Capacity Building Grants for Non‐Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture Program (USDA)

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (11) ◽  
pp. 4-4
Keyword(s):  
Capacity Building ◽  
Land Grant ◽  
Colleges Of Agriculture

The Future of Land Grant Universities and Their Colleges of Agriculture

jpa ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Massengale
Keyword(s):  
Land Grant ◽  
Land Grant Universities ◽  
The Future ◽  
Colleges Of Agriculture

Rural Sociology

Sociology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Garcia ◽  
Linda Lobao
Keyword(s):  
Rural Poverty ◽  
Institutional Development ◽  
The United States ◽  
Rural Sociology ◽  
Land Grant ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Sociological Research ◽  
Land Grant Universities ◽  
Colleges Of Agriculture ◽  
Sociology Departments

Rural sociology is a unique area of sociological inquiry. Its institutional development leaves it perhaps the most independent of all sociological subfields. Rural sociology in the United States emerged in the early 20th century when federal funding was earmarked to the land grant universities (public universities) to study and assist the farm population. Separate “rural” sociology departments appeared gradually within colleges of agriculture that paralleled the substantive areas found in general sociology departments. Thus, one finds in rural sociology a replication of many core areas in general sociology but with a rural twist—inequality, demography, work/labor markets, race/ethnicity, gender, community, and so forth. Over time, additional rural-oriented specialty areas emerged, notably the sociology of agriculture and natural resource/environmental sociology. Rural sociology has also expanded globally. As a consequence, the substantive scope of contemporary research is large and varied. What knits the work together is a focus on the geographic periphery, that is, the places, populations, and forms of social activity found in rural areas globally which has provided boundary and meaning to the field. In addition to its broad substantive scope, rural sociology is characterized by a distinct research approach. Research tends to be comparative: rural places and populations are often set in contrast with regard to their urban counterparts to ascertain similarities and differences. In this way, rural sociological research is often said to challenge the urban bias of general sociology. Disciplinary practice is also distinct. While there are few departments with rural sociology in their name today, courses and specializations in the field are found across many land grant universities. There is a long tradition of cross-disciplinary linkages particularly with agricultural economics, the environmental sciences, and more recently geography. Rural sociologists have been highly active in federal, state, and local public policy circles and in public sociology efforts that contribute to community development, sustainable agricultural and food systems, and social and environmental justice. In terms of work in the profession, rural sociologists also work outside of colleges of agriculture, within government agencies, international development agencies, and across governmental and non-governmental institutions. Although rural populations will continue to decline globally, there is reason to think that rural sociology will have broad influence in the future because the research areas it encompasses are of growing interest to social scientists, policymakers, and the public at large. Issues addressed by rural sociologists pertaining to the sustainability of the food system, climate/environmental change, and rural poverty are among the most pressing public concerns today.

Income attainment among land-grant colleges of agriculture alumni

1992 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 200-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew A Zekeri
Keyword(s):  
Land Grant ◽  
Colleges Of Agriculture

scholarly journals 1041 DESIGNING THE NEW LAND GRANT UNIVERSITY

HortScience ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 577e-577
Author(s):  
James H. Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Population Pressure ◽  
Environmental Concerns ◽  
Land Grant ◽  
Land Grant University ◽  
Creative Learning ◽  
Colleges Of Agriculture ◽  
The Status ◽  
Agricultural Industries

Massive changes occurring in the agricultural industries and expanding societal interests in environmental quality, food safety, competition for natural resources, along with population pressure, are making it `evident Land Grant colleges of agriculture (LGCAs) must reorganize to address a broader interface of both agriculture-related issues and issues relevant to society in general. A reduced focus on agriculture as such must be anticipated, with more emphasis directed toward life sciences, food quality, environmental concerns, and rural-urban interfaces. Since their establishment in 1862, LGCAs have helped U.S. farmers improve production so much that the numbers of people needed in agricultural sector have plummeted, leaving the status and future of these colleges uneasy. Although the original LGCA model was appropriate for its time, the modern environment at scientific and agricultural universities calls for a new model. To achieve renewal, one must change mindset, revise the mission, provide creative, learning leaders and chart the course for evolution of revitalized institutions.

The mission of land grant colleges of agriculture

2003 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert L. Zimdahl
Keyword(s):  
Public Perception ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Leadership Role ◽  
Land Grant ◽  
Agricultural Community ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
Practical Education ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Colleges Of Agriculture ◽  
Post Industrial

AbstractThis paper examines what land grant colleges of agriculture were designed to be and do and, using their published mission statements, discusses what they now claim to be and do. Teaching ‘such branches of learning as are related to the agriculture and the mechanic arts’ and ‘to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes’ is what land grant colleges were designed to do; it is the land grant mission. The paper asks whether these things are what land grant colleges of agriculture do now. The original mission has been amended with new challenges that must be met in a time of declining public support for higher education, societal distrust of science and a negative public perception of agricultural technology, in a culture that wants cheap food. The agricultural community, including colleges of agriculture, has been slow to accept the challenges and opportunities inherent in the questions agriculture now faces. Agriculture remains an essential human activity in our post-industrial, information-age society. Colleges of agriculture are in trouble, and this paper suggests that the sensible thing to do may be to turn away from self-interest in survival to take a leadership role with emphasis on the obligations of service and humanism.

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