L&D - Clientele relationship, R for data science, stats resources, foreign engagement

ANR LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT  
Landing page | Webinar Recordings| Learning Resources

Do you have a webinar to present in any of these four learning strategies?
Let us know by filling out this interest form!

Extension Methods & Delivery
Building Support
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Office, Team, & Personal Management

Cocreating Value through Customer Relationship Management: A Basic Overview of Social CRM. (Extension Skills – Connect Extension)
Sept. 8, 2022
12–1 p.m. PDT 

Click here to read more and register.
Are you tired of using spreadsheets to keep track of your clients? Do you wish that you could find an easier way to manage your contacts, send targeted communications, create social media content, integrate event registration, and better understand the lifecycle of engagement with your audience? Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems afford the opportunity to easily integrate this critical infrastructure under one roof. In this Extension Skills session, we will go over the key features of CRM systems and look at real-world applications of how these systems can play a role in helping Cooperative Extension professionals cocreate value between their programs and their clients and improve customer service experiences.

Gateway to Innovation (Impact Collaborative Extension Foundation - Virtual)
Sept. 13 & 20, 2022
11 a.m.-1 p.m. PDT 

Click here to read more and register.
This two-session series will focus on increasing innovative practices in your life and work. The first session is unleashing the innovator within you through examples, self-reflection, tools, techniques and discussion. The second session expands your learning into ways to innovate in the "real world” with additional tools, reflection and examples.

Dynamic Discussions 
Sept. 22, 2022
11 a.m.-12 p.m. PDT

Click here to read more and register. 
Each fourth Thursday of the month, the Impact Collaborative will host professionals from across Cooperative Extension and beyond to address hot topics of interest to Cooperative Extension. Each month, we will update the information below for what the Dynamic Discussion for the month will be! 

Program Center Stage  
Sept. 26, 2022
12-1 p.m. PDT

Click here to read more and register. 
The Program Center Stage will highlight programs from across the system including current and past new technologies from ag extension projects, Impact Collaborative projects, national programs like EXCITE, and more on the fourth Monday of each month at 11 a.m. PT. We will update the information for which program we will be putting center stage each month!

Learning R (LinkedIn Learning) 

Click here to read more.  
If you want to participate in the data revolution, you need the right tools and skills. R is a free, open-source language for data science that is among the most popular platforms for professional analysts. Learn the basics of R and get started finding insights from your own data in this course with professor and data scientist Barton Poulson. For your LinkedIn Learning account, contact ANR IT at help@ucanr.edu. 

Spring ANR Stats Workshop – recordings and tools available

The public version (Canvas) of our Spring 2022 Stats Workshop. This read-only Canvas page houses recordings from our course as well as other resources which provided a refresh and update statistical skills for CE Advisors and other UC ANR researchers. Topics include:

• The theory and application of basic statistical tests, including ANOVA, GLMs, mixed models,and regression 
• What to do when the normal assumptions for statistical tests have not been met 
• Newish methods like mixed models and bootstrapping that take advantage of modern computing power, which may not have been available when you took that undergraduate statistics class 25 years ago 
• What you need to know when designing experiments and planning data collection 
• How to use the extremely popular and powerful statistical programming language R
  

In Case You Missed IT  (ICYMI)
Qualitative Research and Data Analysis in Program Evaluation

August 11 focused on “Qualitative Research and Data Analysis in Program Evaluation” led by Paulina Velez. We learned about misconceptions in qualitative research and even had an introduction to coding on qualitative data! Here is a list of tools/resources that were discussed, as well as future workshops to register for today!

Tools/Resources:

• The Essential Guide to Coding Qualitative Data; 
• Coding Conversation Template; 
• Paulina's email: paulinavelez@extension.org;  
• A link to the recording is available here; 
• A link to the slide deck is available here

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Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

 

 

Foreign Engagement: Disclosures to ANR and Research Sponsors 
Sept. 28, 2022 
9:30 -10:30 a.m.

Information and guidance on how to comply with UC, ANR, and federal grant policies in areas related to foreign engagement. Presenter is Kathleen Nolan.

Zoom webinar: https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/751701428?pwd=Q1ZrbUtoQVJwMXJVRkQydUlwNytJQT0 
Password: 4Learning |?+1 669 900 6833 | Webinar ID: 751 701 428

Open Forum/Questions for Office of Contracts and Grants 
Oct. 26, 2022 
9:30-10:30 a.m.

The world of contracts and grants can sometimes seem complicated. Let us help you alleviate your concerns. Please join our team for an open forum to answer your most compelling questions. If possible, please send us questions in advance (not required) for an informative discussion. Presenters are Kathleen Nolan, Kim Lamar and Office of Contracts and Grants Team. Email questions to kdlamar@ucanr.edu 

Zoom webinar: https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/751701428?pwd=Q1ZrbUtoQVJwMXJVRkQydUlwNytJQT0
Password: 4Learning | +1 669 900 6833 | Webinar ID: 751 701 428

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Hispanic Heritage Month 2022
Sept. 21, 2022
Noon-1:30 p.m.

We start Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with a kick!

Click here to register.
On Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022, from 12 to 1:30 p.m.. The UC ANR Latinx & Friends Affinity Group will have its first meeting, and everyone is invited. What is an affinity group? Click here to learn about it.

From 12 to 12:45 p.m., come and learn about our plans, goals and dreams. Our one safe space to share our cultural identities. Whether it is a discussion in Spanish of the book of the month or showcasing the most important and unique places of your country of origin, we will start creating solid bonds. Be part of the committees and share your ideas with all of us. This is our stage to showcase and educate our peers about who we are and what makes us unique.

Then, from 12:45 to 1:30 PM, we will show "First Time Home," a short film created by American children of Triqui farmworkers. It offers an unscripted, authentic glimpse into life for farmworker families and why people choose to sacrifice their lives in Mexico for opportunity up North. A Q&A will follow the short film with the film creators.

Culturally Inclusive Language (UC Davis, Virtual)
Nov. 17, 2022 
8:30 a.m.-noon

Click here to read more and register. 
Language plays an important role in determining how well members of our community feel respected and included. It is important to choose what we say, whether that be verbally, non-verbally, or over e-mail, to ensure that we are communicating mutual respect and understanding for the diverse perspectives and backgrounds in our community.?This session includes an exploration of how the pandemic has impacted this area of DEI.

Becoming an Inclusive Leader: Cultural Intelligence - Because Not Everyone Sees the World Through the Same Cultural Lens (UC Davis Organizational Excellence, Virtual)
Sept. 14, 2022 
1–2 p.m.

Click here to register
Inclusive leaders are confident and effective in cross-cultural interactions. They see the benefit of learning about different cultures, seek relevant knowledge to operate cross culturally, and embrace any necessary adaptations. In this session, you will examine what cultural intelligence means in your environment and how you can gain both the knowledge and adaptability to lead effectively. Please join us virtually for the sessions your schedule allows as your participation is valued. To learn more about the series, view previous slides and recordings, and sign up for other sessions click on this link. If you have any questions, email the Organizational Excellence team at oeconnect@ucdavis.edu.

UC Managing Implicit Bias Series (UC Learning Center – click on links below to access each module)

The UC Managing Implicit Bias Series is a six-course eLearning series designed to increase awareness of implicit bias and reduce its impact at the university. The series reinforces the UC diversity, equity and inclusion values that enable the university to attract and retain a top talent workforce, and it further supports the UC commitment to developing effective leaders and managers of people. It is intended to supplement existing location programs and resources.

• Common Forms of Bias
• The Impact of Implicit Bias
• Managing Implicit Bias in the Hiring Process
• Managing the Influence of Implicit Bias: Awareness 
• Managing the Influence of Implicit Bias: Mindfulness and Conscious De-biasing
• What is Implicit Bias?

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 Skills Development Certificate Series (UC Davis - Virtual) 
Check out the Fall 2022 schedule!  
Click here to read more and register.

Through a combination of lecture and skill-building exercises, each session in the series focuses on a key component of analytical skill development. Develop core analytical abilities and learn how to manage analytical work assignments using the techniques covered in the Analytical Skills Development series. Note: Participants are expected to attend all five sessions in the series.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness: Do's, Updates and an October 31 Deadline (Connect Extension) 
Sept. 8 
10–11 a.m. PDT

Click here to read more and click here to register. 
This webinar is to provide reliable information to Extension personnel to use for themselves or to take back for their communities on the criteria to qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Most, if not all Extension personnel are government employees and therefore could themselves qualify for student loan forgiveness and could take advantage of the benefits.

Navigating Your ANR LinkedIn Learning Account
Sept. 15, 2022 
Noon-12:30 PM

Join our LinkedIn Learning relations team, which will guide you on content and navigation including:

• Home page overview – how to get the most out of the home page user interface and how it relates to LinkedIn 
• Finding and accessing content – course player overview and demonstration of course functionality 
• Learning history – how to access your personal learning history 
• Q&A
  

Zoom Meeting: https://linkedin.zoom.us/j/93883814323?pwd=aHo5Zzc1SWpNb3ExbjBPWlIrUmFKUT09&from=addon | Meeting ID: 938 8381 4323 | Password: 010970 

PowerPoint: Eight Easy Ways to Make Your Presentation Stand Out (LinkedIn Learning) 
Click here to read more. 
Making your PowerPoint slides more polished and engaging is easier than you think. In this short course, presentation guru Jole Simmons shares some helpful tricks to take your PowerPoint game to a new level. First, Jole teaches how to take both the presenter and the audience into account in your design approach. Next, learn to identify the main points of the story you're trying to tell in PowerPoint. Find out how to go the extra mile in making design calls. Explore some ways to convey your information without forcing everybody to read what's on the slide. For your LinkedIn Learning account, contact ANR IT at help@ucanr.edu

Welcome to Connect Extension - A resource for Cooperative Extension Professionals

As a UC ANR employee, you are a member of the Extension Foundation, whose mission is to help Cooperative Extension generate a more visible, measurable, local impact. They achieve this through nationally funded programs made possible by member dollars (yes, UC ANR dollars, too) and cooperative agreements with federal agencies, and through partnering on state, regional and national initiatives with Cooperative Extension and the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP). 
 
You can explore your member benefits including professional development through the Impact Collaborative, Leadership Development and Member Solutions on their website under "Member Services." You can also join Connect Extension to stay up-to-date with the foundation and its member offerings and connect with other Cooperative Extension professionals nationally. Learn more about all Extension Foundation programs, tools and services at extension.org/start. 

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Everyone can learn something new.

ANR Learning & Development
Find webinar announcements and recordings here.

 

Banner with text "Office & Team Management"

Banner with text "Office & Team Management"

Banner with text "Extension and Delivery"

Banner with text "Extension and Delivery"

Nominations open for DEI Advisory Council until July 11

Nominations are being accepted until noon on July 11 to fill two vacancies on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Advisory Council.

Earlier this year, Vice President Glenda Humiston convened the DEI Advisory Council to support efforts that UC ANR staff and academics have undertaken to improve quality of life for marginalized populations living in California. Diversity is one of our core values and developing an equitable and inclusive society is one of our public values.

Nominate yourself, a colleague, a direct report or other UC ANR staff or academic member. 

Prior to completing the nomination, please confirm the nominee's interest in participating in the Council. Review member expectations and the Council's Mission Statement and Vision at https://ucanr.edu/sites/PSU/files/358281.pdf.

Membership criteria:

• Experience and/or interest in advocating for change and moving forward DEI work.  
• Experience and/or interest in navigating/negotiating for organizational change in UC ANR.  
• Membership aims to represent the diversity of the UC ANR community and state of California, specifically including representation of marginalized racial, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation and ability groups.  
• Membership includes a mix of staff and academics, represents a cross-section of UC ANR offices and programs, and geographical distribution (north/south, urban/rural).  

For more information, contact Keith Nathaniel at kcnathaniel@ucanr.edu or Jairo Diaz at jdiazr@ucanr.edu.

Learning & Development: Impact Collaborative, copyright, eXtension resources, DEI, change management

 

 

 

 

 

ANR Learning & Development
Home | Webinar Recordings

Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay __________________________________________________________________________________________________
Do you have a learning topic you would like to present to our ANR colleagues that covers the ANR Strategic Plan 2020-25 or one of these four strategic learning goals?  Submit your webinar idea here. __________________________________________________________________________________________________

Check below for upcoming opportunities, ICYMI (in case you missed it) recordings, and resources.

Extension Methods & Delivery
Building Support
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Office, Team and Personal Management

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EXTENSION METHODS & DELIVERY
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Impact Collaborative Summit

Jan. 18, 19 & 20, 2022
9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Pacific Time
Click here to read more and register. Registration deadline: Jan. 5, 2022

The January 2022 Summit will focus on Community Resilience. Teams from Extension Foundation member institutions and special guests will:

1. Learn the value of integrating community resilience into planning for collective action.
2. Examine existing power structures, formal and informal social infrastructures through an equity lens.
3. Increase their ability to position Cooperative Extension as an organization that can inform and facilitate the development of community-level policy systems and environmental change resulting in expanded community capacity and greater resilience

Using Extension Foundation Tools (eXtension Foundation)

• Connect Extension Basic Settings (video); Introduction to the platform; Presented by Aaron Weibe, Communications & Engagement Manager, Extension Foundation
• Extension Foundation Public Demo (video); Demo of an Extension Foundation publication and how to navigate it. With Ashley Griffin, Program Manager, Extension Foundation.
• National Registry Demo (video); A demo on how to use the National Registry of Cooperative Extension Programs and Assets. Utilize this tool to register projects, programs, or curriculum to the registry for nationwide collaboration among Cooperative Extension colleagues; Presented by Aaron Weibe.
• Mural Virtual Whiteboarding Tutorial (video 3:11). Learn how to get started with Mural, apply for a Mural account, discounted prices, and getting support for Mural; Molly Immendorf, Design Strategist, Extension Foundation.

Telling Your Extension Story (recording) (eXtension Foundation)

If you tell a strong story, people want to help you and support you. Telling Your Extension Story, writing like your life depends on it, is a presentation from USDA communications director, Faith Peppers at the 2021 Impact Collaborative.

Collaborative Design in Extension: Using a modified game jam to explore game-based learning (eXtension Foundation) (Link to publication)

Educational games can be an innovative way for Extension educators to teach content to any given audience. While many in Extension have an interest and passion for using and designing games, the process may seem intimidating to Extension professionals, especially those without experience in game design. This eFieldbook offers an alternative to full game design, in which game developers, content experts, and Extension educators collaborate to design a game prototype. This modified game jam process is budget-friendly and can be completed in a few weeks.

ePubs: Database available for all Cooperative Extension professionals (Connect Extension)

Click here to learn more.
This is a database available for all Cooperative Extension professionals that contains subject matter content or programming process model publications developed by the Extension Foundation and project/program fellows.

Examples of available ePublications:
Wellness in Tough Times Toolkit
The Google Earth Pro Pilot A Model for Creating Innovative Extension Curriculum
Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery: Creating a Virtual Conference for Low-Resourced Communities

Video Resources Library (Connect Extension)

Click here to learn more.
This is a database available for all Cooperative Extension professionals from Extension Foundation Member Institutions that contains video resources on a variety of subjects including the Impact Collaborative Innovation Skill-Building blocks, Leadership resources, and technical tutorials. Examples of videos:

Keynote Speaker: Telling Your Extension Story with Faith Peppers
Keynote Speaker: Oh the Places You'll Go with Krystal Allen
Keynote Speaker: Overlooked People and Places, the Hope of a Nation with Nick Smoot

Delivering Online Courses (Connect Extension Resource)

Click here to learn more.
The Extension Foundation offers employees of its member institutions the free use of its online course system for the sale and delivery of courses to their clientele. This happens through a package of two integrated sites, Campus (a Moodle 3.11+ platform) and Catalog, a store front facilitating fee-based access to courses on Campus. Why use it?

• Anyone in the world can enroll
• Extension Foundation provides hosting and support
• Makes courses available 24/7/365
• Provides a single site for all Extension Foundation courses
• Allows for multi-institutional collaboration in development
• Provides incorporation of competency frameworks
• Uses a commercial storefront for sale of fee-based courses

Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

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BUILDING SUPPORT
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If it's free, can I use it?
Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022
Noon – 12:30 p.m.

Do you appreciate using external sources for images and videos to add to your presentations, online classes, workshops? Great! Many of us do. However, it is also important to use them according to their licensing and credit requirements. Otherwise, you may be infringing on copyright. Join Cynthia Kintigh and Robin Sanchez to learn best practices.

Click this Zoom link to join https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/751701428?pwd=Q1ZrbUtoQVJwMXJVRkQydUlwNytJQT09 Password: 4Learning | +1 669 900 6833 | Webinar ID: 751 701 428

SAVE THE DATE: Donor Stewardship
Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022
Noon-1 p.m.

Our presenters will be Emily Delk, Kelly Scott and Mary Ciricillo.
Description and Zoom access coming soon!

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

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DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION

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Save the Date! Growing as a Community (Office of Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, UC Davis)
Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022
Noon - 1:30 p.m.

Join us on Thursday, Jan. 20, from 12 - 1:30 p.m. PST for our 90-minute webinar, Growing as a Community: Racism as a Public Health Crisis. We will be featuring a special short screening of Cooked: Survival by Zip Code followed by a discussion and audience Q&A with special guests who are part of a national movement to address the colliding crises of structural racism, health inequity, and climate change. For more information about the film, please go to www.cookedthefilm.com.
Registration information will be ready in early January.

Perspectives: Culturally responsive place-based education series
Feb. 3, March 3, April 7, May 5 (first event took place Dec. 2, 2021)
3:30 – 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time

Click here to learn more and to register.
The Michigan State University Extension Tollgate Farm and Education Center is hosting a virtual professional development panel discussion series for formal and non-formal educators about learning to better incorporate the perspectives of those with whom we work in schools and educational programs. Moderators and panelists from each community provide a chance for educators to deepen their teaching practice in a safe online space for open conversation and community. SCHECHs are available for teachers.

Perspectives: Culturally Responsive Place-Based Education began Nov. 4, 2021, with a session on indigenous perspectives & experiences of maple sugaring especially as they connect to schools and place-based education centers.

Dec. 2 - Incorporating Black Perspectives in Place-Based Teaching and Learning
Feb. 3 - Special Needs Perspectives and PBE In and Beyond the Classroom
March 3 - Engaging with LGTBQ+IA Communities in PBE in Formal and Non-Formal Settings
April 7 - A Latinx Lens: Incorporating Latinx Perspectives through Place-Based Educational Programming
May 5 -Incorporating Asian Principles, Practices, People in Community, & Place-Based Learning

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

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OFFICE, TEAM & PERSONAL MANAGEMENT

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Change Management for Managers and Supervisors (Virtual-UC Davis)
Jan. 12, 2022
12:30-4:30 p.m.

 

Click here for more information/registration.
Managers are critical to change success, however, they sometimes underestimate their role or are unsure how to fulfill it. Change Management for Managers and Supervisors provides people managers with the tools and skills necessary to understand and process change themselves while proactively leading their teams through change. In this program, participants will:

• Gain an appreciation for the impact of change management on organizational results.
• Understand foundational aspects of change management and the critical role managers play in the change process.
• Learn a practical framework for planning for the many organizational changes that impact them and their teams.
• Understand how to plan for and manage resistance to change.

Need a facilitator for your next meeting?

Do you need a facilitator for an upcoming meeting? Internal employee meeting? Meeting with clientele? Please check out this webpage to find someone. What a facilitator does:

• Helps a group free itself from internal obstacles so they may more effectively accomplish goals
• Guides the group helping them identify ways to respond to challenges, while maintaining safety and trust among the members
• Brings processes to help the team achieve its mission

Also, if you are trained in facilitation, experienced and interested in serving as a facilitator for other ANR units or even our ANR partners, please fill out this survey to be added to the ANR Facilitator webpage.

Leadership - It's all about everyone
By Scott Reed, Vice Provost Emeritus, Outreach and Engagement, Oregon State University

Click here to read more.
Essayist William Gibson recently reminded us, “The future is here. It's just not widely distributed yet.” The same sentiment is reflected by the Institute for the Future in discussions of leadership in a world characterized by explosive connectivity and disruption and describes literacies for leading in a “VUCA” world: Volatile/Uncertain/Complex/Ambiguous. The Institute further observes that in the next ten years, leadership will be more distributed and that rock star leaders will be rarer.

How To Build a Fearless Organization (Harvard Business School – Working Knowledge)
By Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management

“Psychological safety at work takes effort. It's not the norm. But it's worth the effort,” says Professor Amy Edmondson. She explains how and why a culture of open candor — and the willingness and courage to speak up — is a strategic asset and can be developed in companies of all sizes, in her new book The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth.

“These are not things that happen routinely in most organizations, but they are mission critical to doing well in a complex, fast changing world,” she says. In our Q&A, we asked her guidance for managers and leaders. Click here to read more.

Managing Your Well-Being as a Leader (LinkedIn Learning)
Course link

Research shows that today's leaders are suffering from poor well-being and mental health issues more so than ever before. Too often, they put the needs of the business or their team before their own needs. But, much like airline pre-flight instructions to “put your oxygen mask on first, before helping others,” leaders need to take a similar approach by managing their own well-being first. By doing so, they can become role models for their employees and build stronger team relationships that lead to better health and productivity outcomes. In this course, New York Times bestselling author, researcher and workplace expert Dan Schawbel gives leaders the inspiration, advice, and real-world examples to guide them on their journey to better well-being.

Request your LinkedIn Learning account by contacting ANR's IT Team at help@ucanr.edu.

Developing Your Data Analysis Skills (LinkedIn Learning)

(Course learning path link)
Explore the practice of data analysis. Learn about the process of applying statistical and graphical techniques to data in order to discover useful information. Identify underlying principles, reasons, or facts by breaking down information or data into separate parts.

Request your LinkedIn Learning account by contacting ANR's IT Team @ help@ucanr.edu.

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

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Everyone can learn something new.
ANR Learning & Development
Find webinar announcements and recordings here.
learninganddevelopment@ucanr.edu

Farmers of color share their contributions, concerns in UC SAREP webinar series

When agricultural advisors came to the Cochiti Pueblo in New Mexico during the 1940s, they lined the irrigation ditches with concrete, in the name of boosting efficiency and productivity. But in single-mindedly focusing on water delivery, they neglected to consider how the previously inefficient seepage sustained nearby fruit trees. 

Their actions, as well-intentioned as they might have been, disrupted the local ecosystem and killed the trees that had fed many generations, according to A-dae Romero-Briones, who identifies as Cochiti and as a member of the Kiowa Tribe.

“In my language, we call the extension agents ‘the people who kill the fruit trees,'” said Romero-Briones, director of the Food and Agriculture Program for the First Nations Development Institute, a nonprofit that serves Tribal communities across the mainland, Alaska and Hawaii.

The historically tense relationship between Indigenous peoples and government-affiliated programs is one of the many complex dynamics discussed in a six-part webinar series, “Racial Equity in Extension,” facilitated by UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program.

“As extension professionals, we really need to know about the people we want to work with – what are their worldviews and what's the knowledge base that shapes their decisions,” said Sonja Brodt, associate director of UC SAREP, a program of University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. “And this is especially important to pay attention to when those people are from cultures or segments of society that have a history of being marginalized or oppressed by mainstream society, and because their significant knowledge has often been made invisible.”

Making communities of color in the agricultural sector more visible is a priority for Victor Hernandez, a sociologist and outreach coordinator for the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service. Hernandez, who has organized “Growing Together” conferences for Latino and Black farmers, is trying to get more farmers of color to participate in the upcoming 2022 Agricultural Census.

“If we cannot quantify the demographic, we cannot justify the need,” emphasized Hernandez, explaining that his office uses the data to direct resources that advance equity in service, program delivery and distribution of funds.

A legacy of mistrust

At the same time, however, Hernandez also acknowledged the challenges in registering growers of color for the census, conducted by the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. (According to Brodt, USDA's most recent agricultural census, dating to 2017, counts approximately 25,000 producers of color among 128,535 total producers in California.)

“Many of us that are considered socially disadvantaged or historically underserved…a lot of times our peoples come from [nations with] oppressive governments,” Hernandez said. “And so when you come to the United States and you begin to build your life here, to go and engage with the federal government is not the first knee-jerk reaction.”

On top of government mistrust and fears of deportation or detention, other immigrant groups have seen mainstream agriculture – borne by the “Green Revolution” wave across the globe – replace deep-rooted cultural practices, said Kristyn Leach of Namu Farm in Winters.

“It just makes these small farmers distrust our own knowledge, the knowledge that's existed for centuries – before the kind of current iteration of agriculture that we're situated within right now,” said Leach, who works to preserve the agricultural heritage of her Korean ancestors, and facilitates a farmers' collaborative called Second Generation that adapts Asian crop varieties to climate change.

According to Romero-Briones, a collective memory of supplanted culture also lingers in Indigenous communities. In the Cochiti Pueblo, “primarily a subsistence agriculture community” with a long history of corn cultivation, their practices are distinct from those in the mainstream – including regenerative and sustainable agriculture.

“These practices are not really rooted in Indigenous agriculture,” she explained. “They're actually meant to displace Indigenous agriculture and food systems.”

Building relationships takes commitment

Given that legacy of cultural displacement and appropriation, how do extension professionals and other agricultural advisors slowly rebuild trust with communities of color? For Romero-Briones, it begins with a genuine respect for Indigenous practices, and she urges interested people to contact their local tribal historic preservation officer to begin strengthening those connections and understanding – beyond a couple of phone calls.

“As someone who works with Indigenous people all day, even I need to recognize sometimes I have to meet with people up to 12 times before we actually start talking about the work that I initially wanted to talk to them about,” Romero-Briones said.

In a similar vein, Chanowk Yisrael, chief seed starter of Yisrael Family Farms, encouraged listeners to reach out to members of the California Farmer Justice Collaborative – an organization striving for a fair food system while challenging racism and centering farmers of color.

“To use a farm analogy: we've got this ground, which is the farmers of color who have been neglected for a long period of time,” said Yisrael, who has grown his farm in a historically Black neighborhood of Sacramento into a catalyst for social change. “It's not just going to be as simple as just throwing some seeds and things are going to come up; you're going to have to do more – that means you got to get out and do much more than you would do for any other community.”

Investing time in a community is one thing – and backing it up with tangible resources is another. Technical expertise is only the “tip of the iceberg,” Leach said, as historically marginalized groups are also seeking land access and tenure, more affordable cost of living, and access to capital.

“All of those things are actually much bigger burdens to bear for most communities of color than not having the knowledge of how to grow the crops that we want to grow, and not knowing how to be adaptive and nimble in the face of climate change," Leach explained, highlighting California FarmLink as an essential resource. (“Understanding Disparities in Farmland Ownership” is the next webinar in the SAREP series, set for Nov. 19.)

Bringing diverse voices to the table

Another key is ensuring that farmers and farm workers of color are represented in management and decision-making processes. Samuel Sandoval, a professor in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources and UC Cooperative Extension specialist in water management, develops outreach programs in English and Spanish for everyone from farm workers to the “boss of the boss of the boss.”

Sandoval said there are often gaps of communication between the decision makers and the people, most often Spanish speakers, who implement those measures. He remembers, for example, talking with water resource managers about their plans for a water treatment plant or new irrigation system – and then discovering that the irrigators and farm workers had no idea those discussions are happening.

“It has to be changed,” he said, “because at the end, the person who is going to operate the irrigation system and turn on or off the valves, the person who is looking if there's a leak or not – that's the person who's not being informed, or has not been informed on purpose.”

That exclusion of certain groups can lead to a loss of invaluable knowledge. Leach said there is a real danger in ignoring the wisdom of communities that have contributed so much to the foundation of food systems in California and around the globe.

“These really kind of amazing, sophisticated and elegant agroecological systems that we don't often legitimize through the scientific language and perspectives aren't seen as being really technically proficient – but, in many ways, they're more dynamic and more resilient than the things that we're perpetuating right now,” she said.

As a concrete example, Sandoval said that while extension advisors and specialists conduct studies to remedy a plant disease, farm workers might be developing – separately and in parallel – their own solutions by asking for advice from their social networks via WhatsApp, a phone application.

A reimagining of collaboration, Sandoval said, would include (and compensate) people working in the field for sharing their perspectives – bringing together academics and farmers, integrated pest management experts and pesticide applicators, irrigation specialists and those who do the irrigation.

A need to look within

Concerns about inclusion and validating alternate sources of knowledge apply also to the recruitment process in extension. Leach said that she has seen listings for advisor jobs that would require, at a minimum, a master's degree – which would automatically disqualify her, despite her extensive knowledge of Asian heirloom vegetables.

“When you look at a job description and you see ‘Asian crop specialist,' only required qualification is a master's degree, and then somewhere down the long list of sort of secondary desired, recommended things is some knowledge of Asian crops or communities…you know that just says a lot in terms of what  has weight,” Leach explained.

Before organizations can authentically connect with communities of color, they should prioritize diversity in their own ranks, said Romero-Briones. First Nations Development Institute had to ensure that they had adequate representation across the many Tribes that they serve.

“Before we start looking out, we have to start looking in,” she explained, “and that means we have to hire Indigenous people who know these communities.”

For extension professionals and other members of the agricultural community in California, the UC SAREP webinar series has helped spark that introspection and a meaningful reevaluation of institutional processes and assumptions.

“These discussions have been tremendously illuminating and eye-opening,” Brodt said. “But hearing and learning is just the start – it's incumbent on us, as an organization and as individuals, to take action to ensure that farmers of color and their foodways are truly respected and valued.”

Krkich named Executive Director of Development Services

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that we will be joined by a new colleague, Lorna Krkich, who has accepted the position of UC ANR Executive Director of Development Services. She will begin the position on Dec. 29.

Lorna brings a wealth of experience in income development, relationship building and strategic planning for future growth and sustainability. She has deep roots in California and is an alumna of UC Santa Cruz.

Working with The Salvation Army, Lorna developed funding opportunities, and trained and managed major gift officers across four states. Her program, in which she achieved well over annual goals and initiated a lapsed-donor process, resulted in 60 percent growth across the territory. During her time with the American Lung Association, she worked with staff and volunteers to build community presence and implement new fundraising initiatives in mid-level and major giving, increasing corporate donations by 900 percent in three years.

We are very excited to have Lorna working with us to grow our UC ANR programs, rebuild our academic footprint and improve our research infrastructure. Please join me in congratulating and supporting Lorna in her new appointment.

Glenda Humiston
Vice President

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