Browse Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication Stories

147 results found for Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication
Food insecurity, indicated by a lack of consistent access to nutritious foods, continues to affect Georgia families and poses unique obstacles to charitable food assistance programs trying to address the need. CAES News
Georgia Hunger Study
Food insecurity, indicated by a lack of consistent access to nutritious foods, continues to affect Georgia families and poses unique obstacles to charitable food assistance programs trying to address the need. The 2023 Georgia Hunger Study, conducted by an interdisciplinary team of University of Georgia researchers in collaboration with the Georgia Department of Human Services and Feeding Georgia, found that 79% of households utilizing charitable food agencies reported experiencing food insecurity.
03 20 2024 Farm Stress Summit Allisen Penn and panel 048 CAES News
2024 Farm Stress Summit
As Georgia’s No. 1 industry, agriculture pumps billions of dollars into the state’s economy each year. While headlines often highlight Georgia’s commodities — peanuts, blueberries, poultry and more — one aspect of agriculture is often not discussed, the farmers themselves. At the 2024 Farm Stress Summit, held at the Chattahoochee Technical College Jasper campus, a few critical points were woven throughout each of the day’s sessions: The people are the most important part of Georgia’s agricultural industry, and the state needs to come together to help farmers and promote agricultural education and awareness.  
A recent CAES study shows that consumers want retailers to provide basic information about the environmental impacts of local food when purchasing food online. CAES News
Environmental Impact of Food
Two recently published studies by University of Georgia researchers show that the consumers surveyed believe buying local is a more sustainable option, but they also value the convenience of online shopping and prefer that retailers provide basic information about the environmental impact of local products in the digital marketplace. Driven by increasing consumer interest in buying local and concerns about the impact of agricultural production systems on a changing climate, the studies were based on data from a web-based survey about consumer interest in sustainability, information about food production and online marketing preferences.
Exterior of the Administration Building front entrance on a blue sky spring day. CAES News
Presidential Interdisciplinary Seed Grants
Ten university-wide projects devoted to advancing interdisciplinary research across multiple application areas have been awarded Presidential Interdisciplinary Seed Grants as part of the 2023 cohort. The Presidential Interdisciplinary Seed Grant Program was launched in 2017 and offered again in 2019 and 2021 through a partnership between the offices of Research and Public Service and Outreach. These 10 awards were chosen from 70 proposals and reflect a commitment of $1 million from UGA President Jere W. Morehead.
Students walk from Conner Hall on Cedar Street in 1956. (Photo courtesy of Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library/University of Georgia Libraries) CAES News
Science and Ag Hill
The face of Ag Hill is changing, with millions of dollars in capital improvements and new facilities in the works, and both the University of Georgia and the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences are committed to supporting the mission and the tradition the hill represents. Now known as Science and Ag Hill to recognize the location as a hub for a variety of related disciplines on South Campus — including agricultural, poultry and food sciences as well as chemistry, biology, physics, statistics, geography and geology — the area holds both academic and historic significance.
Students in the State Botanical Garden’s Learning by Leading program install a pollinator garden at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel. (Photo by Jaime DeRevere) CAES News
Learning by Leading
Learning by Leading at the University of Georgia is a hands-on program developed for the botanical garden to increase leadership skills through a comprehensive experiential learning program. Students progress through a leadership ladder, gaining technical, human and conceptual skills while working alongside staff mentors at the State Botanical Garden. James Anderson of the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication led a six-series leadership training for staff mentors during the 2018-19 academic year.
From forces of nature to inflation, stressors have an outsized impact on farmers and their families. CAES News
Farm Stress
Farmers are tough. They work long days at physically demanding, often dangerous work and rarely get a break, much less a vacation. Months of hard work can be wiped out with a few days of bad weather, and they battle nature at every turn, from drought and floods to weeds and insects. Farmers and ranchers rank high on the list of most stressful professions and farmer suicide rates are higher than the overall population of workers.
Anna Scheyett CAES News
Rural Stress Podcast
Explore the heart of rural Georgia in this episode as we discuss the intersection of social work, agriculture and mental well-being with Anna Scheyett, professor in the CAES Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (ALEC) and former dean at the University of Georgia's School of Social Work. Anna shares how she is building more robust networks to dismantle mental health stigmas, advocate for farmers' health and mental well-being, and highlight the statewide work being done to promote resilience and build support in the communities that provide our food, fuel and fiber.
UGA Extension and its statewide partners will host a series of listening forums and discussion sessions throughout Georgia to give farming communities a platform to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health support. The inaugural listening session was held at Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie, Georgia, this week. (Photo by Sean Montgomery) CAES News
Farmer Mental Health
It is no secret that the success of Georgia’s No. 1 industry rests in the hands of one key group: farmers. But across generations of farmers who have passed down land and trades to their children, the pressure and stress that comes with carrying on the strong agricultural legacy continue to mount — so much so that it has reached crisis level.
CAES students are empowered to explore international career options during a photography and horticulture study abroad experience in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. CAES News
Flowers and Photography
Led by University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences faculty Julie Campbell and Jessica Holt, the Flowers and Photography study abroad program empowers students to see career opportunities beyond the classroom. “Our hope for this program is that students gain cultural experiences, practical skills and valuable knowledge that will help them better understand the value of horticulture to culture and society,” said Campbell.