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INVESTIGATOR: Githinji, L.

PERFORMING INSTITUTION:
VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY
P. O. Box 9081
PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA 23806

ENHANCING THE CAPACITY OF VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY TO EXPAND URBAN AGRICULTURE EDUCATION THROUGH THE DISTANCE LEARNING APPROACH

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: In Virginia 17% of population has limited access to fresh food, compared to 7% nationwide. Areas with limited access to affordable and nutritious food are referred to as food deserts. There is a need to mitigate food deserts by increasing food production. Unfortunately there are very few Extension personnel that are well equipped to assist Virginia residents in urban agriculture. The goal of this project is to build the capacity of Virginia State University to expand urban agriculture education through distance learning. The supportive objectives are to: (i) develop educational modules suitable for distance learning; (ii) enhance technology to support distance learning; and (iii) establish/maintain urban agriculture training sites across the state. The project activities will include hiring an educational support specialist and student who will assist in the various educational activities related to urban agriculture distance learning; acquiring technology to support efficient and effective program delivery; and enhancing delivery methodologies in support of distance learning. The expected long-term project outcomes are: increased urban food production, enhanced food security; reduced cost of food; improved health through access to fresh foods; and increased local incomes. The success of the project will be evaluated continuously using appropriate tools such as pre/post-tests, questionnaires, surveys, and follow up interviews. This project addresses three key NIFA priority areas, viz., Food security; Sustainable Agriculture; and Youth Development. It also addresses two NIFA disciplines, namely, Agriculture and Youth Development. Virginia State University is fully committed to expanding the proposed project beyond the period of USDA support.

OBJECTIVES: The overall goal of this project is to expand Urban Agriculture Education through Distance Learning Approach.The supportive objectives are:i) To increase educators' knowledge and hands-on skills in urban agriculture;ii) To acquire technology to support urban agriculture education through distance learning; andiii) To develop and maintain urban agriculture sites to support hands-on experiential learning.

APPROACH: The proposed project will build the capacity of Virginia State University's Cooperative Extension Service to expand the urban agriculture educational program by establishing distance education. This will enhance the institutional capacity to more effectively respond to the need for more educators being trained through a train-the-trainer program. There are three areas that are in need of capacity building to support the long distance education in urban agriculture: i) Hiring and recruiting of personnel who will assist in program development and implementation; ii) Acquiring technology to support efficient and effective program delivery; and iii) Enhancing delivery methodologies in support of distance education. A description of project implementation methods is outlined as follows:i) Hiring and recruiting of personnel who will assist in program implementation An educational assistant and student will be hired and trained and later assist the PI and CoPIs in coordinating the various educational activities related to urban agriculture distance learning. These will include: uploading the course materials on Canvas Learning Management System; constantly monitoring and updating the online course material; facilitating communication between instructors and students; assisting instructors in managing the interactive sessions; assist in evaluating the program and providing necessary feedback; and assisting in compiling the progress reports. By acquiring personnel and collaborating with other institutions, VSU will strengthen its capacity to offer quality and far reaching education programs in urban agriculture.ii) Acquiring technology to support efficient and effective program delivery To deliver effective educational programs in urban agriculture through the distance learning approach, the approach will include: i) procuring mobile devices (iPads, tablets) with hotspot capability; ii) subscribing to a hotspot connectivity plan to facilitate remote access of the course content; and iii) installing the Canvas Learning App (https://www.canvas.net/) on mobile devices. This technology acquisition will facilitate remote access of the course content offered through Canvas Learning.iii) Enhancing delivery methodologies in support of distance learning The activities for this capacity building process will include developing and maintaining the various hands-on training and demonstration sites at VSU's Randolph Farm and other locations within the Commonwealth of Virginia. Although the urban agriculture classes will be offered through the long distance module, project participants will complete hands-on training at the sites closest to their locality with the help of Extension Agents, Master Gardeners and other collaborators including those from nonprofit organizations. The project team will establish a working collaboration of partners, especially among the local extension agents, similar to the one established during the existing program. In addition, regular stakeholders meeting will be conducted during the project period, where participants will come together in a forum and discuss emerging urban agriculture issues.Project Evaluation To determine the impact of this project, an extensive project evaluation at each and every level and throughout the life of the project. The objective of the evaluation plan implementation will be to identify any weaknesses in the project plan in order to identify any revisions to be made to ensure the project is more efficient and effective. Hence, the specific objectives of the program implementation are to: i) establish a team and team leader in charge of the evaluation exercise; ii) establish a coordinated evaluation strategy; iii) adopt and utilize credible evaluation tools; iv) monitor the progress; and v) organize and maintain an active and timely feedback mechanism. During the training program, the assessment of the learning outcomes will be conducted using pre- and post-tests, homework assignments, and online quizzes for the course materials. Additionally, quantitative surveys instruments measuring variables such as attitudes, motivation, satisfaction, and performance will be designed, developed, and utilized by the PI and Co-PIs. The project team will make use of established web survey resources including the online survey software and platforms entitled "Qualtrics" (http://www.qualtrics.com/).Other qualitative and quantitative surveys will be delivered through multiple channels, including emails and follow up phone calls to the target audience. There will be self-evaluation including written review and reporting on milestones achieved, reporting on outreach contacts and presentations related to the project. Reviews of goals, expected outcomes, and attainment of objectives will be made during and after the project.Dissemination Part of the dissemination plan will include: enrolling participants (including future extension educators) in the urban agriculture distance learning course; preparing the course materials and uploading them on the Canvas Learning Management System for access by the enrolled participants; constantly monitoring and updating the online course material; and facilitating communication between instructors and student participants. Dissemination will also include multiple hands-on experiential leaning sessions conducted at the various urban agriculture demonstration sites across the state.

PROGRESS: 2019/04 TO 2020/03
Target Audience:The following were the target audiences during the reporting period: i) Master Gardener volunteers; ii) Virginia State University students; iii) Urban dwelling communities; iv) Non-government and community-based organizations; and v) School teachers. Changes/Problems:Hiring an Education Assistant/ Instructional Designer to assit with development of the online instructional website. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?-Seminar at the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC). Title: Advances in Urban Agriculture. Washington DC. August 28, 2019. -Classroom instruction during the distance learning module of the Sustainable Urban Agriculture Certificate Program. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The program disseminated the results to the target audiences in various formats including: -Zoom classes during the urban agriculture distance learning course; -Preparing the urban agriculture course materials and distributing the content as electronic resources; -Creating and disseminating educational videos. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?-Continue recruiting the various target audiences for the Sustainable Urban Agriculture Certificate Program (distance education) -Edit the curriciculum for the Sustainable Urban Agriculture Certificate Program -Present the results at the American Socierty for Horticultural Science (ASHS) virtual program in August 2020.

IMPACT: 2019/04 TO 2020/03
What was accomplished under these goals? Products: Instructions: -A distance education module in urban agriculture was implemented and classroom instructions delivered via Zoom teleconferencing. -The program recruited 15 participants to the distance education module in spring 2019. -Zoom technology was acquired to support the distance learning program. Publications: Githinji, L. (2019). Outcomes and Impacts of the Sustainable Urban Agriculture Program at Virginia State University. Poster presentation at the Virginia Urban Agriculture Summit, April 23-25, 2019. Virginia Beach, VA. Githinji, L., Chohan, S., Connatser, L., Nartea, T., Rutto, L., Mersha, Z., O'Brien, D, Ndegwa, E., Porter, T., Rafie, R., Mullins, C., Nerrie, B., Pfeiffer, D., Johnson, P., Dommert, G. (2019). Evaluation of the Sustainable Urban Agriculture Certification Program at Virginia State University. Poster presentation at the Virginia Urban Agriculture Summit, April 23-25, 2019. Virginia Beach, VA. -Githinji, L. 2019. Sustainable urban agriculture curriculum for distance learning.

PUBLICATIONS (not previously reported): 2019/04 TO 2020/03
Type: Other Status: Under Review Year Published: 2019 Citation: Sustainable Urban Agriculture Curriculum