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Agroecosystem Management Program

College of Wooster Local Social Entrepreneurship project on GDAL

During the spring of 2024, three students (Aryan Tamrakar, Mariia Tkach, and Leo Widtmann) in the Local Social Entrepreneurship (LSE) program at the College of Wooster worked with AMP to create a report that compared the Grace Drake Agricultural Laboratory (GDAL) with six other research facilities in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom.

This project was suggested by College of Wooster faculty member (and long time AMP collaborator) Amyaz Moledina and overseen by LSE instructor Matt Mariola. The students focused on gathering data from these six established long-term agricultural research (LTAR) sites to inform future strategies for GDAL. This effort involved detailed interviews with a key individual at each site to understand their research methodologies, collaboration dynamics, and community interactions.



In analysis of the individual interviews for this report, several consistent themes emerged that highlight the resilience and success of these long-term agricultural research stations.

  • Being Mindful of Funding
  • Consistency with Data Collection and Management
  • Bottom-Up Collaboration in Research
  • Identify Goals with Stakeholders
  • Strengthen Community Connections
  • Involve Students

AMP is very grateful for the hard work and long hours the students put in on this project.