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The challenge for this project is to identify and link policy needs for public perceptions of agrifood nanotechnologies through the Extension system which historically has worked closely with people at local levels on matters pertaining to new technologies.<P> To address this challenge we will develop an Extension-based approach to public engagement designed specifically to capture stakeholder interactions with and perceptions of emerging agrifood nanotechnologies, and to translate/transfer this information 'upstream' to agrifood policy organizations. Extension educators will first have to become familiar with nanotechnology and its current and potential applications in agrifood systems as well as ensure that they are prepared to apply relevant social science techniques for documenting key perceptual data revealed through their interactions with agrifood stakeholders. Thus, our aim here is threefold: (1) to collect and analyze perceptions of agrifood nanotechnology; (2) to develop a process for familiarizing Extension educators with agrifood nanotechnology; and (3) in conjunction with Extension and policy personnel to develop the mechanisms for (a) capturing/documenting key public perceptions revealed through the Extension-client interactions, and (b) translating/transferring this information to agrifood policy organizations so as to increase the likelihood of information utilization. <P>The long-term goal of this process, then, will be to inform/enhance socially responsive policies for agrifood nanotechnologies at national, state, and population-specific levels. Ideally, such policies will guide future iterations of nanotechnology RD&E through funding priorities and programs at 1862, 1890, and 1994 land grant institutions. This continual feedback approach to the assessment of stakeholder perceptions of nanotechnologies will better enable policy-makers and nanotechnologists alike to fit these new technologies to people, rather than people to new technologies. In effect, this approach presents an iterative social paradigm for the development, implementation, and management of agrifood nanotechnologies and policies that may serve as a model for community-university-agency partnership, with potential application across other federal agencies. <P>This project enlists the support and participation of a number of key stakeholder groups - Extension educators from seven states including 1890 and 1994 institutions, nanoscientists working on NRI and other federally funded agrifood nanotechnology research projects, agrifood policy organizations, grocery and food industry associations, and nationally recognized social scientists specializing in public participation, risk perception and communication, and nanoscience public engagement - all of whom bring their own perceptions and perspectives concerning agrifood nanotechnologies. We will engage these stakeholders in a series of research and educational activities designed to elicit dialogue on their respective informational needs concerning public perceptions of agrifood nanotechnologies, collect and tabulate these data, and develop data translation and delivery systems for agrifood policy organizations.
NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: A team of researchers from the Institute for Food and Agricultural Standards at Michigan State University has received a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture to conduct research concerning public perceptions of nanotechnology in agriculture and food systems. The goal of this project is to develop capacity within the Cooperative Extension Service to assess and link stakeholder knowledge with public policies on this topic. The project involves the Extension programs of seven participating states ? Arizona, California, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, New Mexico, and North Carolina ? and is focused on training a small number of Extension Educators selected in consultation with each states? Extension Administrator in (a) a two-day workshop concerning what is 'agrifood nanotechnology' and what are its likely applications; and (b) a second two-day workshop on developing participant observation techniques to both document local-level perceptions of these applications and perhaps more importantly to provide a sense of local social/cultural contexts that underlie these perceptions and thus motivate social responses to them. The information generated through this project is intended to simultaneously inform Extension Educators and thus public knowledge of emerging applications of agrifood nanotechnologies, and inform agrifood policy-makers of local-level perceptions of and responses to them, with the overall goal of facilitating more 'socially responsive' agrifood nanotechnologies. Hence, this project straddles the intersection of the science and technology underlying emerging nanotechnology applications in agrifood systems, the policies which support those endeavors, and the perceptions the intended beneficiary populations have of them.
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APPROACH: We have enlisted the participation of a key stakeholder groups: (1) Extension Educators from 1862 institutions (MI, AZ, CA, IA, FL), plus two from 1994 schools (MI, NM), and one from an 1890 school (NC). This assemblage of states and institutions provides a reasonable cross-section and maximizes the range of interests in agrifood nanotechnology. (2) Agrifood Nanotechnology Experts have been drawn nationally from NRI and other NNI agency-funded agrifood nanotechnology research projects at seven institutions, including grocery and food industry associations participating in agrifood nanotechnology initiatives. This will help Extension personnel anticipate likely future agrifood nano applications and be better equipped to address public inquiries. (3) Agrifood Policy Organizations have been selected to represent national, state, and population- and industry-specific agrifood interests. (4) Social Science Experts in public participation, risk perception and communication, nanoscience public engagement, and agrifood technology transfer have been selected to engage with stakeholders in a series of research, educational, and training activities. Two workshops will be held to (A) familiarize participants with current and emerging nanotechnology applications in agrifood systems and (B) develop in them the social science research capacity for (i) documenting key public perceptions as revealed through Extension-client interaction, and (ii) translating/transferring this information to agrifood policy organizations through delivery systems that increase the likelihood of information utilization. The analysis of the data collected via the two workshops and the interactions between Extension staff and stakeholder groups should permit us to define the range of perceptions that stakeholders bring to agrifood nanotechnologies. First, we will summarize the views provided into a reasonable number of categories, and second, we will examine the justifications employed by stakeholders, noting links (if any) between types of stakeholders and the types of justifications provided. Third, we will determine if there are geographical differences in responses. Fourth, we will compare and report responses given by stakeholders linked to 1862 Land Grant Universities with those from 1890 and 1994 institutions. And finally, we will note any issues that may be of particular concern to policy organizations. Given the potential for misunderstandings, we believe that it is essential that stakeholder perspectives be interpreted in ways that are recognizable by those stakeholders. Hence, we will make every effort to provide drafts of our summaries of stakeholder expectations and concerns to the stakeholders themselves for comment. Moreover, since Extension Educators will be providing data as collected, and since analysis will begin as soon as some data are provided by Educators, the process of sharing with stakeholders will be iterative as well. These comments will allow us to produce a final summary that is recognizable to the various stakeholders, including social scientists and policymakers.