Engagement

Kathryn A. Stofer, Md. Samiul Basir, Justin Pitts, Fabio A. Castiblanco, and Yaguang Zhang

Organizations, including research teams and centers, non-profits, industry and government recruiters, and university departments hoping to attract students, often staff tables at career expos such as those at national conferences. This publication, intended for anyone who may coordinate an organization’s representation at a similar event, will take you through the steps of planning, materials preparation, and setting up and staffing a conference booth at a career expo. This publication is one of a series related to work from the Internet of Things for Precision Agriculture (IoT4Ag), a National Science Foundation-funded Engineering Research Center. Written by Kathryn A. Stofer, Md. Samiul Basir, Justin Pitts, Fabio A. Castiblanco, and Yaguang Zhang, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, June 2025.

John Diaz andYsabel Polanco

Participatory action research (PAR) is a robust methodology for advancing community-driven inquiry, particularly within agricultural and rural development contexts. This second article in the PAR series focuses on essential strategies for engaging stakeholders and identifying priority issues early in the PAR process. The goal is to equip Extension professionals and researchers with a roadmap for launching participatory projects that are equitable, grounded, and impactful. Written by John Diaz and Ysabel Polanco, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, October 2025.

Daniel Feinberg andMark Hostetler

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet. Published by Environmental Literacy and Sustainability

Shiala M. Naranjo andKathryn A. Stofer

Researchers, engineers, scientists, and program designers can use the information from this publication to engage better with farmers and to ensure programs and products from research are beneficial and easily adopted. This publication shares background on the importance of engagement and several high-level strategies for consideration as you approach engagement, especially for the first time, illustrated by the work of the IoT4Ag Center. Overall, the strategies center the farmer, addressing how to design engagement around audience needs, understand externalities, and determine shared values, highlighted by a case study of how engagement has gone wrong. Written by Shiala M. Naranjo and Kathryn A. Stofer, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, September 2025.

John Diaz andYsabel Polanco

This is the third article in the Participatory Action Research (PAR) series that explores the co-design phase of PAR, where Extension professionals and community stakeholders collaboratively construct a research plan. Through a review of literature and examples from agricultural contexts, this publication offers practical strategies for fostering shared goals, clarifying roles, selecting relevant methodologies, and maintaining flexibility. Written by John Diaz and Ysabel Polanco, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, December 2025.