20237050840531

Insect Science and Plant Science (ISPS) continue to face an alarming decline in students' enrollments in Minority Serving Institutions. Minority students are underrepresented in most undergraduate ISPS programs, professional societies, and the USDA workforce.

Unfortunately, most Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and MSIs do not offer degrees in ISPS nor certification programs. In addition, existing academic programs rarely include elements of experiential learning opportunities for university and secondary school students. They also do not provide in-depth discussions and analyses of issues and challenges related to crop production and crop protection, including food security, food safety, safeguarding U.S. agriculture, and threats posed by pests and diseases.

To address this shortfall, we assemble two HBCUs [Florida A&M University (FAMU) and Fort Valley State University (FVSU)], one 1862 institution [University of Florida (UF)], and collaborators (USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USDA-Animal Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), and the pest control industry) to work collaboratively on these issues.

The critical problems of low enrollment in agricultural sciences (ISPS) are perhaps due to the continued apathy for agriculture among minorities. Major reasons include the students' lack of exposure and knowledge of available employment, the perception of a lack of careers in agricultural sciences, and a lack of appropriate role models.

The proposed project will design innovative ways to create interest and attract college and secondary school students in the discipline of pest management. It will provide a new perspective and an open-minded understanding of the field of insect and plant sciences, its importance, and professional opportunities available to graduates.

It will create a student-centered learning environment which integrates interactive and digital learning tools while incorporating peer support mentorships, apprenticeships, experiential learning opportunities, and faculty and student mentorships. It will also interlink and establish professional development and leadership skills, and pathways for future pest management professionals at an early age.

The overall goal of the project is to establish novel recruitment, retention, and experiential learning programs designed to increase the number of minority pest management professionals while ensuring the production of well-trained leaders for professional careers and establish employment pathways leading to equity and diversity for the USDA workforce.

Florida A&M University

10.237 - From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals

Institute of Youth, Family, and Community (IYFC) [USDA - NIFA]

Tallahassee, Florida 32307-3100 United States

Single Zip Code

From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals (USDA-NIFA-ARPAED-009362)