Focused Group Interviews as an Innovative Quanti- Qualitative Methodology (QQM ): Integrating Quantitative Elements into a Qualitative Methodology

There is a sharp divide between quantitative and qualitative methodologies in the social sciences. We investigate an innovative way to bridge this gap that incorporates quantitative techniques into a qualitative method, the “quanti-qualitative method” (QQM). Specifically, our research utilized small survey questionnaires and experiment-like activities as part of the question rout e in a series of five focused group interviews on nutrition education. We show how these quantitative-type activities fit naturally with our question route and contributed to testing the hypotheses within the context of the five important characteristics of focused group interviews. The innovative use of QQM in focused group interviews makes data analysis easier and more transparent and permits collection of richer, more multifaceted data in a cost-effective fashion

Sustainable Agriculture Undergraduate Degree Programs: A Land-Grant University Mission

There has been considerable growth in the number undergraduate degree programs in sustainable agriculture (SA) in universities and colleges across the country in the past 25 years. As a subset of this national trend, land-grant universities (LGUs) are emerging as catalysts in innovative SA program development, in part due to the LGU tripartite mission of education, extension, and research. This mission compels LGUs to develop undergraduate degree offerings to engage student, faculty, and community stakeholders who are increasingly interested in SA. In this article, which is an outcome of a gathering of faculty, staff and students from SA programs at LGUs at a workshop prior to the 4th National Sustainable Agriculture Education Association Conference in August 2011, we discuss the justification for SA programming at LGUs, the emergence of SA major and minor degrees at 11 LGUs to date, the common successes and challenges of current SA programs, strategies for improving existing SA programming, and systematic approaches for expanding SA education impact across institutional lines. We also introduce several additional topic-based articles that resulted from workshop dialogue that appear in this issue of the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, including civic engagement efforts in SA education through community-university partnerships, a critical documentation of the implicit inclusion of values into SA education, and efforts to internationalize SA curriculum

Invasion success of a widespread invasive predator may be explained by a high predatory efficacy but may be influenced by pathogen infection

Invasive alien species (IAS) can drive community change through ecological interactions. Parasites and pathogens can play an important role in community function including mitigating or enhancing IAS impacts. Despite this, the degree to which pathogen pressure influences IAS impacts remains poorly understood. We quantified the predatory behaviour of the highly invasive alien harlequin ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) and two UK native species, the 7-spot (Coccinella septempunctata) and 2-spot (Adalia bipunctata) ladybirds, using comparative functional response experiments. We investigated the impacts of pathogen infection on the predatory ability of the ladybirds by exposing individuals to Beauveria bassiana, a widespread entomopathogen. Invasive H. axyridis was a more efficient predator than both the native A. bipunctata and C. septempunctata, often having higher attack and/or lower prey handling time coefficients, whereas native A. bipunctata were the least efficient predators. These differences were found in both adult and larval life-stages. Beauveria bassiana infection significantly altered the predatory efficiency of adult and larval ladybird predators. The effects of pathogenic infection differed between species and life-stage but in many cases infection resulted in a reduced predatory ability. We suggest that the interactions between IAS and pathogens are integral to determining invasion success and impact

Invasion success of a widespread invasive predator may be explained by a high predatory efficacy but may be influenced by pathogen infection

Invasive alien species (IAS) can drive community change through ecological interactions. Parasites and pathogens can play an important role in community function including mitigating or enhancing IAS impacts. Despite this, the degree to which pathogen pressure influences IAS impacts remains poorly understood. We quantified the predatory behaviour of the highly invasive alien harlequin ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) and two UK native species, the 7-spot (Coccinella septempunctata) and 2-spot (Adalia bipunctata) ladybirds, using comparative functional response experiments. We investigated the impacts of pathogen infection on the predatory ability of the ladybirds by exposing individuals to Beauveria bassiana, a widespread entomopathogen. Invasive H. axyridis was a more efficient predator than both the native A. bipunctata and C. septempunctata, often having higher attack and/or lower prey handling time coefficients, whereas native A. bipunctata were the least efficient predators. These differences were found in both adult and larval life-stages. Beauveria bassiana infection significantly altered the predatory efficiency of adult and larval ladybird predators. The effects of pathogenic infection differed between species and life-stage but in many cases infection resulted in a reduced predatory ability. We suggest that the interactions between IAS and pathogens are integral to determining invasion success and impact

Development and Evaluation of an Introductory Course in Sustainable Food and Bioenergy Systems

The purpose of this paper is to describe the development, instruction, and evaluation of the undergraduate pilot course, Introduction to Sustainable Food and Bioenergy Systems (SFBS), at Montana State University. Introduction to SFBS is an interdisciplinary, team-taught, experiential education course designed to introduce students to broad array of SFBS-related topics, expose students to career opportunities in these fields, and enable them to establish relationships with food, agriculture, and energy stakeholders. Students completed baseline and follow-up surveys in which they reported information about their backgrounds, values, and knowledge of SFBS-related topics. The surveys also tracked students' learning and allowed them to provide feedback on course methods. According to the follow-up survey, over the course of the semester students demonstrated development of course vocabulary and concepts. Students' experiences in the course prompted changes in their school- and career-related goals. Additionally, the team-teaching approach was highly valued. Students also indicated that teaching should be more solutions-focused. Evaluation of students' backgrounds and learning is an important tool for the future evolution of this course and the development of others like it. The survey tool was in its first iteration; it will require revision as the course evolves. Introduction to SFBS can serve as a model for curricula related to sustainable agriculture, food, and energy. Courses like this can prepare students to become informed, innovative, critical thinkers capable of excelling in a multitude of food, agriculture, and energy-related careers. This course will continue to be monitored and evaluated as the curriculum evolves

Sustainable Agriculture Undergraduate Degree Programs: A Land-Grant University Mission

There has been considerable growth in the number undergraduate degree programs in sustainable agriculture (SA) in universities and colleges across the country in the past 25 years. As a subset of this national trend, land-grant universities (LGUs) are emerging as catalysts in innovative SA program development, in part due to the LGU tripartite mission of education, extension, and research. This mission compels LGUs to develop undergraduate degree offerings to engage student, faculty, and community stakeholders who are increasingly interested in SA. In this article, which is an outcome of a gathering of faculty, staff and students from SA programs at LGUs at a workshop prior to the 4th National Sustainable Agriculture Education Association Conference in August 2011, we discuss the justification for SA programming at LGUs, the emergence of SA major and minor degrees at 11 LGUs to date, the common successes and challenges of current SA programs, strategies for improving existing SA programming, and systematic approaches for expanding SA education impact across institutional lines. We also introduce several additional topic-based articles that resulted from workshop dialogue that appear in this issue of the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, including civic engagement efforts in SA education through community-university partnerships, a critical documentation of the implicit inclusion of values into SA education, and efforts to internationalize SA curriculum

Sustainable Agriculture Undergraduate Degree Programs: A Land-Grant University Mission

There has been considerable growth in the number undergraduate degree programs in sustainable agriculture (SA) in universities and colleges across the country in the past 25 years. As a subset of this national trend, land-grant universities (LGUs) are emerging as catalysts in innovative SA program development, in part due to the LGU tripartite mission of education, extension, and research. This mission compels LGUs to develop undergraduate degree offerings to engage student, faculty, and community stakeholders who are increasingly interested in SA. In this article, which is an outcome of a gathering of faculty, staff and students from SA programs at LGUs at a workshop prior to the 4th National Sustainable Agriculture Education Association Conference in August 2011, we discuss the justification for SA programming at LGUs, the emergence of SA major and minor degrees at 11 LGUs to date, the common successes and challenges of current SA programs, strategies for improving existing SA programming, and systematic approaches for expanding SA education impact across institutional lines. We also introduce several additional topic-based articles that resulted from workshop dialogue that appear in this issue of the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, including civic engagement efforts in SA education through community-university partnerships, a critical documentation of the implicit inclusion of values into SA education, and efforts to internationalize SA curriculum