1890-Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) Advisory Group Attend Summer Meeting

Cooperative Extension professionals from 1890 Land-grant Universities gathered at the campus of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (N.C. A&T) to plan for natural and man-made disasters during the 1890 Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) Advisory Group (AG) 2024 face-to-face workshop and business meeting.

The three-day annual meeting took place June 4-6 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Six 1890 universities were represented with attendees from Fort Valley State University (FVSU), Southern University Ag Center (SU), Tennessee State University (TSU), Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU), the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) and N.C. A&T.

Additional EDEN delegates in attendance included representatives from Washington State University (WSU), University of Illinois (U of I) the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI), University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program.

During the three-day training, participants focused on building community and cultural competency in disaster education. Dr. Ray McKinnie, associate dean and administrator for Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T gave opening remarks to attendees and welcomed them to campus. In addition, Dr. Alton Thompson, executive director for the Association of 1890 Research Directors (ARD), and Dr. Albert Essel, executive director for the Association of Extension Administrators (AEA) expressed appreciation for the work of the 1890-EDEN AG. Each offered their perspective for why it is critically essential for 1890 Land-grant professionals to provide research-based information and services to communities and citizen groups impacted by disasters.

Dr. Noel M. Estwick, assistant professor and research scientist at PVAMU, said his role in the AG started in 2017. Over the years he has used his training as an urban planner to support the land-grant mission by offering disaster-related support to the research, education and outreach initiatives of the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.

“I got involved in EDEN as the principal investigator for the 1890-EDEN Project. In 2017, the advisory group was created with the support of the 1890 Extension administrators,” Estwick said.

He said the face-to-face meeting in Greensboro marked the seventh year the group has been in existence. The Prairie View researcher said the meeting was helpful for several reasons.

“It provided opportunities for the advisory group to review current collaborations, projects and progress, while providing training to boost our capacity to deliver disaster programming,” Estwick said. Carrie McKillip, past EDEN chair and community and economic development educator at U of I Extension, conducted a training on Community Organizations Active in Disasters (COAD) Development and Maintenance.

Members of the 1890 EDEN AG and EDEN delegates participated in a training session on COAD Development and Maintenance during their three-day workshop.

He also said the annual face-to-face meeting helps him and attendees become better at serving limited-resource audiences. Likewise, the meeting creates an environment to develop consistent institutional partnerships with land-grant universities and federal and nonfederal partners.

One of those opportunities occurred during the Greensboro meeting with the participation of Vanessa Forbes, Extension agent and SARE program assistant for the UVI.

“Her participation enabled us to learn from each other as we discussed challenges and lessons learned from serving similar clientele in unique settings,” Estwick said.

Forbes said the UVI Extension became involved with EDEN because of the gaps in information and awareness within the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“In an attempt to bridge the gaps between the diverse cultures of the Virgin Islands, the groundwork and connections need to be in place in advance of a disaster so that when there is a disaster, the education and the services needed will be set in place to facilitate the duties necessary to bring about recovery,” Forbes said.

Furthermore, Forbes shared how she hopes being connected to the 1890-EDEN AG will be able to work as a bridge.

“This will allow us to overcome the predominant separation and develop a sense of oneness in education and mitigation regarding disasters. Through this education, a greater strength will be recognized,” Forbes said.

In addition to training, the AG group institutions partner to respond to requests for proposals. AG institutions are currently partnering on two funded projects. The first is a SARE professional development program called, “Developing a Training Program on Surviving Disasters through Risk Management Preparation and Best Management Practices for Agricultural Producers.” N.C. A&T is leading the project.

The second project is an EDEN capacity grant led by SU Ag Center. It is called “Cultivating an Efficient and Productive Intersection between Research and Extension: An 1890 Collaborative-Research Based Curriculum Development Initiative.”

For more information about the 1890-EDEN AG, visit https://extensiondisaster.net.