5 pages., Via online journal., Food security is a growing global concern. To meet the needs of an ever-growing population, food production practices will need to evolve to maximize food quantity and quality. Controlled-environment food production has increased significantly in the United States over the past 5 years, and a component of that production includes hydroponic food crops. In an effort to better prepare a workforce with knowledge of hydroponic crop production, a new course was added to an existing greenhouse curriculum. A service-learning project was integrated in the course that allowed students to experience both growing crops hydroponically and volunteering at a local food bank with a free meal program. Self-assessment showed a significant increase in student confidence in understanding food security by the end of the course. There was also a significant knowledge gained in defining terminology, factors, and the impact of food security in a community. The three guided reflections students completed during the course identified four common themes relative to the course content and service-learning project including the following: community benefits, value of volunteering, local and global effects of food insecurity, and personal growth.
12 pages, The purpose of this descriptive survey research study conducted with agriculture teachers in North Carolina was to determine their in-service training needs in order to be effective for preparing students with the 21st century skills necessary for students to be successful. This study reaffirms the need for continuation of leadership education as an important skill and integration of reading, writing, and math concepts into all agricultural education curricula for preparing students to be successful in the 21st century. The role of agriculture in global food security; application of problem-based learning; planning and delivering lessons to utilize higher order thinking skills; teaching leadership skills; and development of teamwork and student collaboration were identified as the five most important in-service training needs for preparing agriculture teachers to be effective educators. Findings of this study are limited to North Carolina agriculture teachers. This limitation of applying findings for other states should be addressed by conducting a study with a diverse sample of agriculture teachers across the nation.
DeRosier, Christopher (author), Sulemana, Iddisah (author), James, Harvey S. Jr. (author), Valdivia, Corinne (author), Folk, William (author), and Smith, Randall D. (author)
Format:
Online journal article
Publication Date:
2015
Published:
SAGE Journals
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 32 Document Number: D10599
19 pages., via online journal., We empirically examine the reporting on biotechnology in Kenyan and international newspapers between 2010 and early 2014. We identify news articles that reported on biotechnology and analyze their use of words to determine whether there is a balance in the reporting of perceived risks and benefits. We also consider how the sources used in news articles and how the publication of the Séralini study of rats fed genetically modified maize affect the balance of reporting of perceived risks and benefits. We find that in Kenyan news reporting, more articles mention perceived benefits than risks, but when risks are mentioned, new articles contain more references to risks than to benefits. We also find that sources affect the reporting of perceived risks and benefits and that the Séralini study increased the likelihood that perceived risks are reported in Kenyan news reporting, but not in international newspapers.
Deswardi, Rio (author), Glaser, Marion (author), and Ferse, Sebastian (author)
Format:
Book chapter
Publication Date:
2012
Published:
Indonesia: Transcript, Bielefeld, Germany.
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D07335
Notes:
Pages 243-272 in Anna-Katharina Hornidge and Christoph Antweiler (eds.), Environmental uncertainty and local knowledge: Southeast Asia as a laboratory of global ecological change. Transcript, Bielefeld, Germany. 284 pages.
7 pages., via online journal., Climate services entail providing timely and tailored climate information to
end-users in order to facilitate and improve decision-making processes.
Climate services are instrumental in socio-economic development and
benefit substantially from interdisciplinary collaborations, particularly
when including Early Career Researchers (ECRs). This commentary
critically discusses deliberations from an interdisciplinary workshop
involving ECRs from the United Kingdom and South Africa in 2017, to
discuss issues in climate adaptation and climate services development in
water resources, food security and agriculture. Outcomes from the
discussions revolved around key issues somewhat marginalized within
the broader climate service discourse. This commentary discusses what
constitutes “effective” communication, framings (user framings, mental
models, narratives, co-production) and ethical dimensions in developing
climate services that can best serve end-users. It also reflects on how
ECRs can help tackle these important thematic areas and advance the
discourse on climate services.
DuPont Crop Protection (author) and Exponent PR (author)
Format:
Online document
Publication Date:
2015
Published:
United States: Public Relations Society of America
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 8 Document Number: D10301
Notes:
3 pages., Via Silver Anvil Awards., Doubling the world’s food supply in the next 35 years is no small challenge, but that’s what will be required to feed the estimated global population of 9 billion people. That goal will be achieved by increasing production one farmer at a time. Crop production continues to get more complicated with challenges from weather, weed competition, disease, insects and more – and every growing season is unique. Exponent Public Relations brought targeted, relevant, up-to-the-minute solutions to farmers and their consultants by identifying and sharing expertise of local DuPont Crop Protection experts.