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South Dakota Ag News Headlines |
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NIFA Invests $17.2 Million for Ag Education and Workforce Development
South Dakota Ag Connection - 05/06/2021
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced Wednesday an investment of $17.2 million for 37 awards in Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates. This program is funded through NIFA's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative.
"Developing the next generation of research, education and extension professionals in food and agricultural sciences is critical to the growth of the agriculture industry," said NIFA Director Dr. Carrie Castille. "NIFA programs support colleges, universities and technical education institutions to ensure a steady pipeline of talent to fuel the future workforce."
"Filling the Pipeline - Preparing the Next Generation of Watershed Management Extension Professionals" at South Dakota State University is one of the projects to be funded.
Watershed management is complex, multidisciplinary, and involves a combination of technical skills, as well as the ability to navigate complex social dynamics from stakeholder groups with different backgrounds and priorities. Undergraduate students have little to no exposure to roles in extension, especially ones that deal with watershed management. The need to effectively manage watersheds will continue to grow as states such as Iowa and Minnesota role out statewide nutrient reduction strategies, and other states develop statewide plans. If training and interest is not developed now, there will be insufficient workforce capacity needed to implement these plans and strategies, effectively limiting progress.To emphasize the collaboration and multi-disciplinarity aspects of watershed management, this project takes an extension-focused regional approach to inspiring and empowering students to pursue impactful watershed related extension and applied research careers. Students will be housed at seven campuses across the Upper Midwest and will participate in technical skills training, soft skills development, team projects, and individual projects, all under the mentorship of experienced extension and research faculty and staff. The students will take part in a virtual cohort experience where they work across state lines virtually with regular meetings and a team project to facilitate team building and camaraderie. Each student will also be responsible for three extension products. The internship will culminate in a peer learning summit where all students will travel to the learning summit to present their summer experience, learn from their colleagues, and take part in additional extension-focused professional development. Each summer, the program will lead to the creation of a cohort of future extension watershed professionals that will have a broader network of colleagues in the north central region that they can call upon and work with as they transition from students to practitioners.Ultimately, the project will serve to build a robust pipeline of new watershed professionals equipped to tackle the complex challenges of watershed management. A greater number of skilled watershed leaders (up to 28 students) will lead to more effective and efficient watershed management in participating states. Watershed management planning and implementation will be more effective at meeting the needs of all stakeholders with more progress and less animosity. Lakes, streams, rivers, and wetlands will be higher quality, leading to healthier people, higher economic value to communities, and higher quality of life.
Other project examples from the Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates priority area include: Texas A&M University-Kingsville's project, "The Drone WAVE Factor (drone use for women advancement, visibility and experiences in food and agriculture cyberinformatics and tools oriented to research)," to recruit, train, mentor, and graduate the next generation of women professionals with competitive geospatial sciences and technology skills. University of Hawaii's project, "Empowering Women and Underrepresented Undergraduates with Advanced Technology Research Training in Agriculture and Food Sciences," to develop the local agriculture and food science industry workforce in Hawaii through education and training. Clemson University's project, "Florece!: Future Leaders Obtaining Research & Extension Career Experiences," to prepare 40 undergraduate students to become globally-engaged professionals with world-class research and extension skills that allow them to identify critical factors that impact the sustainability of agricultural systems.
NIFA invests in and advances agricultural research, education, and Extension across the nation to make transformative discoveries that solve societal challenges. NIFA supports initiatives that ensure the long-term viability of agriculture and applies an integrated approach to ensure that groundbreaking discoveries in agriculture-related sciences and technologies reach the people who can put them into practice. In FY2020, NIFA's total investment was $1.95 billion.
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