Last Updated on May 21, 2020 by Caroline Warwick
The Mid-Florida Research and Education Center (MREC) is honored to announce MREC and Family, Youth and Community Sciences faculty member Catherine Campbell was awarded a Support for Emerging Enterprise Development Integration Teams (SEEDIT) grant for the 2020-2021 year.
Included in this year’s winning proposals was The Future of Urban Agriculture in Florida, submitted by MREC faculty member Catherine Campbell. Campbell hopes to gain a better understanding of urban agriculture in Florida by using social science research methods to collect information on commercial urban agriculture enterprises in Florida, which are often missed by the Census of Agriculture.
“As a newer faculty member, the SEEDIT program is invaluable in establishing my research program,” Campbell said. “I will be able to conduct foundational research on urban agricultural systems here in Florida and gain a better understanding of the role these emerging agricultural enterprises play in urban food systems.”
The grants, which were sponsored by the UF/IFAS Office of the Dean for Research, aim to promote and grow integrated research and Extension team efforts toward exploring emerging agricultural enterprises.
In addition to Campbell, MREC faculty will be partnering with agronomy, environmental horticulture, Extension and horticultural science faculty members statewide to collaborate on projects focused on scutellaria, ginger, carrots, turmeric, camellia, hemp, and other leafy vegetables.
“Given recent disruptions to the food system caused by COVID-19, urban agriculture could play a valuable role in ensuring access to food,” said Campbell. “I look forward to working with this emerging group of agriculturalists and serving Florida farmers.”
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