Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Bridging Learning and Practice with Community Partnerships in Civic Agriculture and Food Systems Curriculum
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Cultivating off-campus community partnerships with university-academic programs can facilitate civic engagement that positively impacts everyone’s learning, community partner, faculty, and student. The Virginia Tech Civic Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) program advances student learning through hands-on, community-based practice involving inquiry, dialogue, and problem-solving around real-world agrifood systems issues inherent within Appalachia. Various levels of community engagement are practiced across the CAFS curriculum where students observe, connect, and critically analyze the dynamic nexuses between the arts, sciences, humanities, and food and agriculture contextualized to a local community setting. In the culminating capstone course, students apply previous learning to implement an actual community project related to CAFS practice. Drawing upon the community development frameworks (community capitals and appreciative inquiry), and participatory action methodologies, students translate theory into practice. Together, student and community partner develop a mutually beneficial community-based project matching student strengths with community partner needs. This allows them to actualize how to build community capacity, maintain community partnerships, promote principles of good practice, and apply participatory action methodologies to implement a mutually agreed upon community-based project. The reciprocal learning that happens between student and community partner is transformative and serves to strengthen the value of academic-community partnerships. This paper presentation will showcase successful CAFS academic-community partnerships, project examples, and student learning gains around CAFS-framed community development and engagement. Experiential-based curriculum such as this one are relevant to universities interested in cultivating “win-win” academic-community partnerships that result in transformative learning that equips students with practical skills to become community change agents.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Susan Clark, PhD, RD serves as Director of Civic Agriculture and Food Systems in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech, is a faculty member in the Department of Horticulture and Adjunct faculty in the Department of Human, Nutrition, Foods and Exercise, and is the PI for the USDA-NIFA funded Appalachian Foodshed Project. Research interests relate to civic and sustainable agriculture, food systems, and community development practice specifically focusing on resilient, accessible, affordable, and healthy place-based food systems in Appalachian communities.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Jenny Schwanke serves as Coordinator of the Hale-YMCA Community Gardens in Blacksburg, Virginia, and also as the Community Partner Liaison for the Civic Agriculture and Food Systems programs at Virginia Tech.
Bridging Learning and Practice with Community Partnerships in Civic Agriculture and Food Systems Curriculum
Cultivating off-campus community partnerships with university-academic programs can facilitate civic engagement that positively impacts everyone’s learning, community partner, faculty, and student. The Virginia Tech Civic Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) program advances student learning through hands-on, community-based practice involving inquiry, dialogue, and problem-solving around real-world agrifood systems issues inherent within Appalachia. Various levels of community engagement are practiced across the CAFS curriculum where students observe, connect, and critically analyze the dynamic nexuses between the arts, sciences, humanities, and food and agriculture contextualized to a local community setting. In the culminating capstone course, students apply previous learning to implement an actual community project related to CAFS practice. Drawing upon the community development frameworks (community capitals and appreciative inquiry), and participatory action methodologies, students translate theory into practice. Together, student and community partner develop a mutually beneficial community-based project matching student strengths with community partner needs. This allows them to actualize how to build community capacity, maintain community partnerships, promote principles of good practice, and apply participatory action methodologies to implement a mutually agreed upon community-based project. The reciprocal learning that happens between student and community partner is transformative and serves to strengthen the value of academic-community partnerships. This paper presentation will showcase successful CAFS academic-community partnerships, project examples, and student learning gains around CAFS-framed community development and engagement. Experiential-based curriculum such as this one are relevant to universities interested in cultivating “win-win” academic-community partnerships that result in transformative learning that equips students with practical skills to become community change agents.
