College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS)

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Browsing College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) by Department "CALS Global"

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    2020 Global Agricultural Productivity Report: Productivity in a Time of Pandemics
    Steensland, Ann; Thompson, Thomas L. (Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Global Programs, 2020-10-12)
    Agricultural communities battle pandemic-scale pest and disease outbreaks every year. The health and productivity of people, livestock, and crops are all vulnerable. Food and nutrition security, livelihoods, and environmental sustainability are all threatened by these outbreaks. The Global Agricultural Productivity Report lays out some of pandemic scale threats that must be addressed to ensure that we can sustainably produce food, feed, fiber, and bioenergy for 10 billion people in 2050. Agricultural productivity is not just essential for sustainably meeting the demands of a growing world. The technologies and practices that increase productivity can also be harnessed to cultivate resilience, especially to pandemics that can strike with little warning, with catastrophic results.
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    Extension and Advisory Services: Supporting Communities Before, During, and After Crises
    Grove, Ben; Archibald, Thomas G.; Davis, Kristin (Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 2020-10-10)
    Extension and Advisory Services (EAS) providers are important partners for communities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from shocks such as natural disasters and human, plant, and animal disease and pest outbreaks. EAS providers work long-term in communities to equip people with knowledge, skills, and technical resources to improve their livelihoods. EAS are provided by various actors including governments, nongovernmental organizations, private sector entities, higher education institutions, and other organizations. EAS often serve in bridging roles connecting resources from numerous actors operating in communities and are valuable conduits of information during shocks. EAS are seen as key partners in helping communities rebuild and strengthen food systems after the initial shock, given their long-term work horizons. There are numerous examples of EAS responding to crises around the world, such as HIV/AIDS, Ebola, Avian Influenza, malaria, and, more recently during the current COVID-19 pandemic. During COVID-19, EAS have undertaken an unprecedented shift to virtual and distanced programming as daily life has been disrupted through restrictions on movement and gatherings. EAS agents have been challenged to modify program delivery and remain effective in serving their clientele while navigating this new landscape. In this essay we explore examples of EAS supporting communities before, during, and after crises, and discuss implications for future EAS work, including considerations of lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic response.