** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** VERMONT IS AMONG THE MOST RURAL, AGRICULTURALLY DIVERSE AREAS IN THE NORTHEASTERN UNITED STATES WITH 6,000+ FARMS UTILIZING A MILLION AND A HALF ACRES OF LAND DEVOTED TO FOOD PRODUCTION. IT IS THIS PASTORAL LANDSCAPE THAT HAS MADE VERMONT FAMOUS AND INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED AS A HOTBED FOR THE LOCAL FOOD MOVEMENT. AT THE SAME TIME, VERMONT ALSO HAS AN ACTIVE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH COMMUNITY, CENTERED AROUND THE UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT (UVM) EXTENSION AND DIVERSE AGROECOLOGY PROGRAMMING. FACULTY AND STAFF WORK DIRECTLY WITH FARMERS TO DEVELOP INNOVATIVE APPROACHES IN SUPPORT OF RURAL FARMER LIVELIHOODS. THIS JOINT PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN VERMONT RESEARCHERS AND PRODUCERS POSITIONS UVM AS AN IDEAL LOCATION FOR TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION OF FARMERS, AGROECOLOGISTS AND EXTENSION PROFESSIONALS.WE ARE PROPOSING THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INNOVATIVE UNDERGRADUATE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM ROOTED IN A TRANSDISCIPLINARY EXTENSION EXPERIENCE: TRAINING AND HIGH-IMPACT RESEARCH INTERNSHIPS THROUGH VERMONT EXTENSION (THRIVE) THAT WILL CATALYZE THE DISSEMINATION OF NOT ONLY CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH IDEAS AND TECHNOLOGIES, BUT ALSO DEMONSTRATE A HEALTHY COLLABORATIVE COMMUNITY FOR A THRIVING RESEARCHER AND FARMER PARTNERSHIP AT A TIME WHEN COLLABORATION WILL BE KEY TO ADDRESSING INCREASINGLY COMPLICATED AGRICULTURAL CHALLENGES. OUR THRIVE PROGRAM HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO ENGAGE STUDENTS IN INNOVATIVE HIGH IMPACT TEACHING AND LEARNING PRACTICES THAT ARE SHOWN TO BE BENEFICIAL FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS FROM MULTIPLE BACKGROUNDS. THROUGH OUR STUDENT-CENTERED DESIGN, THE THRIVE PROGRAM WILL ADVANCE THE AFRI EWD DEVELOPING PATHWAYS GOAL AND THE REEU PROGRAM AREA GOALS BY PREPARING STUDENTS WITH THE DIVERSE SKILLS NECESSARY FOR ENTERING THE AGRICULTURAL WORKFORCE OR PURSUING GRADUATE SCHOOL AFTER GRADUATION.THE THRIVE RECRUITMENT PROGRAM WILL TARGET FOUR- AND TWO-YEAR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS CURRENTLY ENROLLED AT ACCREDITED US INSTITUTIONS AND PURSUING FOOD SYSTEMS AND/OR AGRICULTURALLY RELATED DEGREES. TO BOTHSUPPORT AND ENCOURAGE THE GROWTH OF A MORE DIVERSE AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY AND EXTENSION SERVICE, THE THRIVE PROGRAM WILL RECRUIT STUDENTS FROM A BROAD SPECTRUM OF GENDER, RACIAL, CULTURAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS. THRIVE WILL LOOK TO ATTRACT STUDENTS INTERESTED IN EXPLORING RESEARCH AND EXTENSION AT THE SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED FARM SCALE. THIS PROGRAM IS UNIQUELY TAILORED FOR STUDENTS LOOKING TO DEEPEN THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL APPROACHES AND DEVELOPING TRANSDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH SKILLS THAT WILL PREPARE THEM FOR GRADUATE STUDIES, EXTENSION WORK, AND/OR FARM PRODUCTION.AGROECOLOGY AS A TRANSDISCIPLINARY AND PARTICIPATORY APPROACH TO AGRICULTURE REPRESENTS A UNIQUE AND TIMELY INTELLECTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE THRIVE PROGRAM AND DIRECTLY ALIGNS WITH THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL AFRI PRIORITIES AND THE LAND GRANT MISSION. AGROECOLOGY IS GENERALLY ACCEPTED TO BE THE INTEGRATIVE STUDY OF THE ECOLOGY OF THE ENTIRE FOOD SYSTEM, ENCOMPASSING ECOLOGICAL, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DIMENSIONS AND IS OFTEN CONSIDERED A NEXUS OF SCIENCE, PRACTICE AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS. THIS INTEGRATED TRANSDISCIPLINARY VIEW OF AGRICULTURE WILL CHALLENGE THRIVE STUDENTS TO EXPAND THEIR UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION OF THE VARIOUS TRADEOFFS THAT FARMERS AND CONSUMERS ENCOUNTER IN THEIR SEARCH OF SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS. FURTHERMORE, THE PARTICIPATORY FRAMEWORK OF AGROECOLOGY DOVETAILS WITH THE FARMER-CENTERED RESEARCH APPROACH PRACTICED BY THE MOST SUCCESSFUL EXTENSION PROFESSIONALS.THE THRIVE FELLOWSHIP WILL BE A 10-WEEK UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHPROGRAM DEDICATED TO A COLLECTIVE AND HORIZONTAL LEARNING. THE HEART OF THRIVE IS COMPOSED OF TWO COMPLEMENTARY UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS: 1) A HANDS-ON, RESEARCH-BASED EXTENSION MENTORSHIP PROGRAM (EMP) ASSOCIATED WITH ON-GOING EXTENSION RESEARCH PROJECTS; AND 2) AN AGROECOLOGY LEADERSHIP ENRICHMENT PROGRAM (ALEP) FOCUSED ON SUSTAINABLE LEADERSHIP AND APPLIED AGROECOLOGY. SKILLS BUILDING OBJECTIVES FOR THE EMP INCLUDE: 1) PARTICIPATORY ACTION METHODOLOGIES, 2) FARMER OUTREACH, 3) EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN, 4) ORAL AND WRITTEN PRESENTATION, AND 5) FIELD SAMPLING AND COLLECTION. LEARNING OBJECTIVES FOR THE ALEP INCLUDE: 1) ARTICULATE THE PRINCIPLES OF AGROECOLOGY AND THEIR BROAD RELEVANCE TO EXTENSION WORK, 2) PERSONALLY IDENTIFY AND CULTIVATE AN EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP STYLE, 3) APPLY INCLUSIVE COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES, 4) UNDERSTAND AND APPLY SYSTEMS THEORY IN AGROECOLOGICAL AND AGRONOMIC CONTEXTS, AND 5) CRITICALLY EXAMINE THE BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH TRANSDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH.THE OBJECTIVES OF THE THRIVE PROGRAM ARE: A) TO PROVIDE PARTICIPATING FELLOWS A TRANSDISCIPLINARY EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOCUSED ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF ADAPTABLE RESEARCH, LEADERSHIP, AND OUTREACH SKILLS; B) TO HELP PREPARE STUDENTS FOR CAREERS AND GRADUATE EDUCATION IN AGROECOLOGY AND EXTENSION; C) TO SUPPORT AND CONTRIBUTE TO NEW AND ONGOING EXTENSION PROJECTS DEDICATED TO THE LAND GRANT MISSION; D) TO ENGAGE FARMERS AND OTHER RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS THROUGH A PARTICIPATORY OUTREACH FRAMEWORK; AND E) TO EXPAND AGROECOLOGY AND TRANSDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES TO UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENT POPULATIONS.