Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** sustainability transitions for food…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** sustainability transitions for food and agriculture systems in the US require critical areas of capacity building that are underdeveloped: the training of the agricultural workforce to understand and apply ecosystem services on levels including but beyond the farm. Developing supportive policy environments - in particular on local levels - is an essential element of these transitions. The objective of building ecological skillsets for transitions to sustainability in agriculture and food systems (best) is to build greater professional agricultural workforce capacity for developing holistic approaches to agricultural ecosystem management, and increased skills in providing relevant policy analysis. The network of faculty and partners in prescott college's sustainable food systems and environmental studies and sustainability programs will implement the following undergraduate experiential education program: (1) conceptual training in ecosystem services delivery; (2) strengthening networks and communities of practice around sustainability transition themes; (3) provision of experiential education in the application of ecological skillsets and policy analysis, placing 6 students per year in internships with partner organizations throughout the US and internationally; and (4) fostering the synthesis and knowledge sharing of actions proposed to partners. Undergraduates in relevant fields of study at prescott and students from community colleges will be recruited for the training and internships; up to 50% of total participants will be recruited from underserved populations as yet are poorly represented in the professional agricultural workforce. In impact, the program will serve to build the capacity of students to assist communities and organizations to plan and manage ecologically-based landscapes and enterprises supporting sustainable farming and food systems.