19 pages, Climate change threatens human health, the environment, and the global economy. Extreme temperatures, intensifying droughts, and changes in rainfall patterns and growing seasons are all results of a changing climate. Adaptations to climate change will need to be implemented in the agricultural sector to ensure the longevity and sustainability of the global supply of food. Community gardens are one part of the agricultural sector that provide access to fresh and affordable foods. The purpose of this study was to determine U.S. adults’ motivations for engagement and level of importance associated with climate-smart adaptations in community gardens. The study found respondents engaged in community gardens primarily for health and social reasons, and respondents assigned some level of importance to climate-smart adaptations in their community gardens. Environmental communicators should develop messaging that encourages adaptation in community gardens by emphasizing the risk of losing health or social-based benefits the gardens provide. The findings can inform effective communication strategies which encourage community gardens to prepare for climate change to ensure a sustainable supply of and access to fresh foods. Future research should explore the impact of rurality, food accessibility, and socioeconomic status on reasons for engaging in a community garden and associated level of importance related to climate-smart adaptations.
16 pages., Article # 6FEA3, via online journal., We examined how the Twin Ports Climate Conversations (TPCC), a community-based climate communication project, is influencing local climate awareness and response. A survey of TPCC participants and subsequent roundtable discussion event were used to explore program impacts, outcomes, and future directions. Results showed that the TPCC project has been effective at increasing awareness and facilitating contacts and may be leading to actions that range from information sharing to personal behavioral changes. Future directions include engaging new audiences and promoting more on-the-ground climate action. TPCC can serve as a model to help other communities start cross-sectoral climate conversations.
8 pages., Article # 5TOT6, via online journal., To determine how Extension educators can use environmental education materials to develop life skills in youths, we correlated a national environmental education curriculum developed by Project Learning Tree (PLT) to the 4-H Life Skills Wheel. Youth development professionals can use the resulting correlations to determine which life skills the various PLT activities help develop. The correlation results also provide insights regarding how PLT activities help develop head, heart, and hands skills.
9 pages., ISSN 2415-2838, via online journal., Uganda’s public agricultural extension system has experienced several reforms since colonial times. However, available literature indicates that a large number of smallholder farmers remain unreached by the extension systems. To address the above problem, there has been a call to unearth the role of participatory and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)-led extension and learning approaches for agricultural and environmental education, and development in the country. As such, a review study was conducted on the context and the potential of participatory, and ICT-led extension and learning approaches to agricultural and environmental education. The reviews involved thematic and content analysis of variables of interest. The review findings presented a critical review of the historical and current state of agricultural extension reforms in Uganda. It also highlighted the challenges and lessons on the status, context, and potential of participatory, and ICT-led extension and learning in agricultural and environmental education in Uganda. It elaborated on recurring extension issues and described the experiences on the role of ICTs to extension and emerging practices that are enhancing the delivery of timely information that suits the needs of farmers. Policy recommendations were henceforth made to tap the potential of participatory, and ICT-led extension and learning approaches in order to enhance the performance of agricultural extension systems in Uganda.
40 pages., via online journal., The present essay comparatively explores and reflects on
popularizing the environment in a changing media ecology
wherein content is no longer exclusive to traditional television
viewing or distributed for cinematic release. Specifically, the
aim of this essay is to illustrate how screened presentations
such as film, television, and recently digital media, promote
environmentalist ideals in the hopes that if audiences are
entertained, then perhaps these narratives can subtly influence
thinking and behavior. This review also draws from research on
mediating the environment in television and film studies as
well as scholarly literature on entertainment-education. The
implications of this essay indicate that whether real or fictional,
eco-friendly content is growing in popular media and no
longer the backdrop to the story being told. As this essay
shows, media professionals have started embracing entertaining content infused with content of value so that audiences
can “see” why the environment is important.
10 pages., Via online journal., Pollinating insects are integral to the health of all terrestrial ecosystems and agriculture worldwide. Urbanization can greatly reduce nutritional resources and habitat for pollinators. However, these losses can be mitigated through targeted landscape practices, such as planting nectar- and pollen-rich plants and managing pollinator habitat in urban areas, especially home landscapes. As homeowners attempt to conserve pollinators through horticultural practices, they often seek the advice and guidance of horticulture retail employees. The knowledge horticulture employees have about pollinators and the recommendations they provide to customers is largely unknown. A nationwide survey was developed and distributed with the objectives to 1) assess employee knowledge about pollinators and pollination biology, 2) discover what plant and management recommendations employees were giving customers pertaining to pollinator conservation, and 3) determine where to focus possible education and outreach, as well as which topics to focus educational programs on. Our findings suggest, among our respondents, that overall knowledge was adequate, with a mean score (±sd) being 8.37 (±3.23) of a possible range of 0–14 points. Uncertified and part-time employees were identified as having significantly lower scores. The subject of plant selection was found to have the largest gap in knowledge, with a mean score of 1.82 (±0.62) of a possible three points. We identified several opportunities for educational outreach, aimed at improving employee and customer knowledge on this important subject.
13 pages, Peer-to-peer learning is gaining increasing attention in nonformal community-based environmental education. This article evaluates a novel modification of a concept for peer-to-peer learning about residential energy solutions (Open Homes). We organized collective “Energy Walks” visiting several homes with novel energy solutions and engaging people beyond those with a serious renovation project. We evaluated the intervention in terms of individual, network-centric, and institutional learning outcomes. Learning outcomes were observed on all these levels. We argue that this form of peer-to-peer learning builds capacity for sustainable action in the community by supporting discussion and reflection, rather than merely social learning as modeling.
Mungai, Ndungi wa (author) and Seis, Colin (author)
Format:
Book chapter
Publication Date:
2017
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D08789
Notes:
Pages 223-237 in Gordon, Iain J. Prins, Herbert H.T. Squire, Geoff R. (eds.), Food production and nature conservation: conflicts and solutions. United Kingdom: Routledge, London. 348 pages.
14 pages., via online journal., Climate communication research suggests strategic message framing may help build public consensus on climate change causes, risks and solutions. However, few have investigated how framing applies to adolescents. Similarly, little research has focused on agricultural audiences, who are among the most vulnerable to and least accepting of climate change. Among 950 high school agriculture students in North Carolina, we found agriculture and environment framing of climate change, but not community and health frames, elicited feelings of worry, and these together with community frames elicited hope. Further, students feeling more worry were more supportive of individual and collective action. Those accepting climate change and females had more emotive responses and higher support for all action measures, and acceptance of human causes predicted more worry and support for collective action. We find these results encouraging as agriculture teachers likely employ agriculture and environment frames when following best teaching practices.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D08801
Notes:
Pages 17-28 in Debra A. Reid, Interpreting agriculture at museums and historic sites. United States: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., Lanham, Maryland. 265 pages.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D08899
Notes:
Pages 37-53 in Waisová, Šárka, Environmental cooperation as a tool for conflict transformation and resolution. United Kingdom: Lexington Books, London. 196 pages.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D08904
Notes:
Pages 139-158 in Waisová, Šárka, Environmental cooperation as a tool for conflict transformation and resolution. United Kingdom: Lexington Books, London. 196 pages.
2 pages., Research summary online via the North American Association for Environmental Education., Author used a three-component data collection frame. Findings suggested that "very little training exists at the college level; almost 80% of schools with communication or journalism programs did not offer any courses described as directly or indirectly about the environment. Nevertheless, almost 80% of surveyed students thought coursework in environmental reporting was somewhat important, important, or very important. Furthermore, of the news article published in campus papers, under 2% covered environmental topics, which the researcher rated as "typically simplistic and local(typically campus) in geographic scale.
Chang, Yuan-Yu (author), Su, Wei-Chia (author), Tang, I-Chun (author), Chang, Chun-Yen (author), and National Taiwan University
Chang Jung Christian University
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2016-12
Published:
Taiwan: American Society for Horticultural Science
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 16 Document Number: D10451
10 pages., Via online journal., There is a growing body of literature that explores the benefits of school gardening for children, but few studies have been conducted in Taiwan. Even fewer studies have examined which factors influence the benefits that children derive from these activities. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the benefits of school gardening for children in Taiwan and also identify the factors influencing these benefits. This study used qualitative research methods, which consisted of interviewing 43 elementary school students who had extensive experience with gardening, and used a general inductive approach to analyze the data. The study also used a quantitative approach to statistically compare gender differences, which found that there were some differences in preference for gardening between boys and girls in Taiwan. The results also identify seven benefits children can derive from school gardening, including increasing life skills, producing pleasant feelings, improving relationships and having plants as companions, acquiring new knowledge, experiencing the aroma and flavor of fruits and vegetables, improving health, and increasing connection to nature. Some of these benefits of school gardening have not been mentioned in previous studies and can be considered to be new, such as having plants as companions. Additionally, this study found 20 factors that influence the benefits of school gardening. Of these, eight were about plants, seven about activities, two about outdoor environments, and three about other participants. Most of the factors provide more than one benefit. The factors with the greatest impact have the most number of benefits that influence children and include “appearance, odor and texture,” “hands-on,” and “outdoor natural elements.” These factors help us to realize the unique characteristics of gardening, highlight the distinctiveness, and increase the indispensability of gardening activities.
Klimova, Alexandra (author), Rondeau, Eric (author), Andersson, Karl (author), Porras, Jari (author), Rybin, Andrei (author), and Zaslavsky, Arkady (author)
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2016-11
Published:
USA: Elsevier Science Publishers
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 157 Document Number: D07540
Sonti, Nancy Falxa (author), Campbell, Lindsay K. (author), Johnson, Michelle L. (author), Daftary-Steel, Sarita (author), and Baltimore Field Station, USDA Forest Service, Baltimore, MD, USA
New York City Urban Field Station, USDA Forest Service, New York, NY, USA
Food Dignity Project, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2016-09
Published:
USA: Sage Publications Inc.
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 164 Document Number: D08243
Burke, Brian J (author), Welch-Devine, Meredith (author), Gustafson, Seth (author), Heynen, Nik (author), Rice, Jennifer L. (author), Gragson, Ted L. (author), Evans, Sakura R. (author), and Nelson, Donald R. (author)
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2016-04-01
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 153 Document Number: D06929
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D08865
Notes:
Pages 81-99 in Ormrod, James S. (ed.), Changing our environment, changing ourselves: nature, labour, knowledge and alienation. United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan UK, London. 315 pages.
Meul, Marijke (author), Van Middelaar, Corina E. (author), de Boer, Imke J.M. (author), Van Passel, Steven (author), Fremaut, Dirk (author), and Haesaert, Geert (author)
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2014-11
Published:
Belgium: Elsevier
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 161 Document Number: D07816
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D08795
Notes:
Pages 219-240 in Dillon, Justin, Towards a convergence between science and environmental education: the selected works of Justin Dillon. United States: Routledge, New York City, New York, 2017. 361 pages.
