$10M awarded to NMC for agritourism

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded $10 million to the Northern Marianas College to help create, cultivate, and expand the “Next Generation” agritourism workforce for the Northern Mariana Islands.

The grant award, which was announced last Thursday, will fund an NMC-designed workforce development program that aims to contribute to the economic and socio-cultural growth of Pacific Islanders and other underrepresented insular communities in the U.S.

The grant program, titled “From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals Program,” is meant to foster the next generation of diverse food and agricultural professionals across the nation.

There will also be scholarship and financial aid provided to both undergraduate and graduate students to increase the number of professionals in food, agricultural, and related sciences to workforce development in the NMI.

“We need to ensure our youth have the education and training they need to accelerate the development of an agricultural system that is climate-smart, sustainable, profitable and equitable,” said U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “This historic investment from the Biden-Harris Administration in our nation’s minority-serving institutions brings us closer to building a workforce that represents the richness and diversity of all the communities we serve.”

The program is funded by President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which aims to lower costs for American families, expand access to markets to producers from all backgrounds and communities, build a clean energy economy, and strengthen American supply chains.

Northern Marianas College announced yesterday that it has been awarded a competitive grant of $10 million by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to create and expand workforce development efforts relating to agri-tourism. NMC-Cooperative Research Extension and Education Service interim dean Patricia Coleman, left, and NMC business professor Dr. Yunzi Zang, together with NMC CREES professor and State Program and Food Science leader Dr. Zaidul Sarker, inset, led the grant writing and development efforts to secure the competitive U.S. Department of Agriculture grant. (NMC)

Additionally, USDA stated, the grant “will enable eligible institutions, from New York to the Northern Mariana Islands, to build and sustain the next generation of food, agriculture, natural resources and human sciences workforce. This includes efforts to strengthen USDA’s workforce through enhanced educational support, experiential learning, and exposure to early career opportunities.”

The NextGen grant initiative at NMC was led by Dr. Zaidul Sarker, NMC CREES professor and State Program and Food Science leader, and Dr. Yunzi Zhang, NMC Business Department professor.

“We thank the [USDA] and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture for selecting NMC for this competitive grant, and we especially want to congratulate our very own Dr. Md Zaidul Sarker from our CREES program, Dr. Yunzi Zhang from our School of Business, and our interim dean of CREES Patty Coleman for their incredible work in securing this grant,” said NMC president Dr. Galvin Deleon Guerrero.

“We look forward to funding undergraduate and graduate degree scholarships and strengthening the CNMI’s scientific and economic capacities while contributing to building the knowledge-based economy,” said Coleman.

“This grant will greatly contribute and encourage our NMI students to pursue higher education which will increase local capacity and career offerings in Food Science, Agriculture, Aquaculture, Human Sciences, and food processing and value-added food production from local produce, as well as its infrastructure in food-related knowledge building, said Sarker. “I am also glad that it will greatly contribute to building an inclusive food environment for local communities and incoming visitors.”

“The NMI may become a future regional hub for learning and career development in agri-tourism, such as in diversified value-added food branding, farm-to-table food operations, farm lodging services and sustainable farming education programs for visitors,” said Zhang.