Equipping Quality Urban Agriculture Leaders (e.q.u.a.l.): Food Safety Training Customized For Urban and Community Food Production Systems

Major GOALS of the project:Develop and deliver highly-customized food safety curriculum, courses, teaching approaches and best practices for hard-to-reach and underserved urban agriculture audiences; andCreate a Western Regional Urban Agriculture Training concentration at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona to complement the FDA/USDA NIFA Western Regional Food Safety Center headquartered at Oregon State University.OBJECTIVES:1. Align FDA Interactive National Curriculum Standard (INCS) entry-level competencies with existing Cal Poly Pomona cross-disciplinary food safety courses.2. Develop an expanded course outline (ECO) for a new urban agriculture food safety course in Plant Science urban agriculture minor program.3. Identify, deliver, and implement customized food safety programs to hard-to-reach, niche, and beginning urban farmers & underserved consumers from socially disadvantaged (food desert) communities.