Laying the groundwork for soil science education through urban agriculture service-learning

Background/Question/Methods

As urban populations grow in diversity and size, interest in meeting food security needs through urban agriculture is skyrocketing, making it critical that today’s agriculture students become effective food system leaders and community educators. NC State’s Service-Learning for Sustainable Soil Management in Community Gardenscourse has for 3 years partnered with the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle NGO in community garden projects based in low-income neighborhoods where students design and carry out soil science lessons for urban populations over an 8-week period. Learning outcomes include 1) articulation of social, economic, and environmental constraints related to urban agriculture, and 2) application of professional skills, including problem solving, public speaking, group leadership, teaching, and resourcefulness, all identified as important by urban agriculture employers. We developed a cultural competence training focused on teaching diverse audiences and validated its usefulness to learn if prior training helps students better achieve learning outcomes.  In 2010 and 2011, data was collected via pre and post service-learning experience interviews that were transcribed and coded, and through surveys compared against a control class. Data were triangulated with observational findings collected during student teaching and through written student reflections to evaluate the efficacy of the training and determine areas for improvements.

Results/Conclusions

Results show that following the community-based experience, service-learning students increased confidence in their ability to apply all professional skills except one, lesson-plan development, in which we observed no change pre- to post-experience. Further, both qualitative and quantitative data support that service-learning students report improved cultural competence skills as a result of their time spent working in the community and credit the training session for improving their preparation to work with and teach a diversity of community members.  We conclude that service-learning can be an effective mechanism through which students can apply their academic content knowledge and improve their ability to work with urban-agriculture stakeholders.