Delivering Professional Development & Networking Opportunities for Urban Agriculture Professionals in the North Central Region

Commodities

• Agronomic: potatoes, radish (oilseed, daikon, forage), vetches
• Fruits: apples, berries (blueberries), berries (brambles), berries (strawberries), cherries, melons, peaches, pears, quinces
• Vegetables: asparagus, beans, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, cucurbits, eggplant, garlic, greens (leafy), greens (lettuces), okra, onions, peppers, sweet corn, sweet potatoes, tomatoes
• Miscellaneous: mushrooms

Practices

• Crop Production: conservation tillage, cover crops, cropping systems, crop rotation, double cropping, fertigation, fertilizers, foliar feeding, food product quality/safety, grafting, greenhouses, high tunnels or hoop houses, irrigation, low tunnels, no-till, nutrient management, organic fertilizers, pollinator habitat, postharvest treatment, row covers (for season extension), season extension, shade cloth, tissue analysis, varieties and cultivars, water management, water storage
• Education and Training: extension, farmer to farmer, mentoring, networking, technical assistance, workshop
• Energy: energy conservation/efficiency, solar energy
• Farm Business Management: agricultural finance, agritourism, apprentice/intern training, budgets/cost and returns, business planning, community-supported agriculture, cooperatives, e-commerce, farm-to-institution, farm-to-restaurant, farmers' markets/farm stands, financial management, grant making, labor/employment, land access, new enterprise development, value added
• Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity, carbon sequestration, grass waterways
• Pest Management: allelopathy, biofumigation, biological control, botanical pesticides, competition, cultivation, cultural control, disease vectors, economic threshold, integrated pest management, mulches - general, mulches - killed, mulches - living, mulching - vegetative, mulching - plastic, physical control, row covers (for pests), soil solarization
• Production Systems: agroecosystems, aquaponics, hydroponics, integrated crop and livestock systems, organic agriculture, organic certification, permaculture, transitioning to organic
• Soil Management: composting, green manures, nutrient mineralization, organic matter, soil analysis, soil microbiology, soil quality/health
• Sustainable Communities: community development, community planning, community services, food hubs, local and regional food systems, new business opportunities, partnerships, public participation, public policy, quality of life, urban agriculture, urban/rural integration, values-based supply chains

The complex interactions that occur within the food system require a new generation of agricultural educators with a diverse skillset and a keen interest in collaborative partnerships. In 2009, KSU launched an M.S. specialization in Urban Food Systems (UFS), which subsequently evolved into Urban Food Systems Initiative (UFSI) at KSU in 2019. The UFSI is an interdisciplinary collaborative of students, faculty, extension professionals, communities and industry who are focused on developing sustainable urban food systems that are inclusive, resilient, safe and diverse. Serving the extension mission of the UFSI, the Growing Growers KC program is based around an apprenticeship that includes over 35 host farms in Kansas and Missouri. The goals of this project are to provide agricultural educators (extension, non-for-profits, NGOs, K-12 and community college instructors) with opportunities to learn directly from urban and peri-urban farmers, and facilitate mentoring between established and beginning farmers throughout the North Central Region. This will be accomplished through two urban agriculture study tours, the 2026 Urban Food Systems Symposium, and the development of resources and trainings for educators related to coordinating apprenticeships and plain language usage for translated audiences. Short-term outcomes include increased knowledge of: sustainable practices used in UFS, the impact of UFS on food security, and challenges associated with UFS. Long-term outcomes include: economic sustainability amongst food entrepreneurs in urban communities, increased health and quality of life among consumers and farmers, and confident and connected educators that have a holistic understanding of UFS.

Trainings

• Twelve webinars with an average audience of 100 live participants
• At least 50 UA educators will learn how to oversee a de-centralized apprenticeship program surrounding organic vegetable production during three trainings.
• At least 30 UA educators will learn how to deliver information using plain language during three trainings.
• 8 professional track students will receive detailed information from 15-18 UFS practitioners during the UA Study Tour
• 25 UA educators will receive training during the 2026 UFSS 

Educational Materials

• Twelve webinars will be archived on YouTube and on the UFSI website. We expect at least 500 views per year for each webinar.
• Growing Growers Operations Manual and Marketing Plan
• org “resources for educators” tab that will provide access to relevant resources, forms and SOPs.
• Archived recording of Plain Language Training for Agriculture Service Providers
• Content of the food security audit for UFS will be delivered to at least 8 UFS professional track students.
• Content of the UFSS will be delivered to at least 25 UFS educators
• UFSS program materials and written communications (abstracts, website, etc.) delivered to at least 25 UFS educators

 Curricula

• Gaining Ground Webinar Series curriculum and recordings.
• Curriculum related to delivering a decentralized apprenticeship
• 50 UFS educators will receive curriculum for starting a sustainable vegetable farm
• Curriculum related to providing Plain Language Training for ag educators
• 8 UFS educators will understand how to complete a food security audit of UFS projects and understand how they contribute to food security in urban communities
• 8 UFS educators will learn how to deliver a study tour that is based on a broad range of food systems players and utilizes a group assignment to facilitate discussion.

Partnerships

• At least 2000 UFS educators will identify the KSU UFS program as a resource for information, UFS experts, professional networks, and informal mentoring as a result of the webinar series, Facebook group, UFSS, and UA Study Tour.
• 105 UFS educators will build professional networks through the UFSS and apprenticeship bootcamp, and plain language trainings.
• Growing Growers program staff will build stronger partnerships with 50 agricultural educators through apprenticeship trainings
• Growing Growers program staff will build partnerships with the network of national apprenticeship programs through the NIFTI Annual FIELD School conferences.
• 8 UFS educators will make at least 20 contacts (160 total) across two cities during the UA Study Tour.