Colby Silvert

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Extension Education at University of Maryland, College Park

This scoping review explored the extent to which gender and women's empowerment concepts have been integrated within technical guidance that extension and development practitioners may use to guide their facilitation of smallholder agricultural commercialization. Past studies show that gender disparities persist and may be exacerbated by shifts in...

While smallholder agricultural commercialization has been posited as a catalyst to bring about broad economic benefits, evidence demonstrates that commercialization efforts that are gender blind can exacerbate inequalities. This study employed a consensus-building process for gender and agricultural development experts to formulate a perspective fo...

Consumers appear more likely to purchase plants with labeling indicating pollinator-friendly production or high pollinator resource value. No standardized label for pollinator-supporting plants or landscape practices exists in the United States, which has proliferated the variety of labels used by the industry. This mixed-methods study aims to prov...

Escalating demands on urban water sources present a formidable challenge to practitioners in environmental and social change to more effectively promote water conservation strategies. This study was based on pilot project learnings and aimed to determine whether a sign displaying weekly local rainfall data and turfgrass water needs could effectivel...

This study was designed to understand the current state of wildlife-friendly landscape maintenance practices and the associated barriers and motivations among Florida green industry professionals. A Delphi technique to achieve consensus, along with descriptive survey questions, was used to facilitate feedback from Florida-based green industry profe...

Urbanization and land use change are leading causes of declines in pollinator abundance and diversity. However, researchers in different regions of the world have found that some pollinators can thrive in urban landscapes, depending on land use practices, environmental conditions, and species traits. Residential landscapes constitute a significant...

Pollinator gardening has rapidly become recognized as an important component of conservation to combat the issues that have resulted from rapid urbanization. Residential yards can support pollinators and help to restore their habitats. Thus, an opportunity exists for Extension and other practitioners to encourage greater engagement in pollinator ga...

Background The reliance on blood for thin and thick blood smear microscopy—using a relatively invasive procedure has presented challenges to the use of reliable diagnostic tests in non-clinical settings at the point-of-need (PON). To improve the capacity of non-blood-based rapid diagnostic tests to confirm subclinical infections, and thereby identi...

Barriers to the successful implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) education and outreach initiatives are being documented across higher education institutions as DEI policies and protocols are gaining attention. Despite growing attention to promote DEI in higher education institutions, there remains a need to examine barriers prev...

Urbanization and development of managed landscapes can harm pollinators by reducing flowers and vegetation and increasing exposure to chemicals. However, research shows that urban, developed landscapes can be designed and maintained to successfully provide habitats for diverse, healthy pollinator populations, including bees. Therefore, a major oppo...

This mixed methods study aimed to explore the perceptions of employees’ belongingness, uniqueness, and inclusivity within the [Blinded University]. A survey with quantitative and qualitative questions was used for data collection from February to April 2021. Respondents were [Blinded University] employees, faculty, students, and Extension professio...

Internationalization of higher education’s agricultural disciplines is essential to account for agrifood system trends toward globalization and multiculturalism. Professional and academic associations can play a formative role preparing graduate students for their agricultural careers. Guided by socialization theory, this needs assessment explores...

Various types of relationships within a farmer-to-farmer (F2F) extension system can influence farmers’ access to advancement opportunities, resources, capacity building, and social and professional networks. Using a social capital theoretical lens, this review elucidates the nature of these relationships and networks to better understand how bondin...

This article summarizes results of a study designed to identify essential intercultural competencies for Extension professionals. Recommendations are provided for Extension administrators to inform recruitment and professional development decisions in the broader effort to provide relevant and responsive programming for multicultural audiences. Wri...

Background: The reliance on blood for thin and thick blood smear microscopy – using a relatively invasive procedure ­– has precluded the use of reliable diagnostic tests in non-clinical settings at the Point-of-Need (PON). To improve the capacity of non-blood-based rapid diagnostic tests to confirm subclinical infections and thereby identify and qu...

This new 4-page article provides real examples of how university researchers used the Diffusion of Innovations theory to analyze Florida residents’ perceptions of landscape conservation and fertilizer behaviors and identify barriers and opportunities to encourage widespread adoption. The information and recommendations are intended for Extension pr...

This new 5-page publication aims to synthesize emerging takeaways from reporting and literature on the challenges experienced by US farmworkers during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting examples from Florida, when possible. Written by Colby Silvert, Whitney A. Stone, John M. Diaz, and LaToya J. O’Neal, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Ag...

The rapid diversification of workforces and client stakeholder groups has prompted a growing emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion as a critical component of professional development across industry sectors. While the proliferation of intercultural competence training models has increased awareness among employers and workforces, the compete...

This study examines the application of a self-reliance framework for practitioners and evaluators to better understand the capacities and intrinsic factors impacting smallholder coffee farmers’ commercialization behaviors. We surveyed 40 smallholder coffee producers in Peru using a quantitative instrument. Data were analyzed to determine if statist...

In this study, we tested frames Extension professionals could use to promote residential water conservation through social media. We randomly assigned Florida residents to view one of six visual messages with water conservation facts or stories and then measured willingness to engage with education programs and conservation behaviors. There were cl...

This study examines how smallholder coffee farmers’ perceptions may influence their engagement in peer mobilization and collective action. Forty smallholder coffee farmers were interviewed in the Central Highlands region of Peru using a closed-ended instrument. The sample of smallholder farmers was achieved using purposive and snowball sampling met...

This fifth publication in the Road to Recovery series discusses how Extension professionals can evaluate techniques to build trust when facilitating virtual programming. Specific recommendations are provided addressing concerns about short- and long-term virtual trust, inclusion techniques, Zoom fatigue, and cybersecurity. This new 5-page publicati...

This fourth publication in the Road to Recovery series explores the challenges Extension professionals may encounter in reaching clientele virtually during a pandemic. This new 4-page publication of the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication discusses the concept of digital equity and provides recommendations to evaluate eff...

This sixth publication in the Road to Recovery series provides tips and strategies for Extension professionals interested in evaluating efforts to promote community capacity building and community resilience using virtual platforms. This new 5-page publication of the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication was written by Cody...

Water conservation in residential landscapes remains essential to mitigate projected global water shortages. Social media has seldom been used to drive engagement in conservation and may be an important channel for environmental change agents to communicate to clientele and promote behavior changes. We tested messages framed with real conservation...

This third publication in the Road to Recovery series provides information and recommendations to support Extension professionals' ability to facilitate capacity building and resilience development for communities during COVID-19 and potential future pandemic situations. This new 5-page publication of the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Educatio...

This first publication in the Road to Recovery series provides a brief introduction to some core concerns and considerations for Extension professionals as they adapt their outreach, education, and evaluation efforts during a pandemic and recovery. This new 3-page publication of the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication als...

Now is a crucial time for Extension professionals to engage with clientele. In both urban and rural communities, clients are facing a multitude of unprecedented challenges related to COVID-19. Many Extension professionals already have experience in emergency and disaster preparedness, response, and recovery that can be applied in the present contex...

Research has inadequately examined factors that support residential yard care practices that influence water quality to date. This study evaluated factors that predict yard fertilizer best practices in the state of Florida, USA by pairing the Theory of Planned Behavior and Diffusion of Innovations along with contextual factors including age, popula...

Agriculture provides an array of ecosystem services including the sequestration and storage of carbon in the biomass of plants. Research has focused on commercial crops, especially tree crops, for their potential to mitigate the impacts of climate change. In Brazil interest is growing in the commercial cultivation of macauba (Acrocomia aculeata), a...

There is growing demand for a broader conception of tree and forest health by commercial and private timberland owners, who make up a substantial proportion of Extension clientele in the southeastern United States. There has been little research to comprehensively capture and represent Extension agents' needs, concerns, and perceived barriers as th...

This study examined adopter stages and perceptions associated with urban landscape water conservation innovations in Florida, U.S.A. We used the Diffusion of Innovations theory to identify the current adopter stage for each of 18 different water conservation innovations and evaluated the relationships between Floridians’ perceived characteristics o...

The objective in this study was to explore factors that shape how residents manage their home landscapes, and we applied Rogers’ (2003) Diffusion of Innovations to understand fertilizer practices and implications for Extension programming to address non-point source pollution. Data were drawn from a statewide survey of 1,197 Floridians. We identifi...

Extension is an important change agency, and Extension professionals use innovative strategies to help target audiences to adopt research-based practices and technologies. Tools from commercial marketing can be applied to behavior-change campaigns, often through an underused approach known as social marketing. Journey maps can be developed with Ext...