Curricula and Instructional Modules for Sustainable Small-Scale Greenhouse Production

Project Overview

EW09-014
Project Type: Professional Development Program
Funds awarded in 2009: $60,000.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/2011
Region: Western
State: Colorado
Principal Investigator:
Dr. Steven Newman
Colorado State University

Annual Reports

Information Products

Commodities

  • Fruits: berries (strawberries)
  • Vegetables: cucurbits, peppers, tomatoes
  • Additional Plants: herbs

Practices

  • Education and Training: extension
  • Energy: bioenergy and biofuels, energy conservation/efficiency, energy use, solar energy, wind power
  • Farm Business Management: new enterprise development, whole farm planning
  • Pest Management: biological control, biorational pesticides, botanical pesticides, chemical control, cultural control, sanitation
  • Production Systems: organic agriculture
  • Sustainable Communities: local and regional food systems, sustainability measures

    Abstract:

    A commercial greenhouse educational program was developed for small acreage farm and ranch. The expectation is that those owners, whom are attempting to diversify their agricultural production, will gain year-round income, profitable self-employment, and an enhanced quality of life. The primary outputs of this project include: 1. Documentation of the need and interest on a statewide and national basis for greenhouse training; 2. the delivery of completed a completed set of DVDs and curriculum to Colorado Extension offices; and 3. the availability of lecture and course materials through an online course site. A nine DVD set of video lectures was created for distribution to Colorado County offices. The DVD set includes a total of 25 lectures for a total of 16 hours and 40 minutes of materials. A CD was also created to include Powerpoint lectures, notes, and shows.

    Project objectives:

    The objectives if this project included:

    The creation of a series of electronic slide sets with accompanying narration.

    Provide the electronic slide sets in video form, and upload to allocation that is accessible participants as well as DVDs that can be viewed on any television and DVD player.

    Provide on-line training modules with static web pages, reading materials, links to online videos, and participant assessments.

    Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.