Committee

At the 2022 EDEN Annual Conference it was decided that the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee will be separating into two, connected groups: Agriculture & Natural Resources. The Agriculture Committee will be chaired by Tommy Bass of Montana State University and the Natural Resources Committee will be chaired by Josh Gunn of Michigan State University. The two committees expect to closely collaborate and remain in communication.

The two groups will continue to meet collectively during the scheduled ANR Committee meetings for the remainder of 2022. A plan for separation and the potential to be two active, separate committees will be introduced in 2023. This will allow more focused discussion and training on the topics of agrosecurity, disaster preparedness, food safety and more, as well as allow EDEN’s delegates strengths and specialty areas be utilized to their full potential. Each committee is actively recruiting membership and participation.  Benefits to participation include professional development, grant writing opportunities and invitations, resources sharing and co-authoring, and professional fellowship.

Purpose and Scope

Agrosecurity is a framework of programs, activities, and outreach that aid in protecting food and agriculture systems from all hazards, whether natural, accidental, or deliberate. The EDEN Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee encourages the development and use of teaching and outreach materials for Extension professionals to address these agrosecurity issues.

History

EDEN formed its Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee to address challenges concerning the security of production agriculture and the food supply. One of the committee’s first tasks was to create the EDEN Strengthening Community Agrosecurity Preparedness (S-CAP) pilot workshops. The workshops empower local Extension personnel and other community partners to:

• Build capacity to handle agricultural issues during an emergency or disaster.
• Improve networking among stakeholders who can plan for and respond to emergencies.
• Develop Community Agrosecurity Planning (CAP) teams to establish or enhance agrosecurity components within existing local EOPs.

More than 40 S-CAP workshops have been completed since 2009, enabling communities to improve disaster preparation, prevention, mitigation, response, and recovery efforts.

Goals and Objectives

• Identify, review, and assess agrosecurity priorities
• Engage Extension professionals in outreach opportunities
• Build and strengthen partnerships with national training centers and other organizations

Membership

The committee elects a Chair and Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect annually. Its members are Extension specialists who have diverse backgrounds in disaster preparedness, plant health, animal health, and food safety but have a common interest in preventing intentional, accidental, or natural agricultural disasters. The group holds monthly conference calls as well as an annual meeting that is held in conjunction with the EDEN annual meeting.

Anyone who is interested in developing, promoting, and conducting educational programs to protect agriculture and our food supply is welcome to join the committee.