Article first online: 18 July 2017, Via online journal., Farm to school programs have been positioned as interventions that can support goals of the global food sovereignty movement, including strengthening local food production systems, improving food access and food justice for urban populations, and reducing distancing between producers and consumers. However, there has been little assessment of how and to what extent farm to school programs can actually function as a mechanism leading to the achievement of food sovereignty. As implemented in North America, farm to school programs encompass activities not only related to school food procurement, but also to the development of student knowledge and skills under the framework of food literacy. Research on farm to school initiatives has largely been conducted in countries with government-supported national school feeding programs; this study examines farm to school organizing in Canada, where there is no national student nutrition program. Using qualitative fieldwork and document analysis, we investigate the farm to school movement in British Columbia, in a context where civil society concerns related to education and health have been the main vectors of farm to school mobilization. Our analysis suggests that, despite limited institutional infrastructure for school meals, the British Columbia farm to school movement has contributed toward realizing goals of food sovereignty through two main mechanisms: advocacy for institutional procurement of local and sustainable foods and mobilizing food literacy for increased public engagement with issues of social justice and equity in food systems.
Available online at www.centmapress.org, Four factors and three farmer groups were identified which significantly differed regarding their attitudes towards animal welfare programs and willingness to participate in them. Authors cited evidence of need to design tailor-made strategies for communicating with farmers about this subject.
13 pages, Much is known about the benefits of interacting with animals for learners. However, little is known about the animals’ potential influence on the communication ability of the presenter/educator. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the experience of undergraduate students who used live animals (baby chicks, turtles, salamanders, and non-venomous snakes) during in-class and outreach presentations and the animals’ role in influencing their communication ability. The influence of an instructor who teaches with such animals was also examined. A purposive sample of students enrolled in an introductory environmental education course open to all majors was obtained and five students agreed to participate in semi-structured interviews. Once audio was recorded and transcribed, the constant comparative method was used to analyze the data. Six reoccurring themes emerged. Presenting with a live animal (1) helped students feel less nervous while teaching, (2) increased presenter confidence, (3) promoted flexibility while teaching, (4) encouraged audience analysis, (5) helped create a positive, comfortable learning environment, and (6) influenced student career decisions. These themes aligned with Bandura’s triatic reciprocality model. Pre-service teacher education programs may consider using small, live animals, when relevant, with apprentice teachers as they can equally benefit the presenter and learning environment.
Andrew, Chandra L. (author) and Tarleton State University
Format:
Dissertation
Publication Date:
2017-01-01
Published:
Ann Arbor: ProQuest
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 17 Document Number: D10469
Notes:
326 pages., ISBN: 9781369787863, Via ProQuest Dissertations and Theses., Stufflebeam’s (1969) context, input, process, product (CIPP) model was used to evaluate 11 undergraduate agricultural communication programs. The programs were selected based upon their 2012-2013 membership numbers in the National Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow chapters, with the goal of selecting the universities with the largest undergraduate agricultural communication programs. Research has indicated that regular evaluation is vital to the agricultural industry and the graduates from agricultural communication programs.
The researcher sought to answer the following research questions: 1. How many credit hours does each program require? 2. What categories of courses are offered within the curriculum for an undergraduate agricultural communication degree? 3. What are the expected topics students should receive in each category? 4. What is the degree productivity of each undergraduate degree or concentration in agricultural communication over a five-year timespan?
The context portion of the study was the history of agricultural communication. The input construct of the model was the characteristics of undergraduate agricultural communication programs. The process portion of the model was the traditional programs’ coursework offered in the programs. Finally, the product construct was the topics required by graduates.
The evaluation identified 28 categories of coursework that occurred in the undergraduate agricultural communication curriculum of the 11 selected universities. The frequency of categories occurring at each university ranged from a high of 11 to a low of three. Topics varied depending upon category, but overlap of topics did occur among categories. The overlap indicates that faculty are striving to encompass multiple topics within their offered courses’ framework.
Finally, all programs had increased their number of graduates in a five-year timespan. With the exception of one program, all remaining programs expected enrollment to continue to increase in the future.
Hasan, Md. Mahedi (author), Mondal, Md. Nazrul Islam (author), Islam, Md. Nurul (author), and Hoque, Md. Aminul (author)
Format:
Online journal article
Publication Date:
2017
Published:
United States: Taylor & Francis
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 64 Document Number: D10728
Journal Title Details:
32(3): 214-223
Notes:
11 pages., via online journal., Farm programmes (FPs) of varied categories have been developed and
aired over several decades by Bangladesh Betar, the national radio of
Bangladesh for the diffusion of farm technologies. The study aimed
to produce an in-depth academic evaluation of their effectiveness
in educating farmers in Bangladesh. A sample of 465 respondents
from the Khulna and Rajshahi divisions in Bangladesh was randomly
selected for a questionnaire survey. To analyse the data, relevant
documents were collected from the Ministry of Information, the
Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock
of Bangladesh. Frequency distribution, z-test, and binary logistic
regression analysis were used as statistical tools. The farm knowledge
levels of the farmers were considered the predictors for evaluating
the effectiveness of FPs. The results revealed that 93.33% of the
sample did not listen to the FPs, while only very few of the listeners
listened regularly. Despite this, at the ‘weak’ and ‘average’ levels of
knowledge significant differences were noted between listener and
non-listener farmers of FPs. The binary logistic regression analysis
(Model 1) identified that the farmers who listened to the FPs were
likely to acquire farm knowledge 6.62 times more than the farmers
who did not listen to the FPs. The farmers who listened to the FPs were
likely to have farm knowledge 2.64 times more than the farmers who
did not listen to the FPs but consulted with other sources of farming
information (Model 2). Similarly, a listener of FPs with farm training
was likely to acquire farm knowledge 5.76 times more than a nonlistener with farm training (Model 3). The FPs were found to be very
effective and could be used to better complement other mechanisms
for educating farmers. Regular access to the FPs ought to be ensured
through appropriate stimulants for the diffusion of farm technologies.
Park, Sin-Ae (author), Cho, Moon-Kyoung (author), Yoo, Mung Hwa (author), Kim, Soo-Yun (author), Im, Eun-Ae (author), Song, Jong-Eun (author), Lee, Jin-Cheol (author), Jun, In Gun (author), and Konkuk University
Heavenly Brain Reactivation Institute
Horticultural Therapy Rehabilitation and Education Center
Agricultural Technology Service Center of Incheon
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2016-12
Published:
South Korea: American Society for Horticultural Science
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 16 Document Number: D10450
8 pages., Via online journal., The objectives of this study were to examine the effects of a horticultural activity program on the emotional intelligence, prosocial behavior, and scientific investigation abilities and attitudes of kindergarteners. A total of 336 children aged 5 to 7 years in public and private kindergartens and day care centers in Incheon, South Korea, participated in a 24-session horticultural activity program. This program included indoor and outdoor activities such as planting seeds, transplanting plants, making and applying eco-friendly fertilizer, watering, harvesting, using plants to make crafts, and cooking with produce. It was designed to improve the emotional intelligence, prosocial behavior, and scientific investigation abilities and attitudes of kindergarteners. Each session lasted an average of 50 minutes and was held once per week. The results of the study showed that the 24-session horticultural activity program improved the emotional intelligence, prosocial behavior, and scientific investigation abilities and attitudes of the children (P < 0.05). Satisfaction with the program was very high among both the children and their teachers and parents. Future studies should consider exploring the effects of horticultural activity programs on children in different age groups.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D08868
Notes:
Pages 215-256 in Ormrod, James S. (ed.), Changing our environment, changing ourselves: nature, labour, knowledge and alienation. United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan UK, London. 315 pages.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D08842
Notes:
Pages 126-140 in Dawson, Julie C. and Morales, Alfonso (eds.), Cities of farmers: urban agricultural practices and processes. United States: University of Iowa Press, Iowa City. 333 pages.
