Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

Awards Issued Prior to January 20, 2025, Were Funded Under Previous Administrations and May Not Reflect the Priorities and Policies of the Current Administration. in 2019, Agriculture and Its Related Industries Contributed $1.1 Trillion to the United States GDP and Provided Almost 11% of the COUNTRY'S Employment. Given the Services It Provides-feeding, Employing, and Financing the Country-agriculture Plays a Pivotal Role for the United States, and We Therefore Must Maintain and Bolster the Agricultural Workforce. Agricultural and Food Scientists Are in Growing Demand (u.s. BLS 2021), But Currently White Scientists Are Overrepresented, and Women Are Under-represented Within the Workforce (us. Census Bureau 2019). Additionally, the Data Is Entirely Lacking in How These Scientists Were First Introduced to Ag Science and in What Landscape They Grew Up - Rural, Urban, Suburban, or a Combination. This Missing Data Is Crucial, as Rural Students Lag in Pursuing a College Degree, Yet Agricultural Degrees Are Known to Attract Students From Farming and Rural Backgrounds (dyer Et Al. 2000; Nces 2015; Foreman Et Al. 2018). With Rural Populations Declining, Some Agricultural Programs Recognize They Must Adapt to Successfully Recruit a Changing Demographic (foreman Et Al. 2018), But Literature on How to Attract and Retain Youth to Ag Science Is Largely Missing.to Address These Crucial Gaps in Knowledge, This Project Will Develop and Deploy Surveys to Undergraduate Students at College of Agriculture Programs and Pre-collegiate Students Participating in Agricultural School Activities. the Undergraduate Student Survey Responses Will Be Analyzed to Compare Student Demographic Trends Across Geographic Regions, Discover Common Motivations That Drove Students to Pursue Agriculture, and Identify Gaps in Support That Should Be Addressed by College Programs. the Pre-collegiate Student Survey Responses Will Be Analyzed to Evaluate How Youth Perceptions Toward Ag Science Change After Different Dosages of Class Ag Science Activities: Field Trip (low Dosage), Citizen Science (medium Dosage), and Are (high Dosage). the Results Will Be Used to Inform Teachers and Outreach Organizers How Different Dosage Levels of Ag Science Impact Students, Allowing Them to Maximize Student Outcomes Given Time Restrictions That Teachers and Students Might Face.