Mary Rodriguez

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Professor (Associate) at The Ohio State University

Women agripreneurs frequently encounter barriers such as lacking self-efficacy, professional development opportunities, support, and mentorship. To assuage these barriers, many women engage in agripreneurship trainings. Self-efficacy theory underscores that people learn behaviors and cognitive strategies through observation and without direct enfor...

Agricultural entrepreneurship aims to create on-farm diversification and generate new opportunities to grow an agricultural business (Fitz-Koch et al., 2017; Kordel, 2016; Tohidyan Far & Rezaei-Moghaddam, 2019). However, agrientrepreneurship program content lacks cohesiveness, demonstrating disparate views on what competencies should be included in...

New Americans, foreign individuals and their families seeking to integrate into their new communities, in the United States were disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This needs assessment aimed to assess the social and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the immigrant population in the Riverview neighborhood of Columbus, Oh...

This study aimed to identify the key competencies of agrientrepreneurship education and research through a scoping review. A total of 10 themes were found amongst 76 articles. The themes are business skills, characteristics, social skills, knowledge, communication skills, external supports, other skills, agricultural skills, values, and background....

Background: College students need the ability to generalize and apply solutions through reflective practice. University faculty need professional development to use authentic cases to prepare students for the future. Purpose: This study was to explore the experiences of faculty through a year-long professional development program that included a fi...

Gender assessments are often used to inform gender mainstreaming in agriculture for development programming and practices. However, they often lack true community engagement, integration of critical perspectives for structural transformation, and a systems approach to support gender equality. In our qualitative case study, we conducted a content an...

Simple Summary Most crops grown globally require pollination to produce food, and honey bees are the most important pollinators. Without honey bees, the food supply would decrease and become more expensive. Climate change threatens honey bees by destroying their habitats and food sources. Therefore, beekeepers must implement farm management practic...

The current philosophical paper brings the concepts of community, complex adaptive systems, wicked problems, and Kirton's (2011) adaption‐innovation (A‐I) theory together as a model to encourage practitioners to recognize the importance of cognitive diversity for sustainable and impactful solutions. Leadership and change practitioners often face th...

Climate change is the primary environmental threat to subsistence farmers’ productivity in Peru. Adaptation is promoted as the best mechanism to cope with climate change in subsistence agricultural livelihoods. However, climatic adaptability depends on the resources the farmer has access to or can use, which are not always adequate to respond effec...

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...

In Peru, subsistence farmers experience firsthand the direct and indirect impacts of climate change (CC). To understand how farmers adapt their livelihoods to climatic variability, this mixed methods study explored their perceptions and climate adaptability strategies implemented in Huayhuay, Peru. Twenty farmers participated in semi-structured int...

Professional scientific societies, such as the American Association for Agricultural Education (AAAE), have not been immune to struggles with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), even as it has come to the forefront of national conversation. In response to the 2017-2020 AAAE Strategic Plan, specifically goal one to build a more inclusive culture...

The dynamics facing rural development and school policy in New Mexico has limited merging and redistricting efforts in small schools in isolated rural communities. This has created a situation where small schools exist in several rural communities in the state. These programs often include school-based agricultural education as a program offering....

The “leaky pipeline” metaphor has been used to describe the dearth of women in science, technology, and leadership roles. For colleges of agriculture within land grant universities (LGUs), college leadership and tenured faculty in agricultural science disciplines have historically been disproportionately male, even though women earn nearly an equal...

This study examined the body of scholarly knowledge, research, and practice related to water governance systems. The objective was to identify the components of an adequate water governance system for the Sub-Saharan Africa region. Methodology For this theoretical study, researchers conducted a desktop review using multiple primary and secondary da...

The world was not prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic. It has tremendously impacted health and food systems around the world and the depth and breadth of its long-term effects are yet to be seen. The rates of those that will be in poverty and food insecure are significantly higher than the predictions pre-COVID. People are coping in any way that the...

During the spring 2020 COVID-19 outbreak, faculty and staff within Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences came together from multiple disciplines to support essential agricultural workers. Concerted leadership from administration provided a framework for this interaction to occur while faculty worked off-ca...

Agricultural communication (AGCOM) has been known to aid in disseminating research-based agricultural information among Malawian farmers. In 1958 the Malawi Government, via the Ministry of Agriculture, established the Agricultural Communications Branch (ACB) in an attempt to increase access to and adoption of scientifically-proven technologies amon...

Agricultural communication (AGCOM) is framed differently in different regions and countries depending on the focus and challenges that it seeks to address. However, not much has been done in trying to understand how these frames impact sustainable agricultural development.The results of this exploratory qualitative research indicated that AGCOM see...

Promoting the transition of smallholder farmers from subsistence to more commercial and market-oriented production is an important goal of the Tanzanian extension system. The Ministry of Agriculture Training Institutes (MATIs) contribute to this goal by providing training to frontline extension workers (FEWs). However, the capacity of the MATI syst...

This case study explored the impact of a combined course and study abroad program for first-year students from the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES). The program employed Roberts' and Jones experiential framework to enhance students' overall experience and learning when partaking in a study abroad experience. Student...

This study examined job postings within the fields of agriculture and natural resources, targeting entry-level positions that require a bachelor’s degree. Through a content analysis, eleven discrete skills were identified and categorized as soft skills or technical skills. In general, soft skills were referenced more often than technical skills. So...

Extension program assistants’ turnover intention is a key indicator of human resource development practice and overall effectiveness of organizational leadership. We used a survey design with four instruments to investigate the factors that influenced 149 Ohio State University Extension program assistants’ turnover intention. The data showed signif...

Despite the involvement of several stakeholders in provision of information on improved technologies to Malawian farmers, low productivity in most small holder farms remains a challenge. Limited impact of Agricultural communication (AGCOM) in promoting adoption of improved technologies among small holder farmers raises a question as to whether usin...

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) present an opportunity for increasing the capacity of Agricultural Extension Services to provide smallholder farmers with the support they need to improve productivity, boost yields, increase household nutrition and improve livelihoods. However, differences exist in the types of ICTs used as well as...

As the world’s population is set to increase to an estimated 9.6 billion people, the greater the strain becomes on the food system to meet people’s food and nutrition needs (United Nations, 2013). The MENA region is expected to increase in population by double by 2050 further straining their water and food resources (IFPRI, 2010). Improved innovati...

When refugees arrive in their new resettlement country, they are designated to work with a caseworker employed with a resettlement agency who helps them acclimate to their new environment and break down new challenges. Food insecurity is one such challenge that resettled refugees face. This study looked at the role that caseworkers play in helping...

Our climate is changing and this will impact food security around the world. The impacts from climate change will not be evenly felt around the world. Some of the most vulnerable areas will be coastal zones and island territories. Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are especially vulnerable. This chapter provides an overview of climate change, d...

The purpose of the study was to explore the adoption of irrigation technologies by farmers in southwestern Grenada. Specifically, the objectives were to describe the rate of adoption of four irrigation technologies and to determine the influence of perceived characteristics of drip irrigation on its adoption and diffusion. Rogers (2003) theorized r...

The purpose of the study was to explore the adoption of irrigation technologies by farmers in northern Grenada. Specifically, the objectives were to describe the rate of adoption of four irrigation technologies and to determine the influence of perceived characteristics of drip irrigation on its adoption and diffusion.

AGCOM is framed differently in different regions and countries depending on the focus and challenges that it seeks to address. However, not much has been done in trying to understand how these frames impact sustainable agricultural development. This exploratory qualitative study aimed at exploring the focus of AGCOM and its implications for sustain...

Individuals expected to offer leadership are often chosen based on their power position within the field of interest and specialization in the context area being addressed and not on their leadership style. Leadership education curriculum often focuses on change as a product of leadership and leadership styles but places little emphasis on how the...

In his acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize Norman Borlaug (1970) stated “Civilization as it is known today could not have evolved, nor can it survive, without an adequate food supply” (para. 1). Feeding a world with nine billion people in approximately 35 years will require several key problems to be resolved (U.N. Food and Agriculture Orga...

Even though science says genetically modified (GM) foods are safe, many consumers remain skeptical of the technology. Additionally, the scientific community has trouble communicating to the public, causing consumers to make uninformed decisions. The Millennial Generation will have more buying power than any other generation before them, and more re...

The population of the United States is growing and increasing in cultural diversity. Of the total U.S. population in 2010, 50.48 million were of Hispanic or Latino origin. Colleges and universities must prepare students to be successful in this diverse work place. Agricultural college students must know how to navigate diversity in order to adapt t...

The National Research Council (2009) emphasized the importance of enhancing the undergraduate experience to better prepare graduates to work in a global economy. The NRC went further to suggest college faculty might need professional development to make appropriate changes. In 2010, as a part of a USDA Higher Education Challenge Grant, eight facult...

The purpose of this study was to explore the com-petencies and experiences valued by prospective employers in the agriculture and natural resources (ANR) industry to understand if study abroad experiences increase employability. All recruiters agreed interpersonal communication and leadership skills are necessary to be effective in their organizati...

The purpose of this study was to explore farmers’ knowledge of food security issues in Trinidad. Such information can be used to develop appropriate extension training interventions. Using a Borich (1980) methodology, a total of 300 agricultural producers in Trinidad were surveyed with an instrument that consisted of two parts: (a) personal demogra...

Minority children and adolescents living in rural areas, below poverty guidelines, are less likely to engage in healthy food choices or a healthy lifestyle, and this contributes to obesity issues. Providing children with the skills and knowledge to lead healthy lives is a way to combat this epidemic. Focus groups were conducted at three Extension s...

Our climate is changing and this will impact food security around the world. The impacts from climate change will not be evenly felt around the world. Some of the most vulnerable areas will be coastal zones and island territories. Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are especially vulnerable. This chapter provides an overview of climate change, d...

Graduates of higher education institutions increasingly function in globalized contexts, especially students of agricultural and life sciences. Faculty who undertake experiences abroad can internationalize their curricula to present students with global perspectives. However, preflection prior to travel is important to identify pre-existing percept...

International experiences – semester-long study abroad, short-term study trips, internships, or integration of global issues into on-campus curricula –are widely accepted as a growing need for today’s generation of students. This study examined the impacts of three short-term international capstone experiences on student knowledge and attitudes. On...

Experiential learning techniques have been used in agricultural education programs for decades. An essential part of this experiential learning process is reflection. Kolb (1984) stated “knowledge results from the combination of grasping experience and transforming it” (p. 41) in a process that involves using reflection. Few researchers have tried...

The purpose of this study was to identify the best practices of study abroad programs before, during, and after the experience. The results of this study will add further to implementing quality educational programs in agricultural and life sciences. A qualitative methodology with participant observation was employed to provide a thick and rich exa...

International learning experiences are increasingly considered critical by universities in order to address the breadth of knowledge and skills required by food and agricultural scientists. An international experience helps create an awareness of international perspectives and prepares students for a global workforce. This article discusses the imp...