Last decade’s Great Recession spawned a wave of entrepreneurialism. Think Uber, Slack, Instagram, Airbnb. And now, during the COVID pandemic, innovation has become a necessity. The Institute of Applied Agriculture, under the tutelage of Tope Fajingbesi, is preparing its students to ride the new wave. Fajingbesi, an entrepreneur herself, joined the IAA faculty in August 2019 as a full-time lecturer and advisor for the Agricultural Business Management track. By providing hands-on opportunities for students to learn what it takes to become an entrepreneur, Fajingbesi is igniting an entrepreneurial energy at the IAA.
This fall, students in her Agricultural Entrepreneurship class conceived of 9 different businesses, participated in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources’ AgEnterprise Challenge, pitched their businesses like Shark Tank contenders, and set-up virtual booths at UMD’s Terp Marketplace. Excitement built throughout the semester as students tested and tweaked ideas, pushed and stretched their skills, and wrestled with budgets and team assignments. The results have been rewarding.
“Jenny and I are passionate about this and we plan to take it forward,” said Isabel Sanchez who along with Jenny Lindstrom, created Garden Finders, a solution for wannabe gardeners who have no land access and are faced with long community garden waitlists. “We’re the Airbnb for garden seekers,” Sanchez explains.
Lindstrom agrees, “We hope to get shovels in the ground for 2021. We really want to make it community-based and accessible to everyone who wants to garden. Finding garden hosts is the linchpin to our success.”
While Lindstrom and Sanchez put an agriculture spin on Airbnb, Grayson Welch and his team used the Uber concept for their Mobile Mechanic company. “Our service bridges the gap between farmers and mechanics,” explains Welch. Through the company’s website, farmers can connect with independent, certified, traveling mechanics who would come to their farms to repair and maintain equipment.
Ryan Flax, Aidan Moffitt, Elpida Liakos, and Shawna Budny teamed up to create “Grounded Acres,” a company that turns common waste from coffee grounds into environmentally safe fertilizers. During the team’s pitch, Flax said, “We believe using coffee grounds rather than bone meal is better for the environment.” Admittedly, the team still needs to perfect and test its fertilizer formula. With free coffee grounds readily available, these IAA students could create the next environmentally-friendly miracle fertilizer.
The IAA is not alone in its quest to prepare the next generation of innovators; the University of Maryland fuels the spirit. In 2020, UMD rose to number three among public universities in The Princeton Review’s annual survey of top schools for entrepreneurship. Four years ago, recognizing the need for entrepreneurs in the Ag sector, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR) launched the AgEnterprise Challenge to provide students with an out-of-classroom experience to help grow fearless ideas. This fall’s AgEnterprise Challenge tasked students with finding alternative uses for out-of-service poultry houses in Maryland. IAA students tackled the task and rose to the top. An IAA student was on each of the top three teams:
- Lynn Brooks, Sustainable Agriculture Major, Agro Plastics Recycling Plants - 1st Place
- Alyssa Chiascione, Sustainable Agriculture Major, Hydroponics Farm - 2nd Place
- Grayson Welsh, Agricultural Business Management Major, Aquaponics Farm - 3rd Place
Fifty years ago, students came to the IAA to become farmers, turfgrass managers, horticulturalists, and landscapers. Now, in addition to the traditional career options, IAA graduates are becoming innovators, leaders, communicators, social entrepreneurs, and...well...who knows what? That will be determined by the new jobs they create.
