Lucy Bradley

This is an Extension Implementation Project (EIP). Our Program Priority Areas are IPM Implementation in: Agronomic Crops (28%), Communities (40%), Specialty Crops (24%), and Pollinator Health (8%). The person who will be responsible for grant coordination and budget management, and participation in the SERA3 meetings is Dr. Danesha Seth Carley, Director for the NSF Center for IPM and the Administrative contact is Dr. Rich Bonanno, Director of NC State Extension, and Associate Dean College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Through NC Cooperative Extension programs and diverse transdisciplinary team collaboration, we work to sustain and enhance environmental stewardship, reduce economic risks for growers and consumers, and protect human health by applying integrated pest management (IPM) in all suitable situations. Our goal is to increase coordination and improve efficiency of translating IPM research to the scientific community and stakeholders; as well as the residents of NC through extension and outreach programs. By working to synergize efforts and leverage resources, we are better able to promote development and adoption of IPM through collaborative programs and broad-based stakeholder participation. With a strong team of experts and close association with our Evaluation Specialist, we are able to document the value of IPM strategies and programs, and provide comprehensive success stories of IPM integration across NC. Through the outputs and outcomes from this program, NC Extension agents and stakeholders will become more knowledgeable about IPM and develop the skills necessary to implement IPM strategies in Agronomic Crops, Specialty Crops, Pollinator Health, and IPM in the Communities.

ABSTRACT Childcare Outdoor Learning Environments as Active Food Systems: Effectiveness of the Preventing Obesity by Design (POD) Gardening Component Long-term project goals: 1) To improve the health trajectory of Americans by increasing physical activity (PA) and consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables among vulnerable preschoolers attending U.S childcare centers, and 2) To use research findings to further support the Preventing Obesity by Design (POD), gardening component to influence state policy makers with compelling arguments to promote and create hands-on gardening opportunities at more than 120,000 licensed U.S. childcare centers. Supporting objectives 1. Research. Using a waitlist/control group, randomized controlled trial (RCT) research design, assess the impact of the Preventing Obesity by Design (POD) Gardening Component intervention on 300 children, 4-5 years old, enrolled in 15 childcare centers in Wake County, North Carolina. Assess the impact on: a) children������������������s physical activity; b) FV consumption; c) FV liking; and d) FV knowledge. 2. Education. a) Disseminate the POD Education Modules: Gardening Component, created for the North Carolina Community College System, embedded into community college courses (early childhood, culinary arts, movement education, horticulture, landscape design and construction) as defined in the NC Combined Course Library; b) Suggest potential Module adaptations to serve additional community college approved courses; c) Disseminate modules via community college/higher education faculty professional organizations; d) Identify early adopters and provide technical assistance for implementation; e) Transfer modules to organizations replicating POD in South Carolina, Texas (see letters of support), and other states as appropriate. 3. Extension. Disseminate information, tools, and resources to support parents, community leaders, technical assistance providers, extension agents, community college instructors, and public health professionals to implement evidence-based, children������������������s FV gardening and other health-promoting activities to impact childcare outdoor quality at local level. a) Disseminate FV gardening tools developed by the project; b) Develop online resources for delivery via eXtension and other distance/higher education systems, professional and collaborators������������������ networks, Farm-to-Preschool, and related state level and national organizations; c) Train extension agents, technical assistance providers, and early childhood educators to deliver children������������������s FV gardening/micro-farming technical assistance and trainings to create an evidence-based community of practice; d) Offer Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) cooking series activities in Year 4 & Year 5. Need. Preventing obesity from an early age has become a major public health priority in the developed world. Strong evidence supports beneficial effects of various child obesity prevention intervention programs, however, the majority of these programs are targeted to children aged six to 12 years (Waters et al., 2014). The effectiveness of intervention programs for preschool children (four to five years of age) is relatively understudied. Since a large number of preschoolers are enrolled into regulated childcare facilities where they spend a majority of their waking hours, childcare intervention programs are crucial in childhood obesity prevention.

Through North Carolina (NC) Cooperative Extension programs and diverse cross-disciplinary team collaboration, we work to sustain and enhance environmental stewardship, reduce economic risks for growers and consumers, and protect human health by applying integrated pest management (IPM) in all appropriate settings, and to increase coordination and improve efficiency of translating IPM research through extension programming. By working to synergize efforts and leverage resources, we are better able to promote development and adoption of IPM through collaborative programs and broad-based stakeholder participation. With a strong team of experts and close association with our Evaluation Specialist, we are able to document the value of IPM strategies and programs, and demonstrate to our stakeholders that IPM works. Through the outputs and outcomes from this program, NC Extension agents and stakeholders will become more knowledgeable about IPM and develop the skills necessary to implement IPM strategies and build adoption of IPM in Agronomic Crops, Specialty Crops, Communities, and Pollinator Health. To accomplish our goals and address stakeholder needs for the 2017 CPPM-EIP program, we have 3 main objectives which we will tackle as specific program teams. These include 1) To develop and employ Extension Agent Trainings/In-Services to help agents to be effective communicators of IPM tactics, to build confidence in their knowledge of IPM strategies, and to foster high levels of trust and credibility in their local communities in Agronomic crops, Specialty crops, Communities, and/or Aquatic environments; 2) Deliver IPM Information to stakeholders in a variety of North Carolina settings so that through these activities, NC Extension agents and stakeholders will become more knowledgeable about IPM and develop skill sets to be able to implement sound IPM practices; and 3) Offer tools that will improve Pest Monitoring and Pest Forecasting protocols for pests of importance to NC Agronomic and Specialty Crops and enable enhanced searching and output features on the IPM Portal.

North Carolina Farm to Childcare (NCF2C) will build on the existing infrastructure of high quality childcare centers and family childcare homes, Smart Start Local Partnerships, and existing early childhood and food systems efforts to embed locally grown foods into NC childcare. With careful attention to the health disparities caused by racial inequity, and the impact on our most vulnerable children, this initiative will connect childcare centers and family childcare homes, and the communities that they serve with local small- to mid-size farms, prioritizing those owned by limited-resource farmers. This initiative will serve as a catalyst for scaling up system change. Specifically, it will provide farmers with new sources of revenue, foster relationships between communities and farmers, make local food accessible in childcare, offer education that values the cultural heritage of food production, increase preferences for fruits and vegetables, encourage childcare centers to create production gardens, and increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables for children, parents, and caregivers. From a policy perspective, this project will be able to give legs to existing policy recommendations in the state, and tie those recommendations to a federal policy agenda through the Early Care and Education Innovation Collaborative and the Institute of Medicine Roundtable on Obesity Solutions. We will also formalize the NC Farm to Preschool Network������������������s ����������������Reach for the Stars��������������� resource that aligns suggested farm-to-preschool activities with the NC Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) and other outdoor learning environment quality enhancement tools. We will develop and evaluate Models of Best Practice that integrate experiential opportunities, classroom learning, and strategies to integrate local food in meals and related curricula. We will develop and evaluate procurement models in three regions of the state working with low-income childcare centers and migrant labor head start programs that utilize the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). By utilizing strong, well-established partner programs, we will provide training and develop resources for families, teachers, farmers, childcare directors and other staff, food service personnel, food system actors, community members, state agency personnel, and others. Engagement of cooperative extension (CE) and other networks, including Local Food Policy Councils, guarantees systemic and long-lasting change with statewide reach. The focus will be those children most vulnerable to disparities due to structural racism. We will devise and implement adaptable collaboration approaches for use at the local level based on an understanding of structural racism and how it intersects with outcomes in young children������������������s learning in the community ������������������ linguistically, culturally, and socially. Finally, we will develop a strategic communication plan that integrates the above components and allows for high impact and visibility.

Working with a diverse group of private, non-profit and educational organizations and institutions with direct contact with consumers, it is proposed that NIFA facilitate the development of a strategic research, education and extension plan for consumer horticulture. According to the latest statistics from the National Gardening Association, there are 40 million households in the U.S. that self-identify as gardeners. There are also over 3 million community gardens in the U.S. Although many of these stakeholders interact with Extension on a daily basis through the Extension Master Gardener program, they do not realize how they are connected to the agricultural knowledge system. The challenges of raising plants on scales smaller than what is normally encountered in commercial horticulture are unique, but have not been adequately described. The purpose of this proposal is to provide resources to catalyze the development of a strategic plan that prioritizes the needs of the consumer horticulture sector so that those needs can be addressed through competitive and base funding programs. The process will result in a document detailing prioritized goals and strategies for addressing challenges faced in consumer horticulture. It will also result in an organization that will insure that the plan remain current and relevant into the future. With potentially tens of millions of stakeholders, the development of this plan will serve to connect NIFA with a client group not currently closely associated with NIFA goals and achievements.

Protecting and enhancing abundant safe water supplies are among the highest priority environmental issues in North Carolina and the Southern Region. The North Carolina State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (NCSU CALS), including the Cooperative Extension Service, is well-positioned to provide leadership for research and educational programs to meet the needs of homeowners, farmers, businesses, local officials, and government agencies to improve water protection practices. NCSU CALS is committed to working with other Universities, including North Carolina A&T State University and colleagues throughout the Southern Region, to accomplish multi-institutional objectives in water resource protection. The objectives of this project are to: 1. Provide leadership for capacity development and partnerships in North Carolina, the Southern Region, and nation to implement effective integrated water educational and research programs; 2. Provide co-leadership for the Watershed Education and Restoration Program Team in the Southern Region; 3. Provide co-leadership for the Nutrient Management Program Team in the Southern Region; 4. Represent the Southern Region on the CSREES Committee for Shared Leadership at the request of the National Program Leader for Water Resources; and 5. Provide leadership for planning and conducting the annual CSREES National Water Conference for the purpose of sharing water knowledge and strengthening regional and national networks of researchers, educators, and extension professionals.