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

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** women and minority students are the most under-represented in most undergraduate science programs, in professional agricultural societies, and in the agricultural science workforce. Sustainable agriculture is critical to addressing our agricultural challenges and a way to engage diverse individuals in agriculture while broadening their career prospects. The proposed program takes a two-pronged approach to advance career and leadership opportunities of women and minority community college students in sustainable agriculture through hands-on experiential learning and exposure to successful agricultural entrepreneurial businesses in rural north carolina. First, we will recruit students to participate in a summer research and education internship at ncsu and be introduced to a network of rural entrepreneurs. Second, we will recruit students to participate in NC's first ever registered agricultural apprenticeship, the sustainable vegetable production apprenticeship. The overarching goal of this project is to increase the number of women and underrepresented minorities from rural areas who will pursue and complete post secondary stem degrees and introduce them to a range of career opportunities. This goal is supported by the following objectives: 1) initiate a major recruitment effort at rural community colleges in NC. 2) recruit 14 community college students to participate in a summer internship program at ncsu. 3) recruit 3 community college students to participate in the sustainable vegetable production apprenticeship program. 4) increase participants' knowledge and technical skills in sustainable agriculture through mentorship and project based learning. 5) increase participants' critical thinking, communication, leadership skills, and awareness of agricultural career paths.