Recipient Organization
OGLALA LAKOTA COLLEGE
(N/A)
KYLE,SD 57752
Performing Department
Administration
Non Technical Summary
The Mission of Oglala Lakota College's Agricultural Extension Program is to give reservation communities opportunities for enhanced agricultural productivity, community resilience, economic growth and youth development by extending the reach of innovations in research and technology and enhancing informal, local educational programming.In doing this we engage projects that promote Tribal Youth Development, Increased Food Security, Financial Literacy, Optimization of Agriculture Production • Natural Resource Conservation. Our Extension Projects address the following areas of Extension activities:1) Support informal education to increase food and agricultural literacy of youth and adults;2) Promote science-based agricultural literacy by increasing understanding and use of food and agricultural science data, information, and programs.3) Build science-based capability in people to engage audiences and enable informed decision making.4) Develop new applications of instructional tools and curriculum structures that increase technical competency and ensure global competitiveness.5) Offer non-formal learning programs that increase accessibility to new audiences at the rate at which new ideas and technologies are tested and/or developed at the community-scale; and6) Develop programs that increase public knowledge and citizen engagement leading to actions that protect or enhance the nations' food supply, agricultural productivity, environmental quality, community vitality, and/or public health and well-being.7) integrate Lakota culture, language, and traditional ecological knowledge in all we do.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Goal 1 Increase knowledge of and involvement in agriculture and natural resources for residents of Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Activities: include: hold Annual Gathering of Elders (December); hold Annual Wazi Paha Festival (Fall) showcasing Lakota culture and reservation ag products; publish Fact Sheets on ag and natural resource research pertinent to the Reservation; show landowners and others how to use natural resources wisely and protect the environment with educational programs such as water quality, composting, waste management, and recycling; do ongoing Gardening 101 and Spring Cooperative Garden workshops; continue to get input from all stakeholders; provide ServSafe Food Handlers training either in person or online to those who request it; keep OLC Ag website updated with current events and accurate research; work with the Pine Ridge Food Sovereignty Coalition members to promote hoop houses and to provide technical assistance with hoop house design, water maintenance; working with OST Food Sovereignty group; and supportgreenhouses and hoop houses throughout our service area. Goal 2 Assist Lakota agricultural producers and landowners to increase their economic yield through technical assistance and workshops. Activities include: hold Annual Farm and Ranch Day (Feb) in conjunction with SDSU and the OST Land Office ; work with SDSU and the West River Extension program on food safety, economy, etc.; work with OLC Math and Science Department faculty and students to provide training and technical assistance to local producers in areas such as GIS, hydrology, land leasing, land management, organic gardening, etc.; work with FALCON (First Americans Land Grant Consortium) to develop community education curriculum related to Reservation issues; cooperate with the SD Beginning Farmers Project; participate in the Oglala Sioux Tribe PRAE; and work with OLC Math and Science Department on internships for college students to work with producers and landowners; and provide farm and ranch tours to showcase effective practices.
Project Methods
Comprehensive extension effort which serves diverse stakeholders. Our TCEP program works with all the collaborators mentioned on the next page to provide a comprehensive extension effort which impacts all the stakeholders above. The purpose of the Tribal Colleges Extension Program (TCEP) is to give reservation communities opportunities for enhanced agricultural productivity, community resilience, economic growth and youth development by extending the reach of innovations in research and technology and enhancing informal, local educational programming. We work in the areas of Tribal Youth Development (4-H, Farm and Ranch Days, Wazi Paha Oyate, Oyate Teca Youth Center); Increased Food Security (hoop houses, community gardens), Financial Literacy (OLC Applied Science Dept; The Lakota Funds); Optimization of Agriculture (Farm and Ranch Days, Pine Ridge Agricultural Economy Plan of Action Task Force) • Natural Resource Conservation (OLC Math, Science and Technology Department). Our programs include workshops, web site, conferences etc. to support informal education on food and agricultural literacy. We produce fact sheets, do workshops and provide technical assistance on agricultural science data and innovations e.g. the hoop house design, heat maintenance and water management. We attend meetings of the PRAE Task Force, Pine Ridge Tech Team, Food Sovereignty Coalition, FALCON, SDSU Extension etc. to learn science based data, information and programs and disseminate in usable formats to our stakeholders. Our learning programs go from college and high school formal classes to a web sites, fact sheets, workshops, and hands on technical assistance. Our focus the next four years is on food security and sovereignty for the Pine Ridge Reservation. We will make sure to disseminate what we do to our Cheyenne River and He Sapa Instructional Centers as well as to other Tribal Colleges at FALCON and AIHEC.How quantitative metrics and success stories will be captured to demonstrate impact.Our evaluation plan will provide quantitative and qualitative measures as an assessment of learning that has taken place as well as of the value to stakeholders. We will do follow-up reviews to see the sustainability. The following is a list of data collection and assessment methods by goal:Goal 1 Increase knowledge of and interest in agriculture and natural resources Pine Ridge Indian Reservation community members Number and Agenda of Workshops Participant Lists Pre and Post Tests (open book using handouts) Participant Evaluations of Workshops Participant lists for Wazi Paha. Participant lists for Elders Ag Day. Number of hits on OLC Ag webpage.Goal 2 Assist Lakota agricultural producers and landowners to increase their economic yield through technical assistance and workshops. Catalog of Information on OLC Ag Web page Number of hits Web based survey of Web Page Users Agendas and participant lists for workshops Workshop materials List of regional, state and national events and activities Participant evaluation of activities Participant Lists Pre and Post Tests (open book using handouts) Participant Evaluations of Workshops FALCON conference agendasAssessment of project's value to stakeholders and its sustainability.We will hold formative evaluation meetings at the end of each semester to review activities, accomplishments, input from stakeholders, etc. We will then do a list of annual objectives and activities for the year. We will also participate in the College's annual departmental assessment and annual effectiveness planning cycle.We will do focus groups of stakeholders each year and overall impact surveys of participants, producers and collaborators. The above surveys of workshops will be tabulated and analyzed. We will meet with each tribal office concerned with agriculture and natural resources annually to get their input on value.We feel that if we can get the Ag Tech Team stabilized, we can assure continuation of many of the activities. Once we construct the Ag Expo Center the USDA Endowment funds can assist with continuation of the OLC Ag Extension Department even if Capacity funds run out.