Faculty members from the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences hosted a field school in August for smallholder farms in Tennessee and Pennsylvania as part of a three-year, multi-institutional, sustainability-focused initiative with The Global Teach Ag Network at Penn State University.
The project was led by Dr. Rachna Tewari, professor of agricultural economics, and is titled “Empowering Small Farmers and Agriculture Students: FSAS (Farmers’ School for Agricultural Sustainability) and Experiential Learning Programs.”
Collaborators from the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences are Dr. Isaac Lepcha, Dr. Eric Pelren, Dr. Bethany Wolters, Dr. Stan Dunagan, Dr. Joey Mehlhorn and Dr. Will Bird.
Funding for the project is provided by the Capacity Building Grants for Non-Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture Program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
With a primary focus on promoting sustainable production and inspiring the next generation of leaders in agriculture, the project created opportunities for travel-study-based farmer field schools between Tennessee and Pennsylvania. The field schools benefited small vegetable and livestock producers by providing training, resources and networking opportunities to improve the profitability and sustainability of their enterprises.
The initiative also supported a faculty-led, course-based student travel-study program in Belize last summer, high school student internships with local growers and research projects on vegetable and forage production at the UT Martin student farm.
Participants in the August field school included vegetable and livestock producers, UT Martin faculty and students and visitors from Penn State University.
Field school highlights included site tours focused on vegetable production and farmers markets, followed by an applied workshop on agroforestry led by Belizean conservationist and educator Rudy Aroldo Aguilar, director of horticulture at Belize Botanic Gardens.
The concluding event of the project was the 2025 Small Farm Sustainability and Local Foods Conference, held Aug. 14 at Discovery Park of America in Union City. The conference was co-hosted by the Northwest Tennessee Local Food Network, UT Martin and Penn State University.
With more than 70 attendees, the conference provided a platform for smallholder producers, students, educators and community members in the Mid-South to explore regenerative farming techniques, climate-smart practices, local food systems, value-added production and market-access strategies.
