Teaching, Learning and Engaging Sustainability –

Sustainable Ag Can Be the Catalyst

Lee Meyer and Mark WilliamsCollege of Ag, Food and Environment

University of Kentucky

Premise: Just as sustainability is integrative by nature, so is the land-grant university model. Not only does this make sustainability a natural fit, but enhances both sustainability and the land grant mission

Today’s Plan: describe our environment at UK, showing the mutual reinforcement of goals; describe lessons learned and propose some general models

Overview:

The University of Kentucky -- mission to improve the lives of Kentuckians, engage the University community to create policies and programs that will simultaneously advance economic vitality, ecological integrity and social equity, now and into the future. 

rating: Silver

Sustainability at UK

Morrell Act – 1862 – funded with sale of land to “focus on the teaching of practical agriculture, science and engineering   (though "without excluding ... classical studies"), as a response to the industrial revolution and changing social class.

Smith Lever Act – 1914 “established a system cooperative extension services, connected to land grant universities in order to provide practical training.”

The Land Grant University model

Environment Economics Community

Research

Teaching

Extension

Sustainability at the UK College of Food, Ag and Environment (CAFÉ)

Environment Economics Community

Research internally and grant funded projectsEx: climate change impacts

Teaching Sustainable Ag (SAG) undergrad program

Extension internally and externally funded programsEx: pasture based beef production; Market Ready

USDA Sust. Ag Research and Education (SARE)Ex: Community based food systems; organic corn

Sustainability at the UK College of Food, Ag and Environment (CAFÉ)

All faculty have at least two way appointments – research and teaching, teaching and extension, all three

There is a culture of doing applied work and engagement

Students are intentionally connected to this engagement model

Examples: UK hort farm; workshops and extension programs; participate in research; intern on local farms;

SAG and the Land-Grant System

Credits

UKy Core Gen Ed. 27

Pre-Major Chem, Bio, Econ, Nutrition

18

Major Req. Env. Stewardship 11

Econ Profitability 10

Soc Responsibility 9

Sust Ag Core Intro, Cult. Persp., Apprenticeship, Capstone

12

Spec Support

(potential minor) 21

Total: 120

SAG Curriculum Overview:

Register for a fall class, but begin in the spring and work through the summer, into the fall Work at UK Hort farm, producing for a 175

university community member CSA 30-40 hours of production training, 200

hours of practice (UK and other farms) Learn most facets of organic horticulture

production for a CSA market

SAG 397 Sust. Ag Apprenticeship

Blog: http://ukcsa.wordpress.com

SAG 101 Intro to Sust. Ag

SAG 201 Cultural PerspectivesIncludes community engagement

SAG 397 Apprenticeship

SAG 490 Integration of Sust. Ag Principles (experiential and project

oriented “capstone”)

Sustainable Ag Core Classes

Graduates have been highly successful in obtaining jobs: 90%+ employed in field

Positions: production/farming, community food systems, county extension, non-governmental agencies, private sector crop and soil consultation, research and education, and graduate school.

Career Paths

Close working relationships with students gives feedback and builds commitment and community

Farm/CSA Students’ lives:

“This summer was a watershed period in my life because for the first time since I have been sober (8 years so far), I felt comfortable around other people. I think when a group of people are thrust into a vast row of green beans and told to pick them, something about the repetition and redundance of the act (or art) of picking beans is hypnotic and somehow therapeutic.”

Outcomes:Blog: http://ukcsa.wordpress.com

Outcomes: Engaged community

CSA annual potluck and farm tour

Outcomes: Resource for other classes

Students from GEN 100 “Issues in Agriculture”

Outcomes: Collaborative Research & Extension

Research and training with moveable high tunnel greenhouses

Compared students understanding and ability to apply sustainability by having them evaluate a site specific situation, applying understanding of sustainable ag principles

We compare students in intro class (SAG 101) with students in the capstone class (SAG 490)

Quantitative outcomes: mean scores of five “learning indicators”:

12.8 end of SAG 101 16.1 end of SAG 490

Outcomes: Student Performance

Build on strengths◦ University farms?◦ Community interests, urban gardens

Lessons for Other Post-Secondary Models

Build on strengths◦ University farms?◦ Community interests, urban gardens

Collaborate - with your land-grant universities

Lessons for Other Post-Secondary Models

Build on strengths◦ University farms?◦ Community interests, urban gardens

Collaborate - with your land-grant universities

St. Catherine: “Our” Collaborations: (among others) * UK College of Ag, Food and Environment * Washington Co. Extension office

Lessons for Other Post-Secondary Models

Build on strengths◦ University farms?◦ Community interests, urban gardens

Collaborate - with your land-grant universities

St. Catherine: “Our” Collaborations: (among others) * UK College of Ag, Food and Environment * Washington Co. Extension office

Hire faculty from land-grants

Lessons for Other Post-Secondary Models

Share programs and curriculum Expand on Sust. Ag Education Assoc. model

General Lessons/Examples:

Share programs and curriculum Expand on Sust. Ag Education Assoc. model

Partner with the USDA SARE program

General Lessons/Examples:

Examples: Use training/educational materials involve students in trainings/support roles

Grow our program – student numbers Bring more faculty into our program, both

from the College and rest of the university Involve students in beginning farmer

programs Expand incubation and training programs as

a transition for graduates to farming and for extension clientele

Break the small/hort farm stereotype

Next Steps (for us at UK):

What did we miss?

What have you learned in your situation?

Can you suggest strategies to enhance collaboration?

Discussion teasers

Contact Info:

Lee Meyer lee.meyer@uky.edu