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

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** the objectives of the growing global agriculturalist project are to broaden and deepen young people's knowledge and involvement in agriculture so that they believe in and act on their ability as agricultural learners, leaders, innovators, global citizens, and agents of change in a way that leads them to agriculture as a future workforce opportunity. Supporting the agriculture systems and technology afri priority area, this project will engage youth in learning about various agricultural approaches and systems, including plant growth, biotechnology, aquaponics/hydroponics, crop scouting technology, and soil and irrigation technology. Objectives will be achieved through a comprehensive four-year program design that engages 105 urban, suburban, rural, and tribal youth (80 youth in grades 3-8; 25 youth in grades 10-13) in agriculture activities at increasing levels of intensity, beginning by fueling their interest, then developing IT further, and finally cultivating authentic involvement. Grant project activities include the development of curricular resources in year 1, and implementation of 4 long-term clubs that incorporate college campus immersion experiences, field/industry tours, and urban/rural exchanges, and three public agronomy and crop-scouting events annually that will directly engage these 105 youth, and indirectly engage 1500 other youth, with priority on reaching underserved audiences. Partners collaborating on this project are committed to these activities. This will be a four-year effort starting in the fall of 2021 and ending in the fall of 2025, with sustainability efforts continuing the program after funding is gone.