Strategic Plan for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

College goal:

The UGA CAES achieves its mission, and contributes to the University of Georgia institutional goals, by providing the highest quality research, outreach, and teaching in agricultural and environmental sciences to the citizens of Georgia.

Strategic Opportunity:

It is essential to bring the two related disciplines of agricultural and environmental sciences to address a critical paradox in the State of Georgia. Rapid economic development in the Atlanta area is occurring at a cost to environmental quality, while a range of issues has depressed agricultural prices and created an economic crisis in the agricultural sector of the state. Environmental quality must be assured during the continued economic development of the prosperous metropolitan Atlanta area. At the same time, there is a need to create economic development opportunities in rural areas of the state.

The CAES has research, extension, and teaching programs addressing environmental quality problems in urban, suburban, and rural Georgia. It can enhance these programs allowing Georgia to respond even more strategically to these issues, through implementation of this plan. The CAES also has significant programs for innovative agricultural production, the addition of value to these products, and creative marketing of commodities produced in rural Georgia. Particularly through the expansion of programs in horticultural commodities as outlined in this strategic plan, the College can help address economic development in rural Georgia. The College is poised for strategic addressing of these dual issues at a time when there is a willingness from both government and private industry in the state to work toward solutions of the same problems.

College Advantages:

The UGA CAES has advantages in organization, personnel, and programs to address both the environmental and economic development problems in the state, and to deliver timely information for citizens interested in their solution.

Environmental issues

The UGA CAES has nationally recognized programs in environmental sciences, including waste management, water quality, soil and nutrient conservation, and toxicology. The faculty of the CAES are integrally involved in addressing issues of agricultural production and profitability with a keen eye on the effects these practices may have on environmental quality in Georgia. A new department, Environmental Health Sciences (EHS), was established this past year with acknowledged expertise in occupational, environmental, and aquatic toxicology. EHS faculty have significant collaboration with faculty in departments both within and outside the CAES as they address environmental problems of particular concern to the urban portions of our state. Many of the programs study the effects of human contact with hazardous substances, and as such are a critical component of the biomedical initiative being developed at UGA.

Agricultural economic development

Economic development in rural Georgia is a highly complex issue. An important component of the existing economic disparities between rural and urban Georgia is the minimal profitability of many current agricultural production systems. However, Georgia has advantages of climate and human expertise for further development of those agricultural enterprises than are profitable. When these enterprises are developed in combination with industries that add value to the commodities being produced, and with creative marketing of these commodities, the enterprises can add significant capital to rural portions of the state.

CAES expertise exists in the production of commodities that can be grown, processed, and profitably marketed. Faculty in the Departments of Horticulture, Crop and Soil Sciences, Entomology, and Plant Pathology evaluate production of a range of commodities, including new industrial crops, fruits, vegetables, and ornamentals. The addition of value to the raw commodities through processing and packaging is critical to economic success, and there is significant expertise in these disciplines in the Department of Food Science and Technology, as well as Biological and Agricultural Engineering. Programs in agribusiness and marketing through the Department of Applied and Agricultural Economics provide the basis for creative marketing of these products.

The horticultural industry is the fastest growing agriculturally related industry in Georgia and is projected to double in the next 10 years. The last 25 years have seen a 25-fold increase in value of the industry to its current estimate of $2.5 billion.

There are several recent successes in bringing a combination of production and processing of agricultural, particularly horticultural, commodities to the marketplace. For example, research from the CAES was instrumental in the development of a strong industry in Vidalia onions through research and extension efforts in production, intermediate- and long-term storage, value-added products, and marketing. A significant market in sweet carrots, with the opportunities to capture greater portions of that market as well, has been created through similar activities. Through research and extension programs in the Departments of Horticulture and Crop and Soil Science, new plants have been created, such as flowers, shrubs, and turfgrass varieties that provide for economic growth in rural areas, including those rural areas of the state that are transitioning to a more urban focus.

Implementation of solutions

The CAES has a significant advantage for implementation of solutions to problems in the state through its network of cooperative extension agents in each county. These individuals are supported by a combination of federal, state, and local funds, as well as significant volunteer efforts. As the College continues to develop solutions for agricultural economic development and environmental quality issues, the agents have both the technical understanding and continuing education skills to bring these solutions to citizens throughout Georgia. The college has been a leader in the use of information technology for outreach purposes. An example of this leadership has been the utilization of digital images to facilitate problem diagnoses.

Strategic Goals and Plans

Environmental issues

A. The CAES will enhance its addressing of environmental issues through the development of its Environmental Health Science Department to national prominence. Plans for further improvement in research, teaching, and extension programs in occupational and environmental toxicology and other programs in the Department include the following:

1. The reallocation of resources within the college to hire a nationally prominent environmental health scientist as department head.

2. Requests to the Georgia State Legislature, through the AB@ budget, for additional faculty positions in environmental health sciences in both research and extension. These positions are outlined in the College's planning document Investing in Georgia's Future through Agricultural Research and Extension.

3. Consistent with the UGA Master Plan, and the mission statements of the UGA Office of Academic Affairs, the CAES, and the Environmental Health Sciences Department, a facility analysis and feasibility study was conducted in March 1999. This study, prepared as a collaboration between the Environmental Health Sciences Department and the Office of Academic Affairs, identified space constraints as a significant impediment to the full realization and expansion of existing programs, or for the addition of new faculty and programs. The study called for a three-phased sequence of renovation and addition of facilities for the EHS Department. When implemented, this plan will provide the necessary classroom, laboratory, and office space for the department to meet the environmental health needs of the state.

Agricultural economic development

B. The CAES will develop profitable, agriculturally based enterprises that can bring economic development to rural Georgia. Plans for this development include the following:

1. Requests to the Georgia State Legislature, through the AB@ budget, for additional faculty positions in the following areas; new and emerging crops and products; development of profitable and environmentally sound production technologies; and improved efficiencies in pest management and in crop and animal protection. Additional positions are being sought in food processing; food science technology; agribusiness, marketing and international trade; finance, economic development and public policy. These positions and programs are outlined in the College's planning document Investing in Georgia's Future through Agricultural Research and Extension.

2. The establishment of a value-added Task Force, charged to review the opportunities for strengthening agriculture and the economy of the state by enhancing value to Georgia-produced products, commodities and by-products.

3. The establishment of a Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development. Components of the Center's mission include:

To conduct research on short-term, rapid response, applied projects, of interest and concern to agricultural groups within the State and widely disseminate the results of that research.

To analyze and report on the economic impact of Georgia agriculture and its various segments of agribusiness (value-added and food processing industries), and of rural economic developments on the state economy.

To coordinate and widely disseminate price and output forecasts for Georgia agricultural products.

To conduct economic feasibility studies of new agribusiness opportunities in the State of Georgia.

4. The development of physical facilities in Athens to support the necessary existing programs in research, extension, and teaching and provide the needed infrastructure for expansion of programs as requested through the B budget. Currently three departments, Crop and Soil Science, Plant Pathology, and Horticulture, share a building with the Botany Department in the College of Arts & Sciences. Facilities are insufficient for adequately addressing existing problems, and are particularly limiting if new programs are to be put in place.

A strategic opportunity exists because of the support of Georgia's horticulture industry. Individuals within this industry are encouraging the university to make a new horticulture facility a priority for state funding. The college is also challenging the industry to provide a portion of the funding for this facility. This is a new type of funding opportunity for the college and one that the college is developing further.

Implementation of solutions

C. The CAES will significantly enhance information technology infrastructure and support of its use in extension programs throughout the state. This will improve implementation of the research conducted in our college to address both the environmental and agricultural issues presented in this document.

Strategies for funding the initiatives

Environmental issues

Renovation and additions to the Environmental Health Sciences building have been estimated by the architectural firm of Collins, Cooper, and Carusi to total $8,611,000 with the first phase costing $4,243,000. The renovation of this building is ranked as one of the highest priority on the small cap list for CAES and this information has been communicated to University administration. Funding will be sought through the Georgia General Assembly and through targeted campaigns for private funds.

Agricultural economic development

The Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development has been organized initially through the reallocation of available resources including both personnel and operating dollars. Additional funds have bene requested through the Georgia General Assembly in response to Rural Economic Development strategies. Requests for Special Research Grants through the U.S. Department of Agriculture are also being considered.

Representatives from the horticultural industry in the state have discussed the priority of a new Horticulture facility with university and college administration. The facility is the highest priority on the large cap list within the CAES. Dean Buchanan recently sent a request to Provost Holbrook asking that this facility be made a high priority for the university as well. Funding will be sought from both state and private dollars. This strategic initiative will be one of the first opportunities for the CAES to combine both public and private sources of funding and will represent a new model that can provide significant incentives for future growth and success of the college and the university.

Implementation of solutions

One-time funding of $465,000 has been identified within the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the College of Family and Consumer Sciences as contributions toward completing the initial technology infrastructure. This will provide infrastructure for approximately 55% of off-campus facilities. To complete the infrastructure for all facilities will require an additional $375,000 that will be requested through the state legislature and from private sources.

Approximately $345,000 annually will be needed for ongoing connectivity charges. Without the availability of central funding, counties will be expected to fund connectivity. This will result in greater disparity in levels of connectivity based upon each individual county's ability to pay. Ultimately, this funding will be sought at the state level.