Collaboration among OARDC Interdisciplinary Programs

It is becoming increasingly clear that an overarching question for Ohio is how to have viable, expanding agriculture and rural communities within an increasingly urban and suburban state. The issues of rapid development of agricultural land, the social acceptability of consolidation within the livestock industry, increasing concerns over agriculture’s impact on water and air quality, and decline in the number of young people pursuing careers in agriculture all indicate the challenges to agricultural sustainability. At the same time, Ohio can demonstrate leadership in sustaining agriculture as a foundation of our future through holistic and interdisciplinary approaches to solving problems and creating opportunities.

Interdisciplinary collaboration is now a widely recognized strength of OARDC and the College of FAES, and as a result we demonstrate increasing levels of leadership within OSU, the State of Ohio and beyond. AMP maintains ongoing collaborations with the Ohio Composting and Manure Management Program (OCAMM), the Organic Food and Farming Education and Research Program (OFFER), the Urban Landscape Ecology Program (ULEP), the Social Responsibility Initiative (SRI).

Major accomplishments of these programs include:

• Increased the culture of collaboration and providing models for the development of new interdisciplinary initiatives.
• Wide engagement of diverse stakeholder groups throughout Ohio and beyond.
• Development of national level networks and projects that have attracted large extramural funding.
• Development of new undergraduate and graduate curriculum and programs.
• Collectively generated over $14,000,000 in grants and contracts.
• Created innovative approaches for addressing complex issues facing agriculture and society.