Agriculture Future of America Engages Students in Conversations about Diversity in Agriculture

March 18 2021

The composition of the United States and the agriculture industry continues to evolve; agriculture has an opportunity to embrace the benefits diversity provides, including individuals with valued skills, identities and ideas.

Agriculture Future of America (AFA), the premier provider of leader development experiences for college students and young professionals in agriculture, is committed to equipping students to become allies for diversity in agriculture. Farm Credit proudly supports AFA and we're excited to share the organization's efforts to make the agriculture industry equitable and inclusive for all.

Navigating challenging conversations is a skill
College students are continually exposed to people from diverse backgrounds and experiences. This can lead to challenging conversations. AFA strives to prepare their student members with the skills and tools they need to effectively engage in conversations that challenge their perspectives and ways of thinking.

'Within higher education, we often hear industry professionals note it's essential for new hires to be proficient in cultural EQ, or emotional intelligence,' said Katie Gaebel, Ph.D. in educational policy and leadership, and AFA director of programs. 'Similarly, new hires report they're not looking to see how fast they can get the corner office anymore. They want to work at a company that prioritizes diversity and shares their values.'

AFA Bridge
Rising to the challenge of providing a safe space for the future leaders of agriculture to learn and practice such skills, AFA hosted a virtual experience for young professionals studying in agriculture and related fields. The series, AFA Bridge: Thriving through our differences, brought together 29 students from across the nation for intimate, virtual discussions where they shared experiences and perspectives.

Participants engaged in sessions that provided educational background on topics including racism in land-grant institutions and diversity hires, as well as power, privilege and allyship in agriculture. Following each session, students were provided additional learning tools including articles, websites and presentations.

Read on to learn about three students who participated in AFA Bridge.

Deepening connectivity through diversity

Onsang Yau, a junior studying animal science at Cornell University, applied to participate in the AFA Bridge experience to better understand how she could approach differences within the industry.

'As an Asian American and non-traditional agriculture student, I don't have the same experiences as my classmates that were involved in 4-H or FFA,' Onsang said. 'There aren't a lot of Asian Americans in the industry either, which has a large impact on agriculture. Diversity allows the industry to further advance through combining unique ideas and thoughts from people of different races and backgrounds.'

Onsang was born in New York City and moved to China at the age of two. She returned to New York City for high school and was introduced to agriculture through reading pest management research to solve grain mite infections affecting her Dubia roach breeding colony. While she quickly found her place within agriculture, Onsang understands the barriers many face in finding opportunities to engage.

'Diversity in agriculture creates opportunities for people to see someone like them within the industry,' Onsang said. 'The Bridge series highlighted the importance of this and provided historical context for diversity in agriculture, which allowed me to understand why diversity is lagging within academic institutions and the industry as a whole.'

Onsang expected the Bridge series to appeal to students from minority populations like herself but after participating, she was surprised to find the opposite. Of the program participants, 83% identified as Caucasian. Onsang felt this was a great opportunity for those students to gain a deeper understanding and education on diversity and its importance.

'AFA hosting this program proves commitment to heightening the significance of diversity in agriculture and makes me feel confident in my decision to be involved in agriculture,' said Onsang. 'Emphasizing diversity in agriculture also helps students like myself realize that we are not alone and there are other students from unique backgrounds as well.'

Diversity provides unity for a stronger industry

Paul Schlotman, a South Dakota State University sophomore studying agricultural and biological engineering, is passionate about being an ally for diversity, equity, inclusion and engagement. Growing up in a mostly white farming community in Iowa, Paul had little exposure to diversity in his hometown.

Upon arriving at college, Paul joined Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, which values diversity and inclusion, both on campus and within the community. When Paul heard about the Bridge series, he registered to gain a deeper understanding.

'As a Christian, I believe God creates everyone equally, but it wasn't until I participated in the Bridge series that I gained a wider perspective on issues related to diversity and inclusion within agriculture,' Paul said.

'Through this program, I had a stark realization that how I perceive a situation may be entirely different than how someone else perceives it. I want to be an advocate for not only diversity, but also empathy and understanding.'

As the vice president of recruitment for Sigma Phi Epsilon, Paul has raised the importance of having hard conversations about diversity with his fellow brothers. The fraternity hosts a program that facilitates intellectual conversations about various topics over a scheduled dinner and Paul has slated a series of conversations to discuss diversity, equity, inclusion and engagement.

'When I think of diversity, equity, inclusion and engagement, I think of unity,' Paul said. 'In unity, there is strength. If we don't have unity within agriculture, everyone will suffer because of division, and we'll struggle to provide what every person needs - food. In our growing world, we need unity to find solutions for doing more with less.'

Championing diversity with constructive conversations

The 2020 turmoil and social unrest surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement spurred Gabriela Sajic, a sophomore studying animal science at Bakersfield College in California, to dig deeper into diversity and have hard conversations about it. Gabriela participated in the Bridge series to learn ways to navigate uncomfortable conversations and use her voice to respond in respectful and effective ways.

Gabriela understands the value differing perspectives and experiences bring to the industry firsthand, as she has a unique background herself. She identifies as Hispanic and stepped into agriculture with no prior involvement. Gabriela's goal is to become an agriculture education teacher and hopes to show her students there is a place for everyone in the industry.

'We need to respect people like we would like to be respected,' Gabriela said. 'We need to include people who may have different ways of thinking, but can also bring new and innovative ideas to the table. And, we need to have equity so that everyone can be empowered with equal opportunities to succeed.'

Gabriela believes communication is a driving factor in reaching understanding and awareness within the context of diversity, equity, inclusion and engagement. The Bridge series provided her with knowledge and insights on how to effectively engage with those who are different than her in constructive conversations.

'Being understanding, curious and compassionate is my biggest takeaway from this experience,' Gabriela said. 'The Bridge taught participants how to engage in conversations with people you might not agree with, while also reflecting on our own thoughts and consider that maybe we, ourselves, need to be corrected.'

Creating lasting change
Fostering engagement with people of all backgrounds and experiences goes hand in hand with diversity, equity, inclusion and engagement within agriculture.

AFA believes that heightening this work is vital to cultivate a more vibrant and productive industry and continues to place emphasis in these areas to advance the greater food and agriculture system.

As a catalyst in preparing students to become the future leaders of the industry, AFA programs like the Bridge value student experiences and create spaces for them to grow personally and professionally.

This article is adapted from AFA's article, Uncomfortable Conversations Bolstering Support for Diversity in Agriculture, by Becca Frazier.

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