Performing Department
Environmental Studies
Non Technical Summary
Successful continued growth of the organic agriculture sector requires meeting needs for a growing workforce that is trained in research, extension, and grower services, with professionals that fully understand the context of organic production and how to meaningfully engage with increasingly diverse participants in the organic industry. University degree programs focused on organic agriculture, coupled with training in cooperative extension and research will play a key role in producing these highly competent professionals. Our project harnesses rigorous experiential learning resources and training across three UC campuses (Santa Cruz, Davis, and Berkeley) and the Division of Agriculture & Natural Resources (ANR) to develop a series of new curricular programs in organic agriculture aimed at promoting underrepresented student success. Our project objectives are to: (i) Establish an intercampus exchange program in organic agriculture, (ii) Develop a research and extension internship program for students at UC ANR, and (iii) Plan and pilot a UC-wide Supercourse and Field Quarter to provide intensive training for students in organic agriculture. These curricular activities will support success of underrepresented students pursuing degree programs and careers by integrating curricular and career advising, mentored fieldwork and internships in production, extension, and research, and creating a Student Leadership Development Program. The project will foster increases in enrollments, graduation rates, and achievements of alumni, resulting in greater investments in organic education across the UC System. Ultimately, the project aims to create a broad-based cadre of professionals equipped to meet organic grower needs and move the field forward into the future.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The project addresses the following critical stakeholder needs: (1) the scarcity of organic agriculture education opportunities, (2) the absence of an advising and articulation structure that links educational and professional development opportunities across multiple University of California campuses, as well as between campuses and the UC Division of Agriculture & Natural Resources (UC ANR), and (3) inadequate educational opportunities and support for underrepresented students in organic agriculture who could meet the need for a diverse and inclusive workforce in organic research, extension, and industry. While undergraduate training in sustainable agriculture methods is growing, specific education in organic agriculture lags behind and is piecemeal, and farmers have continued to identify needs for more service provider professionals to be trained in the principles and practices of organic production. Scaling up and integrating organic agriculture educational programs across the four UC entities involved in this project will enable a professional development pipeline where students acquire professional competencies in organic research and extension, and can meet the increasing demands of a growing organic industry in California and beyond. This project, led by a Hispanic Serving Institution, is a partnership among three of the academic institutions that comprise the 10-campus University of California System (UC Santa Cruz, UC Davis, UC Berkeley) plus the UC ANR campus. The long-term goal is to foster an exceptionally creative, competent, effective, diverse, and inclusive workforce for organic agriculture to grow into the future.Specifically, the goals of our Curriculum Development project are to (1) increase the quantity and quality of undergraduate educational opportunities across the U. of California (UC) in organic agriculture, (2) increase the numbers of people gaining UC bachelor degrees and entering careers in organic agriculture research, extension, and industry, and (3) increase the support and success of underrepresented students pursuing these UC degree programs and careers. This project represents work across a diversity of organic farming communities in California, from Coastal to Central Valley, cool weather vegetables and berries to orchards and field cropping systems.The OREI FY 2022 Priority served by this project is to develop curriculum for organic agriculture, with educational activities that include on-farm instruction, experiential learning, and student-farmer engagement for students enrolled in baccalaureate degree programs. Our objectives are to: (i) Establish a UC intercampus exchange program between flagship campuses teaching organic agriculture, (ii) Develop a UC ANR internship program linking cohorts of campus degree program students with UC ANR Cooperative Extension-led research projects, and (iii) Plan and pilot a UC Supercourse and Field Quarter program that provides intensive fieldwork training for students on regional organic farms, UC campuses, and UC ANR organic teaching and research farms. All three objectives occur in the context of supporting the success of underrepresented students pursuing these degree programs and career trajectories. The project integrates curricular and career advising, and mentored fieldwork in production- and research-based internships, as well as a Student Leadership Development Program at UC Santa Cruz and UC Davis student instructional and research farms.
Project Methods
The methods for carrying out the project objectives relate to higher education curriculum development, course design, pedagogical innovations, as well as mentoring and related approaches to student retention and success. These methods are being employed by faculty and academic staff in the University setting, with support from additional key staff within our respective campuses. The instructional fieldwork involving farmer engagement and research activities are being informed by research faculty and cooperative extension staff, providing their expertise in applied, farmer-engaged research methods, in an educational and professional development context.Curricular Development activities:(i) Intercampus Exchange program. Students will gain access to enrolling in courses and internships in organic agriculture at multiple UC campuses facilitating a greater breadth and depth of instruction available to students. Key Personnel at each campus farm (Wong, Ullman, UC Berkeley) will provide internship coordination together with student peer advisors. Faculty, advising staff and student peer advisors will provide students materials and guide them in enrolling at multiple campuses, beginning in Y2 of the project, and continuing indefinitely. The Co-PDs and Key Personnel at each campus will contribute to the intercampus exchange advising conceptual development, with Co-PD Parr leading analysis, design, and final drafting of advising materials transfer credit agreements, and related protocols by end of Y1. In Y1, campus advising faculty, staff advisors, and student peer advisors will be provided guiding materials on the instructional opportunities at each campus as well as information on how to best host and support students enrolling at partner campuses.(ii) UC ANR Internship and Mentoring program. Co-PD Parr, Co-PD Wilson and Key Personnel at the UC ANR will research and develop advising protocols and materials. Students from UC Santa Cruz, UC Davis, and UC Berkeley will gain access to advising materials and support that connects them with available internships, paid student staff fieldwork opportunities, and professional development mentoring offered by UC ANR faculty and staff researchers conducting organic agriculture research and extension projects, state-wide. Key Person Muramoto will provide the California Organic Systems Researchers Map and introduce contacts with UC ANR organic researchers. Muramoto will also consult and advise on his previous OREI research projects experiences with mentoring student interns and staff in field research settings. In Y1, Co-PD Parr and Key Personnel at the UC ANR will research and produce critical mentoring professional development activities and resources for UC ANR mentors focused on underrepresented student support. These materials will be implemented in Y2.(iii) Supercourse and Field Quarter program. PD Philpott, Co-PD Parr and Key Person Wong will lead the development of the Supercourse using the UC Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology as the primary host site, with visits to organic farm operations, UC ANR research stations and UC Davis and UC Berkeley campuses (Y1), will gain UC Santa Cruz academic senate permission for offering the course (Y1), and will pilot the Supercourse in Y2-3. Co-PD Galt and Key Person Ullmann will host the Supercourse at the UC Davis campus farm. Key Person Ichikawa and UC Berkeley Key Personnel will organize and lead an organic agriculture policy and economics training symposium for the Supercourse. In Y2, PD Philpott and Co-PD Parr will partner with Co-PD Wilson and UC ANR Key Personnel in researching, designing, and establishing a UC System-wide Field Quarter administrative home within UC ANR, in partnership with UC Santa Cruz Environmental Studies Department and faculty. The Field Quarter program will be capable of offering multiple Supercourses each year in Spring, Summer, and Fall quarters from 2026 forward.Underrepresented Student Success activities:(i) Student Leadership Development Program. Key Person Wong and Co-PD Parr (UC Santa Cruz) and Key Person Ullman (UC Davis) will implement the Student Leadership Program at campus farms in Y1 with a specific focus on mentored fieldwork in research-based internships. Programming linkages with the UC Davis SCOPE project, co-directed by Ullmann will be made, and SCOPE project activities will be initiated at UC Santa Cruz with organic seed partners on the Central Coast beginning in Y2. Student Leadership Development Programing is expected to continue, indefinitely.(ii) Alumni career panels and research pathways workshops. We will deepen partnerships with UC Santa Cruz organizations and programs including the Educational Opportunities Program, Hispanic Serving Institution and Career Success, and the Graduating and Advancing New American Scholars: Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans (GANAS) grant in order to provide targeted curricular and career advising. Key Person Wong will host GANAS interns in campus farm research programming. Key Person Ichikawa and other UC Berkeley Key Personnel, Co-PD Parr, and UC Davis Key Personnel will co-organize alumni career panels and research pathway workshops featuring alumni and student researchers.(iii) Linkages with existing USDA Higher Education projects. PD Philpott, Co-PD Parr and Key Person Wong will manage program linkages at UC Santa Cruz between our OREI program activities and existing USDA funded fellowship (SUPERDAR) and scholarship (MSP) programs in Y1. Students in currently funded projects will be integrated into proposed activities including courses, UC ANR Internships, and Supercourse offerings. Best practices from these grant projects will be shared with partner campuses for potential adaptation.(iv) Professional development training workshops for UC ANR researchers. Co-PD Parr and Key Personnel at the UC OAI will lead the development of resources and critical mentoring competency workshops for working with underrepresented students (Y1). UC ANR Key Person Muramoto will introduce UC ANR organic researchers to these resources, and Parr and UC OAI personnel will provide resources and lead workshops with UC ANR intern mentors in Y2-3.The evaluation of this "Curriculum Development" project will examine what was produced, what learning outcomes and impacts were achieved, and how the programming can better meet its goals. The evaluation will build off proven and vetted evaluation instruments, the UC Santa Cruz project team's previous work, and a theoretical evaluation framework responsive to the project's goals and intended audiences.Two vetted instruments provide both useful information about learning outcomes and impacts, as well as act as learning tools for individual professional development. To support mentorship development, we will use the Mentoring Competency Assessment (MCA). The goal of the instrument is to identify effective research mentor traits and skill level. The instrument assesses six mentor competencies, including maintaining effective communication, aligning expectations, assessing understanding, addressing diversity, fostering independence and promoting professional development.To identify learning outcomes for students participating in internships and Supercourses, we will use a modified Undergraduate Research Self-Assessment (URSSA) instrument.This instrument identifies how students are progressing in obtaining research skills, attitudes and affect. As it has been used by other programs nationally, it is possible to compare outcomes to larger groups to assess relative advancement.Outputs, developmental questions and summative outcomes will be tracked over the course of the project for each of the three primary curricular developments.