Native Ag. Innovations

With mechanical, and inorganic production, food production continues to degrade our precious natural resources through indirect avenues. Genetic Modified Organisms (GMO)'s negatively effect pollinators, along with synthetic fertilizers, and pesticides that effect soil health, leachate, and massive amounts of water supplies.

Our project is develop absolute procedures that improve soil health, soil microbes/microbiology, and continued cover cropping to reduce compaction. This project will require constant measures, but effective focus to determine how to reduce raindrop impact, mechanical compaction, and reduce runoff/leachate. UNCP is strategically located in an Agricultural production region that has been row cropping/commodity cropping for the last 50 years plus. Due to hydric soils, and recent hurricane flood waters, UNCP is focused on developing new programs that effectively improve Agricultural production programming for Southeast NC. With significant and direct support of the local Land Grant Universities, we posed to develop/research new areas to improve food production.

Robeson County is home to the Lumbee Tribe, a tribe that has been culturally impacted by loss of land, infrastructure, and education. Currently, UNCP is working significantly to improve educational resources for Native Americans. UNCP is strategically working on a demonstration, training, research program that develops new business opportunities related to Agriculture. Many local community members are extremely excited about the potential of this program. SBTDC (Small Business Technology Development Center) has partnered with the UNCP Thomas Center HUB to improve local business entities in the Southeastern region. Potential improvement of jobs, education, and infrastructure is at the forefront of the project. This region has a significant potential to improve relationships with local buyers and other federal and state institutions. 

The solution here is to develop "trust" relationships with the local communities. In development, provide access to capital, programming, education, and progress. For many years, trust has been torn down and a mistrust still exist in many areas.  

Our program will focus on removing sterotypes, and most importantly understand equality is import to all people. Provide systematic learning opportunities where a client can have one on one time with the SBTDC counselors to develop business programming that becomes successful through the process of the business center here at UNCP. 

Community involvement is another way to gain trust, and effectively working across other institutions to improve work relationships so that community members are actually seeing improved community programs.

The UNCP Ag-Health Center will focus on several areas of support. Those areas are demonstration, training, research/discovery, and community development. With this focus, potential business maybe Ag-business will be to flourish in the region. Also, reaching out to other Tribal leaders to help structure business opportunities there. 

Our program is focused on developing economic opportunities for NC/SC Native Americans. SBTDC will create effective and strategic focuses to improve programs for the program. We are working directly to provide a Native CDFI (community development financial institute). This project will allow Native Americans the opportunity to get loans at little to no interest to start businesses in areas that need work force development. 

Native communities have been excluded from many programs across the US, even Native lands are still used to support many so called "Land Grant" institutions. Native people deserve special opportunities to improve their quality of life. 

This region has a poverty rating of 37% of Native people living in non normal conditions. Our people have pride in their work, and pride in where they live. Unconditional pride for many communities in this region. This fellowship would help reach people in many areas to grow new businesses, and develop working relationships with UNCP.

Innovation in agriculture has occurred for many years. Our solution here is to approach this project with community development in mind. Providing demonstration of new procedures and technology while effectively developing innovative ideas in researching new avenues of sustainable agriculture. By establishing a means to hold business workshops, and educational workshops, underserved/displaced minorities have an opportunity to develop new business areas in this undeveloped region. Partnering SBTDC with the Thomas Center HUB will engage North Carolina's Southeast region in continuing education in the area of effective business leadership as well as moving the minority business owners in to positive business opportunities. 

The basic technology here is creating avenues to grow sustainable foods with the use of PLC's (programmable Learning Computers) under controlled environments. Such as plasticulture, high tunnels, and indoor food production. Each of these areas provides control of environmental factors that improves food production and security. With the help of demonstration units, our program will allow new producers to learn how to engage and develop new production mechanisms that improve food supplies both locally and long distance. With constant focus on producing indoors and reducing the use of electric and chemicals this project will create a maximum food production footprint that reduces negative applications to our food supplies. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UQ4OkYX9qc

This is but one focus our program is working towards. Providing an area of access for producers to learn about indoor food production. 

https://www.southernliving.com/news/sankofa-farms-nc-kamal-bell?utm_campaign=southernliving_southernliving&utm_content=manual&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_term=5efcad3ec093480001fba86a

This area is another sector where we need to focus on developing the next generation of food producers. Young people need to understand how agriculture directly effects "everyone's life" We are all products of the Agriculture with Ag we would not exist. Each day we use something from the farm, and I like to refer to it as the 3 F's of Agriculture.  Food, Fiber, and Fuel, this items are all used by people each day. The next generation is task with feeding the world's fast growing population. With massive projections of more than 9 billion people by 2050. Today we are struggling to feed the current 7.4 +/- billion.

Change is constant and we have to adapt each day to the change. How we do business, how we live, and where we work. Focusing on developing new ideas around Agriculture biotechnology will take collaborations with other lead scientists, but nonetheless, will require dedication from those that provide leadership in their communities. 

My focus in change is "education", we all have to understand that as educator or adults. We never stop learning, continue to improve through continuing educational programs as well as adopting and adjusting to regional growth. Southeast NC has been through many devistational losses, tobacco, manufacturing, and hurricane flood waters. Today this region, is still abruptly changing due to the uncontrollable efforts of business leadership and natural causes.  With UNCP leadership programming, we are at the forefront of developing new programs for disadvantaged producers. But focused solely on creating new jobs opportunities to reduce the major poverty level in Native Americans. Currently, the county reports that 37% of Native People live in Poverty. Our goals are to make significant changes by strategically providing avenues to improve income production for Native people. Encouraging the local population to follow Business planning educational workshops, and improving work relationships with other area institutions.

Currently, we are serving about 20 people. Our 5 year plan is to serve at least 100 people per year. More people would utilize our services if the program was advertised to the communities in the region. 

Providing educational enhancement programming is the only way to move the region out of poverty. 

Next year we will focus on building a research facility that will engage local business owners to develop new Ag. business related to our onsite training and demonstration workshops. These continuing education courses will focus on new ideas, business planning, innovations, collaborations, and most importantly communications.  

We hope to develop a local Farmers CO-OP as well as a Farmers Market, not only to serve this region but to serve other areas too. NC has a rich history of Agricultural production mechanisms, our goals are to produce the next generation of business minded, innovative food producers.

Some of the barriers that we are dealing with now is having funding to establish the facilities to operate in. With grant applications multiple grant applications in, we hope that in 5 years we have a business developed AG program that is instructing new students as well as continuing education students. Without instructional space, its really hard to explain or educate new students on the latest Ag. production devices. 

We are working on collaborations from Land Grant institutions, large Ag. biotech companies, and local businesses. The need for improvement is considerable and changing the way business operates is significant for this area. Our facility will house office space, lab space, meeting space, with training opportunities to certified students in Clean room operations, micro-propagation, and seed development.  Engaging statewide Ag businesses, to help us develop curricula that affects the next generation of Ag business. Today we understand the need for hands on demonstration, but most importantly offering training programs that keeps our food supply operations safe and local. 

Currently, we have about 4 people working towards developing this project. Academic professors, business owners/leaders, and some part time staff. 

UNCP and SBTDC is strategically located in the region to develop programming to improve student, community, and business relationships. This collaboration provides many benefits for local business owners to develop into a self sustaining company that can provide local influences to others. While developing the community, we are working with others in collaboration to effectively bring this region new jobs, opportunities, education, and equality. This project is long overdue for the region and purposely providing avenues to create jobs is the focus of the project. 

We have many partnerships developed, here a few:

NC A&T State University--Cooperative extension

NC State University--Cooperative extension 

NC Biotechnology Center

Mountaire

Purdue

Sanderson Farms

Murphy Brown Farms

There are many others that we will develop in the next few months. 

Currently, we are working consistently with grant funds to move the project forward. Long term goals are to provide sustainable mechanisms where the Ag programs has product sells, rent of office/lab space, visiting professors, and continued research programs that will support the operation of the facility. 

Solve will help us get information out to others who are working diligently in food securities and sustainability. Funding will also help us focus more on creating business planning models to improve our program here at the HUB

Partnerships are always needed in order to grow a successful business. With strong partners comes strong programs. This project will need access to career oriented members that can provide productive leadership planning for the region. Programming that reach outside of NC and into other states.  

Education needs are very important as we develop a planning/advisory committee for the coming years.

I would like to partner with both, because there is opportunity to grow this project in many areas of the US. With the help of solvers, this program will grow very rapidly. While strategic planners are researching the next steps of the project. 

Effectively, revitalizing our food systems, our environment, we can start to recover some of the escalating climate change issues we are having. From establishing more trees in neighborhoods, parks, and cities, to capturing impervious water the constantly pollute our water supplies. Other avenues to explore are mechanisms to reduce our daily carbon impact by reducing the use of logistical supply chains.