Sara D. Hurst, T. Grady Roberts, & Amy Harder
It is increasingly urgent for 4-H youth to be prepared to enter careers that will provide solutions to complex agricultural challenges including global food security, climate change, and renewable energy resources. Are 4-H agents ready and willing to lead programs that incorporate global concepts and content? According to a national survey of randomly selected 4-H agents nationwide, overall, 4-H agents had favorable personal beliefs and positive attitudes about what youth should learn. They also had a wide variety of personal experiences, but agent beliefs and attitudes did not vary based on those experiences. Results indicate conditions are conducive to agents leading globally-oriented programs. Future research should examine the actual behaviors of 4-H agents.
Sarahi Morales & M. Todd Brashears
Future agricultural professionals and scientists will be required to have broader perspectives and apply their technical knowledge to keep pace with global trends. The purpose of this study was to assess and compare United States (U.S.) and Latin American (L.A.) students’ knowledge of international agricultural issues. A modified version of the International Agricultural Awareness and Understanding instrument by Wingenbach et al. (2003) and Hurst (2013) was used. Findings in this study were similar to previous studies indicating a continuing lack of knowledge regarding international agricultural issues among undergraduate students.
Despite an overall increase in students’ scores…