Tallahassee Community College's Wakulla Environmental Institute Urban Farming and Entrepreneurship Training Certification Program (2024)

Non Technical Summary
Tallahassee Community College's (TCC) Wakulla Environmental Institute (WEI), in partnership with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF-IFAS), the City of Tallahassee, Florida Farm Bureau's Agriculture Education Services and Technology (FFB-AEST) and local small plot farming experts, has developed and established an innovative Urban Farming and Entrepreneurship Training Program. What we learned from the Pandemic is that there is a need for increased access to fresh foods due to supply chain issues, depleting resources, and management practices. Within our program we have trained future farmers on sustainable practices which incorporates efficiency but generates higher yield. For this grant we plan to expand the course to offer AEST industry certifications, that will be stackable credentials for employment opportunities and college credit. By previously providing such training in an Urban environment we can now expand our efforts to rural communities (Small Plot Farming) within a cost-effective framework that will be successful for individual families regardless of their socioeconomic status and location (rural/urban). Through this grant, we will offer scholarships and tool kits for students to have the basic skills and tools needed to allow them to be successful entering the workforce or in developing their own small farm business. As part of our model we provide Entrepreneurship Training for students to gain the necessary skills to create employment opportunities for themselves and further the economic development of this region by starting their own businesses. Students will be introduced to entrepreneurial techniques through TCC's SPARK Business program.Agricultural training is an importantasset for communities to encourage food independence,increase food security,and provide an additional source of incomefor individuals and families in need. Workforce ready, sustainable agriculture training,with a focus on business development and industry certifications will increase local food availability for community consumption that is fresh, nutritious, and affordable.By expanding our Sustainable Agriculture program, WEI looks to address the gap between traditional and new age farming by training both new and existing farmers in the most efficient and sustainable agricultural practices. With increasing agricultural risks from climate change, we train farmers in methodology that will reduce harmful climate impacts, encourage sustainability, and increase efficiency

Goals / Objectives
Through this grant opportunity, we have three objectives:1. WEI will expand the curriculum in our current Urban Farming and Entrepreneurship Training program to include instruction for AEST industry certifications (Agritechnology Specialist, Natural Resource Specialist, and Agriculture Associate Certifications).We are looking to determine the best methods for continued instructional delivery, success tracking, assessment,and evaluation processes.2. This program is expected to introduce current farmers and future participants who want to start their small farm business with sustainable practices, andencourage individuals, experienced or not, to engage in organic, local farming. This program will focus on Best managment practices in sustainability in agriculture utilizing innovative methodologies and researching new and innovative trends.3. Our third objective is to address the food disparity issues in this region by expanding our class offerings to participants in Wakulla, Leon and Gadsden Counties. By focusing on small plot farming, we will be inspiring growth for "sustainable local-foods economies,"a rising trend with a multitude of benefits for the local community, most notably, increasing the supply of organic produce in a food deserted area (Miranda,2009, p. 16).

Project Methods
This training, like with all training at WEI, consists of experiential and immersive coursework with a focus on entrepreneurship. This includes a mixture of in class/virtual lectures, hands on training, and farm tours. The in class/virtual lectures consists of detailed material covered on certification exams and entrepreneurship training. In partnership with the TCC's Spark Development Center and industry experts' students will learn how to successfully start and operate a small business for their agriculture products and/or services. Students will be required to attend various workdays at the WEI Farm to learn, firsthand, the subject matter that has been discussed in class and to demonstrate and solidify their understanding of the material. Students will visit various local farms to grasp the scope of possibilities for successful farm operations. The classes run in conjunction with the Fall or Spring growing season, during workdays, students' complete tasks in accordance with a seasonal appropriate crop plan. Some workdays consist of seeding, bed prep, planting, fertilizing, trellising, and other basic maintenance to ensure a successful season.Industry Certifications to offer: These industry certifications will provide students with stackable credentials for pursuing employment in the sustainable agriculture industry.Natural Resource Specialist Certificate TrainingWhich encompasses the study of management, improvement, and conservation practices of ecosystems, agroecosystems, soil, water, air, wildlife, wetlands, and forests.Topics include:Natural Resource ManagementSoil Resource ManagementWater Resource ManagementAir and Air QualityWildlife Ecology and ManagementForest Resource ManagementAgritechnology Specialist Certificate TrainingCovers the study of environmental resource conservation and management, plant growth and reproduction, animal systems and livestock management, mechanics and business with an emphasis on applications to agriculture, food and natural resource systemsTopics include:Career options in Agri scienceNatural Resource ManagementIntegrated Pest ManagementCrop ScienceAnimal ScienceAgriculture Associate Certificate TrainingIncludes the study of fundamental principles of agriscience safety, scientific and technical procedures, environmental science, food safety, plant and animal sciences applied to agriculture, and food and natural resource systems.Topics include:Career options in agriscienceNatural Resource ManagementIntegrated Pest ManagementCrop ScienceAnimal ScienceImplementationTest and revision - we will test the curriculum developed to ensure its effectiveness. Annually, we will evaluate the program and adjust as necessary to ensure the most effective, efficient and innovative training is made available to our participants.Facilitators - we have various subject area experts instructing the curriculum. These participants are current farmers and business owners with direct experience in developing and maintaining successful small farms. We will continue to seek out experts to further diversify and add to the level of expertise this program can offer.Implementation - We have performed an initial pilot program developed the revised curriculum, and since run 2 additional, successful programs. The program evaluation results measure the outcomes and ensure that the program meets the objectives stated from the needs assessment. We will improve and modify curriculum following each program.Student Evaluation - We will be evaluating students utilizing summative assessments in our overall evaluation. These assessments are to determine if we have met the learning objectives sought out during this process based on the outcomes.We will be utilizing the Canvas Learning Management System for data collection and information dissemination.Summative assessments to measure student's retention of the subject matter for the duration of the course, students will be quizzed bi-weekly on the information they have learned to that point. Quizzes will be taken online through the Canvas Learning Management System.Program Evaluation - We will hire an external consultant to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the program and curriculum to determine the kind of impact the program has on its participants. This consultant will report to us any recommendations for the improvement of the program.We will use formative assessments to evaluate the program to provide feedback to our instructors. This will be done by an outside consultant who will gather data as it pertains to student performance, student matriculation, and job placement.