 1 of the project and as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and staffing changes we pivoted from developing an extracurricular workshop series as planned to building in a mock job application assignment to PLS49 (Introduction to Organic Agricultural Production). This assignment involved students visiting the Internship and Career Center to have their resumes reviewed. Out of the 136 students who completed the assignment across the three quarters the course was taught, 63 (46%) were Rising Scholars. Students reported that they felt more prepared to search and apply for jobs in agriculture (95%) and a similar percentage found the assignment meaningful (98%). Students were not explicitly asked about their current or prior interest in FANH sciences and careers, but reflections suggested that roughly ? of Rising Scholars indicated an interest in in FANH sciences. Notably 4 students use their assignment generated application materials to apply for a job.

Publications


    Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22

    Outputs
    Target Audience:During the year 2 reporting period we reached 218 university students who directly engaged with the project through their enrollment in PLS193, CHI 113, PLS49 and the food security Internship program. We reached approximately 650 additional students indirectly through our social media and through produce donated via our distribution partners. Some, but not all students were Rising Scholars. We follow the lead of the UC Davis Hispanic Servicing Institution Task Force by referring to underrepresented students, especially first generation, low-income, Chicana/o and Native American students as "Rising Scholars" (Aldana et al. 2019). Changes/Problems:We experienced a number of challenges in Year 1 that continued to impact Year 2 of the project - these challenges slowed down our progress, but are now on track to complete all activities by the NCE project end date. COVID-19 pandemic: The COVID-19 pandemic changed the university and learning landscape. We were able to adapt our internship programming to remote learning and meet public health guidelines for in-person internships, but did not anticipate the impact on our partners' capacity. In year 1 and to some extent in year 2 of the project many of our partners significantly reduced their programming. This, combined with the staffing and administrative changes outlined below made it difficult for PD Ullmann and the team to make significant progress on the Objective 3 workshop series. Unexpected staffing and administrative turnover: Two long-term employees who had been in their positions for 30+ years retired in year 1 of the project - one retired in August 2020 and the other in June 2021. Both supported the project's efforts, but the person who retired in June 2021 was integral to this project. As a result, Co-PD Amanda Crump stepped into to lead Objective 1a in year 2. While we were able to complete activities associated with Objective 1a, it required additional time. At the same time (June 2021) the Agricultural Sustainability Institute's (ASI) director stepped down from his position and the Institute was significantly reorganized - including new financial and administrative support services. The Student Farm is housed under ASI. Finally, in June 2021 we heard from our evaluator that due to staffing limitations they would no longer be able to evaluate our project. As a result, over the past two years, PD Katharina Ullmann's other responsibilities unexpectedly significantly increased and her time was pulled away from organizing the Objective 3 workshops, reviewing and finalizing products, reporting, and identifying a new external evaluator. A new evaluator was identified in summer 2022 and they have made great progress on the program's evaluation. In addition, PD Ullmann is now making progress with the workshop series having established new or renewed connections with the MANRRS Student President, Internship and Career Center staff, and the director of the Center for Leadership Learning. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training opportunities associated with this project included activities related to the courses outlined above where students gained greater proficiency in organic crop production and farm and garden based experiential learning. In addition, students participating in PLS49 gained skills in FANH job searches, resume development and cover letter writing. Student employees who work at the Student Farm participated in a Leadership Development Training Program that focuses on technical and transferrable skills they need to be effective peer-mentors in the field. Transferable skills included inclusive leadership, communication workshops focused on group management, and reflecting on and practicing leadership values. Technical skills included irrigation practices, greenhouse management, and tractor driving. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We have created a website for the project. We have not yet formally disseminated our project materials, but plan to do so after our evaluations are completed. We have informally discussed our preliminary results and observations with colleagues affiliated with the UC Davis strategic retention initiatives and our network of faculty network actively developing more inclusive learning environments. This includes faculty in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Studies as well as faculty in Chicana/o Studies, Native American Studies, and Asian American Studies. In addition, we had informal conversations with colleagues at other campus student farms. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Objective 1. Through culturally relevant and responsive curricula, increase Rising Scholar sense of belonging in the campus community, interest in FANH sciences and careers, and learning in FANH sciences. Post Objective 1 materials to website and share with communities of interest Objective 2. Provide Rising Scholars with experiential, community-engaged internships. Post Objective 2 materials to website and share with communities of interest Objective 3. Facilitate Rising Scholar entry into public and private sector FANH careers, through information dissemination about available career opportunities, leadership training to increase competitiveness in the job market, and direct linkages to potential employers. Coordinate with MANRRS, Internship and Career Center and Strategic Retention Initiatives to finalize the schedule for the Objective 3 workshop series Evaluation Complete Objective 2 and 3 evaluations Complete final Outcomes evaluation

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? Summary: Through this project we aim to modernize agricultural education through community based, culturally responsive, experiential learning which we integrate into coursework, internships and professional development workshops. Across our various efforts, during the second year of the project, 189 students participated in updated courses affiliated with this project and 29 students interned with the food security internship program. We reached an additional 650 students through social media and produce donations, and 17,707 pounds of produce, including culturally diverse produce, has been donated to campus distribution partners such as the ASUCD Student Pantry and UC Davis Aggie Compass Basic Needs Center. We made significant progress on our objectives including identifying a new external evaluator who completed evaluations for Objectives 1 and made significant progress towards completing evaluations for Objectives 2 and 3. The results suggest that our interventions moved us in a positive direction towards our goal of modernizing agricultural education to better meet the needs and interests of our Rising Scholars. Objective 1a. The curriculum for PLS193 was further updated to make it more culturally relevant and responsive by incorporating new readings and guest speakers that addressed inclusivity in garden-based learning and nurtured a sense of belonging. In year 2, 26 undergraduate students took this course and led tours for over 185 K-5 children from schools in the surrounding region. Objective 1b. The curriculum for CHI113 was updated to include a virtual field trip to the UC Davis Student Farm. The year 2 virtual field trip included a welcome video featuring a land acknowledgement and gratitude for people who work the land and Rising Scholar student testimonies. In addition, a graduate student Rising Scholar led a live virtual tour of the student farm and guided activities meant to nurture a sense of belonging. Seventy-seven students were enrolled in the course and 44 provided participated in and filled out evaluation surveys in year 2 of the project. Field trip evaluations suggest that students' sense of belonging on at the Student Farm and on campus was positively impacted by these efforts. Objective 2. We continued to successfully provide experiential learning opportunities associated with our food access internship program. We hosted 29 in year 2. In addition, we continued to identify and grow more culturally diverse produce to distribute to partners - such as jamaica, moringa and huauzontle and donated 17,707 pounds of produce to distribution partners. We continued to post and developed social media programming content related to food security on the @ucdfreshfocus Instagram page, and hosted farm tours for 2 distribution partners. Preliminary evaluations suggest that student sense of belonging and understanding of campus food security efforts increased as are result of this effort. Objective 3. We made some progress with Objective 3, but need additional time to complete this objective. Our primary goal was to establish a workshop series for rising scholars highlighting FANH career opportunities - especially related to the USDA. We have met multiple times with the student president of the UCD MANRRS chapter, staff from the Internship and Career Center and staff from the Center for Leadership Learning and are planning a series of workshops for the upcoming academic year. We will present a workshop on the USDA Pathways Program and resume writing in early October, prior to Pathways positions being announced. In addition, we will host information on where to find jobs and industry resume and cover letter writing. During Year 1 of the project we pivoted from a extracurricular workshop series to building in a mock job application assignment to PLS49 (Introduction to Organic Agricultural Production). We continued this effort in year 2 with 86 students taking this course and completing the assignment. Preliminary evaluation findings suggest that most students found the assignment meaningful, described feeling more prepared logistically and emotionally for the job market, and expressed interest in FANH careers as a result of completing the mid-term assignment. For example, one student wrote "This project also helped me explore my options outside of the environmental field and instead in the agricultural field. I was always interested in agriculture a well, but I wasn't sure if I could with my disability. Unfortunately, my back is fused and I cannot lift more than 50 pounds due to this which is a common job requirement ... From this [assignment], I learned there are jobs available in the agriculture field that are still available for me that will work around this or beyond the physical demands of the sector. That was a relief to know this aspect of the job sector is still available to me." Evaluation: We continue to make progress in our evaluation goals. In year 2 we identified a new external evaluator identified a new external evaluator who completed evaluations for Objectives 1 and made significant progress towards completing evaluations for Objectives 2 and 3. The results suggest that our interventions moved us in a positive direction towards our goal of modernizing agricultural education to better meet the needs and interests of our Rising Scholars.

    Publications


      Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21

      Outputs
      Target Audience:During the Year 1 reporting period we reached 265 university students who directly engaged with the project through their enrollment in PLS193 (Garden & Farm-Based Experiential Education Methods), CHI114 (Women of Color Reproductive Health and Reproductive Politics in a Global Perspective), those enrolled in our internship program and students who attended the events we organized through the internship program. We reached approximately 700 additional students indirectly through our social media and through produce donated to our distribution partners. Some, but not all students were Rising Scholars. We follow the lead of the UC Davis Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Task Force by referring to these underrepresented students, especially first generation, low-income undergraduates, and students of color as "Rising Scholars," moving away from deficit-oriented labels to an asset-oriented view that acknowledges the value that Rising Scholars bring to their institutions (Aldana et al. 2019). Changes/Problems:We experienced a number of challenges in Year 1 (8/31/2020-8/31/2021) of the project related to the COVID-19 pandemic and staffing and administrative turnover. The COVID-19 pandemic changed the university and learning landscape. Like other universities courses shifted from in-person to remote. Public health guidelines at our university meant that our in-person internship numbers were significantly reduced and we had to pivot and develop a remote internship. Our partners' activities also changed. For example, the K-12 school system moved to remote learning and four of our six food access distribution partners stopped distributing produce during this time. In addition, we had to understand and implement changing public health guidelines as they were developed for our in person students and employees. In addition to the impact of the pandemic, we experienced significant staffing and administrative changes. We had two long-term (30+ years each) employees retire and on-boarded their replacements and the Agricultural Sustainability Institute's director stepped down from his position and the institute was reorganized. Finally, in June 2021 we heard from our evaluator that due to staffing limitations they would no longer be able to evaluate our program. They did produce one report, which we attached to this report. We are working to find a new evaluator. As noted in our accomplishments, we were still able to make significant progress in our project goals and, where needed, adapted and adjusted to continue our work during this novel learning environment. This included the following changes Objective 1 Due to COVID-19, PLS193 course size and the kids tour program was remote. In addition, instead of working with CHI110we hosted CHI114 - also taught by Co-PI Natalia Deeb-Sossa. This course did one remote class visit to the Student Farm instead of 3 in-person visits. Objective 2 Due to COVID-19 we had to reduce the number of in-person internships and develop and offer remote internships. In addition, our original plan to offer remote programming, developed by our interns, in partnership with our food access distribution partners was limited by our partners' decreased capacity. As a result, we pivoted to develop culturally relevant materials, remote events and Instagram campaigns connecting students to food and culture. Objective 3 Due to COVID-19 many students and our partner organizations had limited capacity to develop or attend additional extracurricular activities. As a result, we pivoted our efforts to facilitate Rising Scholar entry into public and private sector FANH careers from an extracurricular workshop series to a mock job application assignment associated with a course - (PLS49 Introduction to Organic Agriculture Production). This assignment had students learn about different FANH career job boards, develop their resume and cover letter, and meet with the universities Internship and Career Center. External evaluator Our external evaluator developed evaluation instruments and conducted one evaluation of PLS193, but then let us know they could no longer support us due to staffing changes. We are in the process of identifying a new external evaluator What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training opportunities associated with this project included activities related to the courses outlined above where students gained greater proficiency in organic crop production and farm and garden based experiential learning. In addition, the student employees who work at the Student Farm participated in a Leadership Development Training Program that focuses on technical and transferrable skills they need to be effective peer-mentors in the field. Transferable skills included inclusive leadership, communication workshops focused on feedback and group management, and reflecting on and practicing leadership values. Technical skills included irrigation practices, greenhouse management, and tractor driving. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We have not yet formally disseminated our project materials, but plan to do so after our evaluations are completed. We have informally discussed our preliminary results and observations with colleagues affiliated with the UC Davis strategic retention initiatives and our network of faculty network actively developing more inclusive learning environments. This includes faculty in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Studies as well as faculty in Chicana/o Studies, Native American Studies, African and African American Studies, and Asian American Studies. In addition, we had informal conversations with colleagues at other campus student farms. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Objective 1. Through culturally relevant and responsive curricula, increase Rising Scholar sense of belonging in the campus community, interest in FANH sciences and careers, and learning in FANH sciences. Objective 1a: Incorporate material related to accessibility in farm spaces and conduct and evaluate the course again Objective 1b: Host another Chicana/o Studies course remote field trip and incorporate a video that testimonials of Rising Scholar's passion for agriculture and career paths and evaluate its impact. Analyze survey data from year 1. Objective 2. Provide Rising Scholars with experiential, community-engaged internships. Continue to grow culturally diverse produce Continue to host experiential, community-engaged internships. We hope these will be in person instead of remote. Analyze objective 2 evaluations for year 1 and 2 Objective 3. Facilitate Rising Scholar entry into public and private sector FANH careers, through information dissemination about available career opportunities, leadership training to increase competitiveness in the job market, and direct linkages to potential employers. Develop and run year-long career workshop series focused on Rising Scholars with an emphasis on USDA-NRCS careers PLS49: continue to incorporate mock job application assignment Analyze Objective 3 evaluations for year 1 and 2 of the project Evaluation Identify a new external evaluator

      Impacts
      What was accomplished under these goals? Summary:Through this project we aim to modernize agricultural education through community based, culturally responsive, experiential learning which we integrate into coursework, internships and professional development workshops. Across our various efforts we taught 85 university students through three formal courses (PLS193, CHI114, and PLS49), mentored 144 university students through internships, and reached more than 900 students through the services (~700 students accessed to free produce grown by interns), events (~100 students), and instagram activities (~100 students) students provided and led as a part of their internship program. We made significant progress on our objectives and pivoted or adapted where we needed to as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.While we have not finished analyzing Year 1 Objective 1a, Objective 2 and 3 evaluations, the preliminary results suggest that we are moving in a positive direction towards our goal of modernizing agricultural education to better meet the needs and interests of our Rising Scholars. Objective 1a. During Year 1 of the project we were able to revise the coursecontent for Plant Sciences (PLS193) to emphasize culturally responsive and culturally relevant teaching adding: (1) readings and activities related to indigenous knowledge and different ways of knowing e.g., new readings, a visit and conversation with a local Patwin Wintun cultural barer, and garden-based activities related to the Tres Heramas/Three Sisters - zapallo/squash, maiz/corn, and frijol/beans indigenous intercropping practice; (2) nurturing a sense of belonging through a "Remember way back when" activity where students shared their own experiences with food, gardening, or farming, and an inclusivity in education practitioners panel; and (3) opportunities to give back to the surrounding rural agricultural community and share FANH knowledge through remote field trips for 7 classes (totaling ~210 youth) from Woodland Joint Unified School District classes.Evaluators with UC Davis Center for Educational Effectiveness developed and conducted two surveys for PLS193 students. Preliminary analysis suggests that: all students indicated that their sense of belonging to UC Davis increased through taking PLS 193 and the majority of students (67%) indicated an increase in interest in FANH Sciences after taking PLS193. Objective 1b. For scheduling reasons we hosted Chicana/o (CHI)114 (Women of Color Reproductive Health and Reproductive Politics in a Global Perspective) instead of CHI110. Twenty-five students, 72% of whom were majoring in the College of Agricultural and Environmental or Biological Sciences, participated in the project. As part of this project the students participated in a remote tour of the Student Farm which included a "remember way back when" where students shared memories of how their family used herbs and food and who in their family holds that knowledge. One post-tour survey was administered. Preliminary analysis suggested that 85% of the 21 survey respondents self-identified as Chicanx/Latinx, African American, and/or Asian American and 80% of survey respondents felt an increased sense of belonging at their university. Objective 2. During Year 1 of the project we hosted 35 in-person and remote interns as part of our food access internship program. Students helped identify and grow a number of culturally diverse crops, including gailan, green frill mustard, jujubes, komatusa, methi, and yukina savoy. Students grew, harvested, gleaned, packed, and distributed 12,410 pounds of produce for donation to students and community members in need. In addition, students stayed connected with distribution partners through the @ucdfreshfocus Instagram page, by developing Vegetable Cards that included basic storage, usage, and nutrition information and a recipe for different crops provided by the Student Farm, and providing produce for a virtual cooking workshop for Center for African Diaspora Student Success (CADSS). Due to COVID-19 we also hosted a number of remote internships focused on the intersection of food and culture recognizing thatfood insecurity also occurs when people cannot access culturally relevant foods. Remote student projects included (1) presenting about our food access efforts in Spanish at the "Espacios de Naturaleza y Sistemas Alimentarios Regenerativos/Spaces of Nature and Regenerative Food Systems" zoom conference; (2) developing and hosting a remote public farmer panel discussion about the cultural diversity of Sacramento Valley farms which 30 students and community members attended and producing two farm videos as part of that project; (2) developing and hosting a remote public event titled "Seeds to Asian heritage: rediscovering historical roots, food diversity, and environmental sustainability through a local farm in Davis" which over 70 students and community members attended, launching the AAPI Seeds Stewards Instagram account, and the #UCRamenHack Instagram campaign which aimed to highlight ramen recipes that feature Asian speciality vegetables. This last series of internships was done in partnership with Prof. Ga Young Chung (Asian American Studies); (3) two interns also developed "how to" videos for the Aggies Grow Veggies Youtube page. The Aggies Grow Veggies project is a student-led movement to get more students growing their own food and to make gardening more accessible, affordable, and appealing for all UC Davis students; and (4) two interns drafted a Sustainable Agriculture Job Search Fact Sheet for students searching for internship and job opportunities.We collected data through surveys and intern reflections, but have not yet analyzed that evaluation data. Objective 3. Our original plans for Objective 3 were difficult for us to implement due to students and partners' limited capacity for extra workshops and activities at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we did develop stronger relationships with partners at the USDA-NRCS, the Internship and Career Center, and the Center for Leadership and Learning. We anticipate being able to move forward with this aspect of Objective 3 in year 2. Because we were not able to make much headway in developing the workshop series we instead focused on incorporating a mock job application assignment into PLS49 (Introduction to Organic Crop Production. We have not yet evaluated the reflections, but our initial impression is that the majority of students found this assignment very meaningful and useful.

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