5 pages, Mitigating complex problems is increasingly essential to sustaining life on Earth. Empowering current and future generations to address these problems requires rethinking traditional education approaches. This article serves as a primer for land-based learning—defined as a pedagogical approach in which learners collaborate with community members to implement place-based interventions within agricultural systems to increase the sustainability of their community. As an introduction to land-based learning, the article (a) describes critical checkpoints within land-based learning, (b) illuminates the role of Extension educators in facilitating land-based learning, and (c) introduces a case study of land-based learning in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
5 pages, The Purdue Center for Commercial Agriculture Crop Basis Tool is an open-access web-based tool that provides members of the grain industry with access to weekly historical and contemporaneous corn and soybean basis data for local market regions in the eastern Corn Belt. Previously unavailable to most producers in the region, the information the Crop Basis Tool provides has the potential to greatly improve producers' marketing risk management decisions through improved basis forecasts. In addition, there are a myriad of opportunities for Extension personnel to incorporate the Crop Basis Tool in their marketing risk management education and outlook programming.
8 pages, A whole-farm planning course in Idaho has evolved from an in-person course offered by a single instructor in one location to an online course to a hybrid learning course that combines online learning with in-person and webinar components offered simultaneously at multiple sites across the state. Evaluation data suggest that all three approaches have been effective at increasing knowledge and skills. The hybrid learning model allows for using technology to leverage faculty and farmer expertise and increase participant numbers while maintaining in-person interaction and experiential learning. Findings support the concept of the hybrid learning model as a tool for Extension audiences in rural states.
USA: Department of Agricultural Sciences Education and Communication, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D10800
Notes:
138 pages., Thesis also is available online from Purdue University by open access, using the URL below., Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the Master of Science degree at Purdue University.
Contributed by author to the Agricultural Communications Documentation Center and University Library, University of Illinois., Purpose was to explain and predict Indiana residents' level of interest in engaging with Purdue University based on level of concern for social and community issues, level of anomie, past interactions with Purdue, and perceptions of Purdue. Findings confirmed that Extension's programmatic areas are addressing perceived needs in the state and that individuals are interested in these programmatic issues. "Land-grant universities can continue to rise to the challenge and deliver state-of-the-art education, research, and resources for all people, as long as they listen to the public and address critical social, community and stakeholder issues."
4 pages, Educators use school gardens to incorporate science, technology, engineering, and math programming into their curricula. Extension agents are called on to assist with planning and long-term support of these gardens, often working with educators who have no horticultural experience. University of Georgia Extension's school garden team created a multitiered approach to serving these gardeners while ensuring efficient use of Extension agents' time and resources. This approach includes a beginning-steps publication, hands-on garden training, and school garden associations. The result is more sustainable school gardens with limited frustration on the parts of school gardeners and Extension agents.
Online from https://doaj.org, Authors examined extension professionals, county agricultural commissioners, and members of farm bureaus and producer groups regarding their behavior and attitudes about use of information and communication technologies (ITCs). Results indicated that extension professionals experienced challenges in using ICTs more than the other sustainable agriculture stakeholders, "creating a technology gap between extension professionals and their clientele." Authors suggested use of an ICT community of practice and clear organizational guidelines for measuring and reporting performance related to ICT.
Suvedi, Murari (author) and Kaplowitz, Michael (author)
Format:
Introduction
Publication Date:
2016-02
Published:
International: U.S. Agency for International Development, Washington, D.C.
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 201 Document Number: D11774
Notes:
MEAS Handbook. URL to it provided online from Modernizing Extension and Advisory Services (MEAS), University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and Department of Community Sustainability, Michigan State University, East Lansing. Printed 6-page introduction and contents section of this 193-page handbook, which was sponsored by USAID Feed the Future initiative., Process skills and competency tools for front-line extension staff to use in their day-to-day work. Handbook offers a set of tools for effective communication, program planning and evaluation. It is meant to support and educate agricultural extension workers worldwide.
