Duration: 10/01/2010 to 09/30/2015

Administrative Advisor(s):

NIFA Reps:

Non-Technical Summary

Statement of Issues and Justification

Globalization is driving significant changes that challenge the economic and strategic leadership of the U.S. (Thomas Friedman, The World is Flat). Global population is projected to be 9 billion by 2040 and reached 7 billion October 2012. With the increase in the world population the challenge to meet food security in 2050 will require food systems to meet this challenge. Food systems are defined as all processes and infrastructure (growing, harvesting, processing, packaging, transportation, marketing, consumption and disposal) involved in feeding the global population. These systems are influenced by social, political, economic and environmental concepts. The U.S. must ensure there are trained scientists and engineers to provide innovative approaches to address the critical issues of food security and safety, as well as, the global expanding need for secure sustainable energy and water. The challenges of food, energy and water security require visionary leaders who understand the complexity and challenges of food systems. Leaders prepared to provide innovative solutions must have the following skill set suggested by participants in the recent Food Leadership Survey conducted by SERA 42 in November 2011: contextual awareness; strategic thinking skills; intellectual openness and curiosity; sensitivity to cultures; sensitivity to generations and genders; high levels of integrity and sincerity; and ability to operate and survive in changing economic, cultural and social environments. SERA 42 provides leaders the opportunity to further refine this skill set for the successful integration of multidisciplinary approaches to innovative solutions to these challenges. Specifically to address the identified skills needed, this SERA project will:

Provide Food Systems Leadership Institute (FSLI) graduates and other emerging food systems leaders with ongoing development towards leadership excellence.

Identify and enhance the understanding of current and emerging global issues and the complexity of these issues impacting food systems.

Create a national social media network of current and emerging food systems leaders that can function as a de facto think tank providing educational and outreach materials to enhance leadership skills and to provide innovative solutions to issues of food and bioenergy security.

Inspire future leaders, especially those with scientific and engineering training founded in agriculture and associated fields to pursue in-depth leadership excellence, such as is provided initially through FSLI, LEAD 21, other national or international leadership symposia and activities in this multi-state committee.

Describe the need as indicated by the stakeholders.

The FSLI training program has been successful in providing holistic skill sets to current and future agriculture leaders in academic settings, government and industry. Many of the graduates of this program are now in influential leadership positions in academia, industry and in state and federal agencies. With their heightened understanding of the progressive nature of leadership development, graduates of the two-year FSLI program express their need for ongoing professional development and networking in order to expand and hone leadership skills towards excellence. While Lead 21 graduates may continue on through FSLI at a later time, there is a pressing need to bring leadership skills and networking around food systems issues. This project will accommodate a larger group than it can through FSLI alone and covers a different scope of development than either Lead 21 or FSLI.

Explain how the proposed activity addresses global, national and/or regional needs.

There are many complex food systems issues that continue to evolve and new issues are emerging that span (bridges) discovery, applications, and regulatory concerns. Because the complexity of current evolving issues, solutions call for leadership with the capacity and skillset to seek multidisciplinary, multi-institutional (education, government and private sector) and worldwide solutions. The proposed professional leadership activity brings together leaders from multiple disciplines and organizations to develop a robust professional network needed for innovative solutions to our food and energy security challenges.

Why is this SERA project the best mechanism to achieve these objectives?
Currently no other USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) multi-state activity assembles both an actual and a virtual community of current and emerging leaders in food systems to address critical challenges in food, energy and water security. We believe that this program is unique in the region, nation and world. This program builds upon the success and investments in the FSLI and LEAD 21 programs and furthers the development of leadership excellence of individuals in key positions within global food systems This opportunity for food systems leaders to foster more efficient and effective inter-institutional collaborations, teams and strategic alliances provides a mechanism to identify, understand and solve the current and emerging grand challenges facing our food systems. Such challenges are central to the foundations of our Land Grant Universities, industries and our stakeholders. The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative program and this SERA project compliment the scientific and technical goals of NIFA.

Why is it important for the proposed project to be done as a SERA project?

This SERA project brings together academic, industry and government leaders. SERA sponsorship not only provides an established structure and the best mechanism to coordinate a functionally integrated forum to address leadership excellence in food and energy security but it also provides the most positive environment to build the trust needed to develop innovative academic-industrial-governmental leadership excellence.

Expected benefits or impacts:

The program is designed to provide the necessary underpinnings for solving problems which require systems thinking, and adaptive and contextual leadership principles. This program would bring a new paradigm for leadership development in the region, nation and world. The goal is to develop leaders with appropriate leadership skills that allow them to be effective in increasing food and energy security, thus improving the socioeconomic well-being of society. The goals of our annual meetings, social networks and website are that:

Leaders will be better prepared to implement change and to address current and emerging issues in food, energy and water security.

Leaders will gain skills through training and networking to gain greater proficiency in addressing food systems issues through continuing leadership development.

This program will develop and engage a network of innovative leaders who can be tapped for the strategic needs of academia, industry and government agencies as we address our most pressing societal needs in food and energy security.

The program will increase awareness and enhance competencies across the challenges of complex food systems as well as establish best practices to address these issues.

Who are the stakeholders, customers and consumers for whom this activity is intended?

Current, emerging and future food systems leaders including past, current and future participants in FSLI and LEAD21, as well as, those in other relevant leadership programs.


At the end of this workshop/experience/event, the outcomes will be to:

Continue identifying current and emerging issues of concern to food systems leaders.

Develop appropriate training materials to address leadership needs identified in the 2011 SERA 42 survey.

Establish a regular venue that brings together leaders of food systems to interact on issues of common concern and that offers a mechanism to integrate agriculture with other interrelated sectors to foster the transformation of U.S. food systems.

Create and disseminate information that is useful beyond the immediate audience of the project participants:

Create a website containing leadership materials and links to other leadership skills and best practices;

Create a social media networking group on LinkedIn (site information)

A leadership forum at the annual APLU conference;

Objectives

Procedures and Activities

Objective 1: Develop a regular forum/venue to bring together leaders of food systems to identify, interact on issues of common concern and offer leadership development experience necessary for dealing with the system-wide issues (forum topics) of the meeting.

Procedure:

The SERA leadership team created a survey to query key stakeholders (foods systems, academic, public health leaders, etc.) about major food systems leadership challenges in their respective areas of focus. . The survey was administered via the web (Zoomerang) and results were evaluated by the SERA 42 leadership team. The leadership challenge issues identified from the survey were used to develop priority areas for this proposal and future annual meetings. . Survey results indicated that participants want the opportunity to interact in a venue to exchange ideas and concepts related to contextual awareness; strategic thinking skills; intellectual openness and curiosity; sensitivity to cultures; sensitivity to generations and genders; how to develop high levels integrity and sincerity; and the ability to operate and survive in changing economic, cultural and social environments.

The SERA Leadership Team and Advisory Committee selected issues based on the survey responses that will be topics for the annual leadership development experience. After holding two phone conference meetings, the leadership team decided that beginning in 2012; the annual SERA 42 meeting will be either a pre-meeting or a part of the APLU annual conference. Specific learning objectives to include best practices will be addresses by appropriate speakers, panels and other activities at the annual meeting to interactively address the topic(s). There are three possible outcomes of this activity: 1) formation of smaller working groups that would pursue the leadership aspects of the selected topic further by developing a whitepaper or set of recommendations addressing the specific topic using the leadership skills emphasized during the forum; 2) establishment of multi-state integrated teams to develop solutions to current and emerging issues; and 3) develop a professional network through social media to provide public domain for exchange of information related to leadership. The outcomes of these activities would be posted on the social media and website, and where appropriate published in appropriate leadership media venues.

Objective 2: Create and disseminate information that is useful beyond the immediate audience of the forum

Procedure:

Two initial products are targeted for outcomes: a series of leadership primers based on the discussion of the selected Current and Emerging Issues at the annual forum and a series of brief whitepapers related to each Current and Emerging Issue as discussed in Objective 1. The leadership primers would consist of PowerPoint presentation and possibly video of speakers at the annual meeting to be disseminated through the SERA 42 annual meeting. Electronic versions of whitepapers will also be posted on the website for public access. A third possible idea involves developing a leadership course that can be embedded in graduate curricula. The feasibility of creating a Community of Practice for Food Systems Leadership as part of extension will also be explored.

Objective 3: Provide specific individual and organizational leadership development training towards excellence for dealing with critical issues in our food systems.

Procedure:

One of the components of each forum discussion will be to develop a set of leadership best practices to be utilized in addressing annual forum topics. We will use the same methods and training used by the most innovative domestic and international companies as well as high impact non-profit organizations; specifically: executive coaching, training instruments, change management and strategic planning tools. Participants will engage in experiential based training and will focus discussions on how to extend their learning back to their home organizations.

Expected Outcomes and Impacts

Projected Participation

View Appendix E: Participation

Educational Plan

This SERA project will have a dedicated web page to be developed in summer 2012. All planning and outcome documents would be posted there. The outputs that are appropriate for the website will be available on the SERA website (or possibly eXtension). Please refer to objectives 2and 3 listed above. The SERA Leadership will conduct an assessment of the educational materials on a 5 year cycle to evaluate the impact on stakeholders and to re-design any elements of the SERA project to ensure both quality and effectiveness. Individual project components and products will be evaluated throughout the project cycle.

How would this program serve under-served or under- represented constituencies?

Leaders from 1890 and 1994 institutions have participants in the FSLI and LEAD 21 programs each year. This program will invite and encourage attendance by all graduates from these programs, which by definition will extend leadership opportunities to our under-served communities. Issues in food systems that involve under-served or under-represented communities will be a priority component of the annual forum.

Organization/Governance

The group will elect a Chair, Chair-Elect, and a Secretary at the annual meeting. Each will serve in rotating positions; in year two the Chair-Elect will assume the Chair position and Secretary will assume the Chair Elect position. A new Secretary will be elected by the project membership. The content and structural logistics of the annual meeting will be planned via a series of conference calls.

The operating/advisory board will include the official membership of the program.

SERA 42 will seek to add participants in other sectors both inside and outside the food systems as partners to collaborate and share resources. Other groups include commodity leaders, public health leaders, financial leaders and policy makers.

Literature Cited

Attachments

Land Grant Participating States/Institutions

AL, GA, IA, KS, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, ND, NE, TX

Non Land Grant Participating States/Institutions