System Approach to Promoting Learning and Innovation for the Next GenerationS in Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Human Services - USDA NextGen
System Approach to Promote Learning and Innovation for the Next Generations (SAPLINGS) will combine the strength and expertise of seven 1890 land-grant universities to increase the number of underrepresented minority students in the fields of food, agriculture, natural resources and human sciences (FANH).
Led by North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, the nation’s largest Historically Black College and University, SAPLINGS will build and sustain participation and interest in agriculture and FANH careers among students and educators across the education continuum, beginning with the elementary grades and progressing through 4-H, high school and college; and increase institutional capacity for student success that will create lasting and sustainable change.
Through this comprehensive and synergistic model of outreach, education, research and extension, SAPLINGS will increase diversity within the skilled food and agriculture workforce and address the chronic shortage of FANH graduates our nation needs to ensure a safe, healthy, nutritious and abundant food supply.
SAPLINGS Programs in the Community
- Extension Agents Explore AI for Agriculture
- SAPLINGS creates opportunities that provide students at all levels with the knowledge, skill and technical know-how to develop data analytics and AI-based solutions to address future farming, food, and environmental challenges
- Giving Ag Swag: 2024 Explore Ag STEAM Camp
This work is supported by the From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals (NextGen) Program, project award no. 2023-70440-40153, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.
More guidance and the NIFA agency identifier can be found here: https://www.nifa.usda.gov/grants/regulations-and-guidelines/acknowledgment-usda-support-nifa