NIFA $200,000 Grant to Support Women and Minorities in STEM

JONESBORO – The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has awarded a grant aimed at targeted interventions for women and minority groups in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields at Arkansas State University (A-State).

Dr. Nina Crutchfield, associate professor of agricultural education, said the $200,000 grant, “Arkansas CommUniversity Statewide Partnership and Agri-STEM Pathways for Underrepresented Students,” was written by partner grantors at the University of Arkansas.

Crutchfield said, “This grant will create Agri-STEM experiences, outreach, mentoring and leadership activities, as well as curriculum to increase the number of underrepresented students pursuing agriculture degrees and entering the state’s agricultural workforce.”

She said the grant represents a collaborative, multi-institutional partnership among universities across the state.

Crutchfield continued: “Arkansas CommUniversity will provide comprehensive support and expand the knowledge and experience of students in grades 6 through 12 who are interested in agricultural science, through educational and extension functions statewide.”

“We will specifically focus on developing successful recruitment and retention programs aimed at students from underrepresented minority backgrounds.”

The students who will take part in the work funded by this grant come from Arkansas Lighthouse Charter Schools (ALCS), located in Pine Bluff and Jacksonville. Both schools are located in small communities where more than 76% of students are from minority backgrounds.

Crutchfield said she will organize an academy for ALCS students that includes in-depth experiences across all agricultural career pathways available at A-State.

These include equine and livestock management, veterinary science, biotechnology, plant and soil science, meat science, agricultural economics, agricultural education, GIS and water management.

“We will also establish a chapter of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) on campus. I will be working on the initial establishment stages this fall, with hopes of launching it in the spring semester,” Crutchfield said.

She said this program addition at A-State will complement another NIFA grant announced earlier this year, through which she organized programming for university students on campus in summer 2025 and 2026 for agricultural education courses.

Educational partners involved in this grant include the Division of Agriculture of the University of Arkansas System; the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences; the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences; the Arkansas Tech University Department of Agriculture and Tourism; MANRRS; ALCS; Crystal Bridges; and the Arkansas State University College of Agriculture.

Funding for the grant, which will be used over a three-year period, will begin this fall.