Jespen Nyblom brings the knowledge of Horticulture, Sustainability, and Sustainable Food Systems to his work serving foster youth programs in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Working with Extension programs in his region, he developed a Capstone project that advocates centering food systems in diverse approaches created to support youth aging out of the system.

With many years of experience working in international development, Kelley Bishop’s Capstone offers new perspectives on this work and details why he believes food system development as a leverage point strategy can work holistically to reduce poverty, address health, nutrition, human rights, animal welfare, the environment, food safety, and cultural preservation.

Combining her experience with nutrition and oncology with her food systems volunteer work in India, for her Capstone, Andrea Rossi partnered with a small international development organization addressing the nutritional needs of school-age children in Bangladesh’s river island communities. She discusses her project and hopes for organizational-led research to become a needed bridge between the applied and the academic.

Guest Bio: Laurel Balog

For his Capstone, Dave Kuder created a guide for farmers who are interested in direct marketing. In addition, he developed a plan for a specific business that would work with farmers to create the promotional and educational materials they need. The business is called True Abundance Marketing. In this, Dave envisions a direct-to-consumer marketing service that will help farmers become more economically sustainable by creating materials that will influence consumer behaviors, appealing to the desire folks have to preserve local ownership, take care of the environment and improve their own health through the purchase of fresh and nutritious locally produced food.

Motivated by knowing that 40% of all food produced in the US is consequently thrown away, and most of that waste happens at the household level, Mariah Hachmeister created a comprehensive and interactive food waste reduction workshop for consumers.

For consumers interested in making ethical choices regarding meat consumption, Karlee Shields wrote a handbook with the goal to re-connect people to the food they eat as a tool to shift animal production toward more environmentally restorative and cruelty-free practices.

For her Capstone, Claire Tuohey-Mote designed learning modules focused on changing health outcomes for vulnerable adult populations through gardening. Through on-farm experiential learning, the workshop offers opportunities to access emotional, physical, mental and social well-being.

For his Capstone, Dave Kuder created a guide for farmers who are interested in direct marketing. In addition, he developed a plan for a specific business that would work with farmers to create the promotional and educational materials they need. The business is called True Abundance Marketing. In this, Dave envisions a direct-to-consumer marketing service that will help farmers become more economically sustainable by creating materials that will influence consumer behaviors, appealing to the desire folks have to preserve local ownership, take care of the environment and improve their own health through the purchase of fresh and nutritious locally produced food.

Interested in mobile food vending, Chad Snader evaluated different value propositions and developed a business plan for a food truck that would be a bridge between eaters and local food producers, addressing the challenges of local sourcing, menu development, pricing, and transparency.