CCEP-I: Central Great Plains Climate Change Education Partnership

Kansas State University, Manhattan KS

Investigators

Abstract

An award has been made to Kansas State University to establish a Phase I Climate Change Education Partnership (CCEP) in collaboration with the Center for Instructional Innovation at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. The overall goal of the CCEP Phase I project is to establish a coordinated national network of regionally- or thematically-based partnerships devoted to increasing the adoption of effective, high quality educational programs and resources related to the science of climate change and its impacts. The Central Great Plains (CGP) project will focus on developing effective programs to enhance climate science education for agricultural and rural communities in Kansas and the broader region. Climate variability is characteristic of the central Great Plains and is expected to increase further as a result of climate change, putting increased pressure on managed ecosystems and related agricultural outputs. Given that this region is a major world center of production of edible grains and livestock, resilient and adaptive management decisions will help maintain regional agri-business strength and contributions to global food security. The K-State based CGP-CCEP will engage agricultural and rural community stakeholders in discussions of past climate variability, successful historical adaptations, and projected climate changes (including related impacts) that will lead to greater awareness, preparedness, and adaptive capacity. The audience targeted by this project includes farmers and ranchers, rural communities, and rural science teachers. The specific goals include developing partnerships with agricultural and rural community stakeholders to learn about their concerns related to climate change, identifying ways in which climate change will impact the lives and livelihoods of agricultural and rural communities, and developing educational programs that will help prepare agricultural and rural communities to effectively adapt to increasingly variable and extreme weather as well as benefit from mitigation opportunities related to agriculture. By the end of this project, the PIs expect to 1) develop an effective partnership among regional agriculture and rural stakeholders and higher education institutions related to climate change, 2) develop a strategic plan for climate change education in agricultural and rural communities, 3) utilize K-State Research & Extension to deliver climate change education programs in agriculture and rural communities, and 4) expand the partnership and educational efforts beyond Kansas to the greater Central Great Plains region. For more information on this project, visit http://www.k-state.edu/cgp-ccep/, or contact the PI, Ben Champion (champion@k-state.edu, 785-313-3085).