Recipient Organization
VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY
P. O. Box 9081
PETERSBURG,VA 23806
Performing Department
Cooperative Extension
Non Technical Summary
More than 11% of U.S. and 10% of Virginia populations are reported to be food insecure, a situation that is likely to worsen following the projected impact of COVID-19 epidemic on food systems. Areas with low access to affordable and nutritious food are defined as food deserts and urban agriculture has been proposed as a mitigation strategy. The goal of this project is to build the capacity of Virginia State University (VSU) to provide comprehensive education on micro-farming. Micro-farms are small-scale farms suitable for urban areas where agricultural land is scarce, as they maximize use of space and produce higher crop yields per unit area. Currently there is lack of systematic education on micro-farming at VSU. Thus, the project objectives are to: i) procure a modular micro-farm ("CropBox") suitable for growing vegetable, herbs, and microgreens; ii) conduct research experiments that will optimize environmental growing conditions; iii) disseminate research-based information on micro-farming; and iv) engage students in hands-on experiential learning on micro-farming. The target audiences will include extension agents, master gardeners, youth leaders, and VSU students. The expected long-term project outcomes are: increased urban food production, enhanced food security; reduced cost of food; improved health through access to fresh foods; and increased local incomes. The success of the project will be evaluated continuously using appropriate tools such as pre/post-tests, questionnaires, surveys, and follow up interviews. This project addresses four key NIFA priority areas, namely, Food security; Sustainable agriculture; Youth development; and Obesity as it relates to nutrition.
Animal Health Component
50%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
30%
Applied
50%
Developmental
20%
Goals / Objectives
1) Procuring a modular micro-farm known as "CropBox" for vegetables, herbs and microgreens production that will be partially powered by micro-grid solar panels for energy efficiency;2) Conducting experimental trials in CropBox to optimize growing conditions while minimizing losses from pests, diseases and postharvest spoilage;3) Disseminating research findings through workshops, field days and via peer-reviewed research and extension journals; and4) Engaging students in hands-on experiential learning on micro-farming.
Project Methods
Objective 1: Procure a modular CropBox growing facility suitable for vegetable, herbs and microgreen production that will be powered by micro-grid solar panels for energy efficiency:The PI, alongside the VSU Director of Operations and Management and Director of Procurement Services will procure a 30 ft by 70 ft CropBox micro-farm from Vertical Crop Consultants (https://cropbox.co/). The CropBox will be installed at the Sustainable Urban Agriculture Research and Demonstration at VSU's Randolph Farm. Currently, the site is used for research and demonstration of various sustainable urban agriculture practices such as raised-bed gardening, cover cropping, composting, and vermicomposting. The site is also currently used for hands-on experiential learning for the Sustainable Urban Agriculture Certificate Program (SUACP) participants. Thus, the addition of the micro-farm will enhance the hands-on learning experience of the SUACP participants as well as extension personnel (extension agents, master gardeners, and 4H leaders) and VSU students.Objective 2: To conduct research experiments that will optimize growing conditions, viz. light intensity, CO2, nutrients, PH, and water temperatures:To conduct experiments on optimizing growing conditions, 3 kinds of leafy greens (collards, kale, lettuce), 3 kinds of herbs (basil, cilantro, parsley), and 3 kinds of microgreens (arugula, beets, radish) will be included in the experiment. However, due to the possible limitation of space in the micro-farm, only one of kind of leafy greens, herbs and microgreens will be grown at any given time. The PI and two CoPIs will lead in setting up the various experiments, assisted by the research/extension associate and students. Seeds will be sown in 3.81 x 3.81 x3.81 cm rockwool (an inorganic and sterile material for starting seeds), placed in a standard flat growing tray and watered thoroughly. The trays will then be placed in a growing room within the micro-farm, set at 24 h light period and a temperature of 20 ±1°C. Upon germination, the plants will be fed with a nutrient solution maintained at a pH of 6.5 ± 0.5 and EC of 1.5 dS·m-1. At about 15 days after germination, when the seedlings will have developed 3-4 true leaves, they will be transplanted into 7-cm height by 7-cm diameter grow pots and placed on a grow tray of a nutrient film technique (NFT) hydroponic system (Figure 3) at a density of 20 cm × 20 cm to start the experiment.All the experiments will be arranged in a randomized complete-block design with three replications, and conducted for 30 days (15 days for microgreens) after transplanting. Seven irradiance treatments ranging from 0 to 1,500 μmol.m-2.s-1 in intervals of 250 μmol.m-2.s-1 will be introduced in the experiment by light emitting diodes (LEDs) placed horizontally 20 cm from the top of plants. Seven CO2 treatments ranging from 0 to 1,200 μmol·mol-1, in intervals of 200 μmol·mol-1, will be applied using a CO2 tank equipped with a regulator, while an infrared gas analyzer (Leybold-Heraeus, Wilhelm, Germany) will be used to monitor the concentration. Nutrient solution will be applied at nine treatment levels corresponding with an electrical conductivity (EC) of 0 to 4 mS.cm-1 in intervals of 0.5 mS.cm-1. Commercially available "pH up" and "pH down" will be used to set the specific pH, with five pH treatments ranging from 5.0 to 7.0 applied in intervals of 0.5 units. Seven water temperature treatments will be introduced using aquarium heaters and aquarium chillers as necessary. These will range from 18 to 30°C in interval of 2°C. The EC, pH, and temperature will be measured using a combined portable pH/EC/TDS/Temperature Meter (Hanna Instruments). Growth characteristics including plant height, leaflength, leaf width, leaf area, and number of leaves will be measured each day during the 30 days after placing the plant in the NFT system. The plant wet and dry weights will then be determined at 30 days (15 days for microgreens). Hence, data will be analyzed using the General Linear Models (SAS Institute, 2020).Objective 3: To disseminate research findings through workshops, field days and via peer-reviewed research journals and extension publications:The activities associated with this objective include recruiting and training the extension agents, master gardener, and youth /4H leaders. The PI will lead these activities assisted by the research/extension associate. The PI and CoPIs alongside guest speakers, will participate in the training activities that will be conducted in form of educational workshops, field days, and during the Virginia Urban Agriculture Summit (VUAS). The research outcome from objective 2 will be published by the PI and CoPIs in various peer-reviewed research journals and thus disseminated to a wider audience beyond the Stateline. Extension education resources on the various micro-farming techniques will be developed and disseminated to the target audiences by the by the PI and CoPIs, assisted by the research/extension associate. These resources will be in form of fact sheets, extension bulletins, brochures, and educational videos. The PI and CoPIs will be involved in developing the content of these resources concomitant with their expertise and supplemented by various source of research-based information. The team will also be involved in giving presentations during the train-the-trainer workshops and hand-on demonstrations.Objective 4: To engage students in hands-on experiential learning on micro-farming:VSU and Virginia Tech students will be recruited by the PI and the CoPIs to participate in the experiential learning on micro-framing. The PI is involved in team-teaching a course at VSU's College of Agriculture (COA) entitled "Intro to Sustainable Agriculture & Society", where he teaches students the various sustainable and urban agricultural concepts. He will engage these students from the COA in hands-on experiential learning on micro-farming, enhancing their knowledge in this relatively new concept. In addition, ten VSU students will be hired as interns to assist in setting up the experiments, collecting research data, and compiling and analyzing the data. Each of the PI and CoPIs will supervise 3-4 students per year. The research/extension associate will assist the PI and CoPIs to supervise the students from time to time. The project team will also update an existing teaching curriculum at the COA to include micro-farming.