Cultivating Success
By JoAnn C. Adkins | jadkins@fiu.edu and Evelyn S. Perez | esuperez@fiu.edu Garfield Jarrett on his farm in Homestead, Fla.
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arfield Jarrett was a U.S. Marine. Military service was both his passion and his career. But injuries sustained during a roadside attack in Iraq ended it all. Jarrett was granted a medical discharge and returned home to South Florida where he enrolled at FIU to pursue a degree in social work. He was driven by a desire to help people but also felt adrift in his new reality. One day on campus, a flyer caught his attention. It was announcing a new agriculture program for military veterans in the College of Arts & Sciences. Suddenly, the aimlessness gave way to memories of his childhood growing up on his grandfather’s sugarcane plantation in Jamaica. It brought a smile to his face. South Florida is home to more than 200,000 veterans, and nearly 10 percent are currently unemployed. Miami-Dade County is also home to a large population 16 | Arts & Sciences 2014-2015
of Hispanic and migrant farmworkers. FIU Agroecology Program directors Mahadev Bhat and Krish Jayachandran know these statistics well, which led them to create the Veterans and Small Farmers Outreach Program for military veterans, socially disadvantaged farmers, beginner farmers, and nursery growers. In addition to providing technical and entrepreneurial skills needed to launch farm operations, the program also teaches aspiring farmers about government assistance programs and how to access them. Jarrett was among the first to enroll, having recently graduated from the Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work. Today, he spends his time cultivating kale, carrots and other crops on his farm in Homestead. He is also rearing livestock. He has found both his calling and a place where he truly feels at home. He is now looking to combine his social
work education with his farming business, offering outreach activities for veterans and K-12 students at his southwest Miami-Dade County farm. The veterans program has caught the attention of U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo, who lauded FIU’s efforts during a recent session of the U.S. House of Representatives. “The Veterans and Small Farmers Outreach Program will provide direct benefit to not only our brave men and women returning from harm’s way, but also to the countless small farms in Homestead,” Curbelo said. Bhat and Jayachandran have long dedicated their careers to people like Jarrett. For them, agroecology — a field that combines ecology and agriculture — is not just about improving farming. It’s about innovation. They are fostering in an era of modern agriculture — one that relies on technology, public/private partnerships, university collaborations
and community engagement to develop endeavors that are environmentally, socially and economically beneficial. Throughout Florida, more than 1.5 million people work in the state’s agriculture, natural resources and food industries and that number is on the rise. Nearly a third of those are in Miami-Dade County. In fact, agriculture represents $2.7 billion annually in local economic impact, yet occupies just 6 percent of the county’s available land, according to the South Dade Chamber of Commerce. Bhat and Jayachandran believe this low-impact yet high-return industry still has untapped potential. They are currently developing projects that create environmentally sustainable practices, help ensure food security, and provide a catalyst for economic growth. The Agroecology Program is working closely with the International Center for Tropical Botany, a collaboration between FIU and the National Tropical Botanical Garden. Researchers are combining the study and cultivation of plants with modern day uses, including food products. The Agroecology Program is also working with the FIU Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management to develop farm-to-table food programs. While the ideas are still in the development phase, Bhat and Jayachandran hope, in partnership with the University of Florida’s Tropical Research and Education Center, they can establish research and product development in the heart of Miami’s agricultural community.
Agroecology Program combines sustainability with economic opportunity in southwest Miami-Dade County “Agricultural science is the way of the future,” Jayachandran said. “If we are going to feed more than 9 billion people in the future, we have to get creative in how we use our soil resources and water resources.” The ultimate goal is to create a universitysupported incubator and food venture center to foster economic growth as well as technology and product innovation. Since its inception more than a decade ago, the Agroecology Program has secured 18 USDA grants from its National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Office of Advocacy and Outreach to fund research, outreach and engagement initiatives, scholarships and more. Bhat and Jayachandran hope the program can continue to grow, offering inspiration, sustainability and diverse career paths. n
Aspiring banker becomes agroecologist
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tephany Alvarez-Ventura, a once-aspiring banker, now spends her days among honeybees and organic gardens. The Dominican Republic-native worked parttime at a bank in high school. Upon graduation, she enrolled at FIU to pursue a career in finance. But an essay project in an English class piqued her interest in the environment, specifically pollution. She shifted her career aspirations to environmental studies. She landed an internship at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water in Washington D.C., where she ultimately was offered a job. Instead, she returned home to Miami to further her education in FIU’s School of Environment, Arts and Society. Alvarez-Ventura devoted her thesis to studying colony collapse disorder — a serious disease affecting honeybee colony health and its ability to pollinate crops. Today, she is the program coordinator with the FIU Agroecology Program and continues to foster new relationships throughout Miami-Dade County. Since its inception in 2005, the Agroecology Program has secured $7 million in research grants and awarded more than 150 scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students like Alvarez-Ventura. In 2012, FIU became one of the first universities in the nation to receive the USDA’s Hispanic-Serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities designation, which AlvarezVentura says is a testament to her alma mater’s commitment to people like her. n
Stephany Alvarez-Ventura
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