University Connections
"Working through the design process and helping to facilitate the training program has honed my teaching skills, merged my interests in farming, education, and international populations, and been some of my most cherished moments in graduate school."
Tina Hartell, MS AFE '04
Tufts University
Hands-on education expands beyond touch, engaging all of the senses in an experiential learning situation that makes knowledge a reality. Luckily for the Agriculture, Food, and Environment (AFE) program at Tufts University, acres of "lab" space—40 to be exact—lie just around the corner.
In conjunction with the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project (NESFP), students enrolled in the AFE program have access to four working farm sites within an hour's reach. The sites are utilized for field excursions focused on topic areas such as soil science, conservation practices, irrigation, and crop science. Students have the opportunity to study agricultural policy and programming in action, including pesticide certification, Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) permitting, and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation programs. In addition, NESFP sites allow Tufts' students the platform to study many social, political, and historical aspects of immigrant farming populations—populations that continue to be crucial in reinvigorating local agriculture in New England.
Examples of student papers:
A Comparative Analysis of Jewish and Hmong Farming Projects in America. Justine Kahn, AFE '04, Directed Study.
Transitional Strategies: Immigrant Narratives of Environmental and Agricultural Change and the Meanings of Pesticide Use by Hmong Gardeners in Fitchburg Massachusetts. April (Heideman) Merleaux, MS, AFE '02, Qualitative Research Methods, Tufts University.
Survey of Pesticide Use Among Participants of the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project. Guy Koppe, MS, FPAN '03, Survey Research in Nutrition, Tufts University
The Political Ecology of Migration: Hmong Immigrants and Environmental Imaginations. April (Heideman) Merleaux, MS, AFE '02, Anthropological Perspectives, Harvard University
Brandeis University Connections
Additionally, students in the Boston area beyond Tufts University have enjoyed the opportunity of academic involvement with NESFP. In particular, students from the Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University have gained practical experience while providing valuable services to NESFP. In 2004, Mary Beggs, Katie Muehlenkamp, Matt Osborne-Smith, and Rebecca Peterfreund performed a team strategic management paper of NESFP's management and operations structure. In 2005, Deborah Kohn Ala, John-Michael Merjanian, John Messenger, and Edward Ssentongo completed their "Historical, Legal, Financial, and Organizational Considerations Analysis and Recommendations" for NESFP's plans to form World PEAS Cooperative as an agricultural marketing cooperative.
