Future enhancements include a seed certification and testing laboratory, and other lab spaces to address emerging needs for future faculty and future collaborations with USDA-ARS or corporate partners in agriculture and food systems.
The CSU Research and Demonstration Complex will transform agriculture, strengthen the next generation through experiential learning, and meet the community's needs through research and demonstration. Ongoing development will expand capacity to accommodate additional research, extension, and training programming. So far, the lack of storage facilities is a limitation for current agricultural farm machinery/equipment for research and Extension demonstrations. To resolve this issue, a 17,600- square-foot storage facility is currently being designed (Fig.3). CSU has received NIFA funding approval and intends to start construction as soon as the design is finalized. The storage building will address the need for storage space to support CSU's research and Extension mission. Similarly, there are limited greenhouse spaces for research and demonstration. New greenhouses will be added to expand resources to support food and agricultural growth areas. As the RDC's growth progresses, existing infrastructures like aquaponics and aquaculture greenhouses, as well as the honeybee research lab, will be enhanced to continue expanding for innovative research and demonstration. Furthermore, the RDC will also include an animal barn and pasture management site to expand CSU's tri-partite mission.
These resources at CSU would enable researchers to address climate change, food security and safety, and climate-smart agricultural practices to enhance international engagement, research cooperation, and competitiveness, support economic development in underserved populations, promote global food security, and graduate an engaged workforce.
To reach its ambitious, long-term goals for its 1890 Land- Grant Programs, Central State University seeks partnerships with state, federal, and corporate entities for additional funds to complete the RDC project. This project will serve underserved and underrepresented communities and support economic development in Ohio and beyond.
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