**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** WITHIN 30 YEARS, HUMANITY WILL FACE A FOOD CRISIS IF CURRENT FARMING TRENDS DO NOT IMPROVE. PRESSURES FROM A GROWING GLOBAL POPULATION, ANTICIPATED TO RISE FROM 7.7 BILLION TO 9.7 BILLION BY 2050, WILL REQUIRE FOOD PRODUCTION TO INCREASE 70%. ADDITIONAL CHALLENGES COMPOUND THE LOOMING CRISIS, FOR EXAMPLE CURRENT AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES ACCOUNT FOR 70% OF GLOBAL WATER USE AND THE LARGEST COST ON A FARM IS ENERGY. FURTHERMORE, THE INEFFICIENT USE OF AGROCHEMICALS IS ALTERING EARTH'S ECOSYSTEMS. THE CHALLENGE FOR FOOD SECURITY IS TO NOT ONLY BOOST FOOD PRODUCTION BUT ALSO TO MINIMIZE FOOD LOSS. DURING TRANSPORTATION FROM FARMS TO WAREHOUSES TO RETAILERS, GRAINS, VEGETABLES, FRUITS AND DAIRY PRODUCTS ARE VULNERABLE TO SPOILAGE. APPROXIMATELY 30% OF FOOD PRODUCED AROUND THE WORLD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION IS EITHER LOST OR WASTED EACH YEAR [7] PRIMARILY DUE TO IMPROPER COLD STORAGE. THIS IS NOT JUST THE LOSS OF FOOD BUT ALSO A WASTE OF RESOURCES SUCH AS LAND, WATER, FERTILIZER, AND HUMAN LABOR. THIS ALSO CONTRIBUTES TO THE INCREASING EMISSION OF GREENHOUSE GASES AS FOOD LOST OR WASTED ACCOUNTS FOR 4.4 GIGATONS OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION. THESE CHALLENGES PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS, AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS TO TURN TO ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS TO COMPENSATE FOR NATURAL RESOURCE AND BEGIN USING INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND SOLUTIONS. IN PARTICULAR, THE EMERGING DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES INCLUDING SENSORS, WIRELESS COMMUNICATION, BIG DATA ANALYTICS, AND CLOUD COMPUTATIONS, ETC. ARE INCREASINGLY CHANGING THE FUNCTIONING OF THE AGRICULTURAL DOMAIN AND FOOD SECTOR, GIVING RISE TO THE USE OF INTERNET OF THING (IOT) IN FARMING, RANCHING, AND THE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN.UNDOUBTEDLY, THE INTERNET OF THINGS HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES OF THE CURRENT DIGITAL AGE AND IS HERALDED AS THE NEXT INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION; IT IS, HOWEVER, ALSO TRUE THAT THERE IS A HUGE SKILL GAP FOR THIS VERY SAME TECHNOLOGY. ANOTHER IMPENDING CONCERN IS THAT THE LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION RATE HAS BEEN DECLINING IN U.S. FOR NEARLY TWO DECADES. IN THIS CONTEXT, COMMUNITY COLLEGES COULD PLAY A PIVOTAL ROLE AS A VEHICLE FOR PREPARING A TECHNOLOGICAL WORKFORCE AND ALSO PROVIDING A PATHWAY TO UPWARD ECONOMIC MOBILITY BECAUSE OF THEIR ABILITY TO REACH A LARGE POPULATION OF LOW-INCOME AND MINORITY STUDENTS. COMMUNITY COLLEGES ARE ALSO VITAL IN PROVIDING THE ADVANCED TRAINING NEEDED TO ADJUST TO NEW ECONOMY REALITIES, MAINTAINING A STRONG WORKFORCE AND BUILDING A COMPETITIVE 21ST-CENTRY ECONOMY.WORKFOS-AG (TRAINING OF NEXT GENERATION WORKFORCE FOR FOOD SCIENCE AND AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY IN THE DIGITAL ERA) IS A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT BETWEEN NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY (NMSU) AND DOÑA ANA COMMUNITY COLLEGE (DACC). WORKFOS-AG AIMS TO AMPLIFY THE AGRICULTURAL NARRATIVE WITHIN THE STEM EDUCATIONAL TRACK AT THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE LEVEL. BY ENHANCING ITS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS IN EMERGING IOT, TOMORROW'S TECHNOLOGY- AND DATA-SAVVY WORKFORCE CAN BE INSPIRED AND TRAINEDTO ENHANCE THE NATION'S FOOD SECURITY AND AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES. WORKFOS-AG'S MAIN COMPONENTS PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES TO COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS WHILE PREPARING THESE STUDENTS FOR THE WORKFORCE. WORKFOS-AG WILL ALSO FOSTER LEARNING IN THIS INDUSTRY BY PROVIDING AN INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED CERTIFICATE AND/OR APPRENTICESHIP OPPORTUNITIES IN THE BROAD AREAS OF SMART AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SCIENCE AND, MORE SPECIFICALLY, IN PIONEERING AREAS OF THE INTERNET OF THINGS AND DATA ANALYTICS. WORKFOS-AG EXPECTS TO SUPPORT 60 STUDENTS TO COMPLETE A NEW CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION AND 5 STUDENTS TO COMPLETE AN APPRENTICESHIP.

New Mexico State University, Las Cruces NM

Investigators