ARS | Publication request: Creating a community of practice for blueberries

Submitted to: International Journal of Fruit Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: February 15, 2012
Publication Date: March 14, 2012
Citation: Hummel, N., Attaway, D., Coneva, E., Braswell, J., Cline, W., Marshall, D.A., Ferrin, D., Machtmes, K., Roy, H. 2012. Creating a community of practice for blueberries. International Journal of Fruit Science. 12:1-3, 350-359.

Interpretive Summary: Our plan is to launch the All about Blueberries Community of Practice website at www.extension.org in August 2010. The funding for this project will continue through August 2012. In years two and three we will continue to build content as outlined in our project proposal. In particular, this will include creation of an interactive blueberry industry map for use by growers and consumers of blueberries. We will also expand our offering of online Moodle courses. Additionally, we will create online interactive identification keys to blueberry insects and diseases. We currently are recruiting experts from across the U.S. to cooperate in development of new content. If you are interested in joining our team, please contact us by e-mail or sign up at about.extension.org. In order togrow our team, we need authors and editors of content from a variety of disciplines. We hope that this information will be widely used by the general public, and that connection with social networking tools will enhance our ability to engage with our Community of Interest online.

Technical Abstract: The “All about Blueberries” Community of Practice is adapting the best existing extension publications and developing new research-based extension recommendations related to blueberry 20 production and consumption. Our primary goal is to increase blueberry productivity and consumption of blueberries, initially in the southeast and then nationwide. The experts that are members of our Community of Practice are located in the southeastern United States (Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and North 25 Carolina) where both southern highbush and rabbiteye blueberries are grown. Southern states with relatively small blueberry industries and insufficient funds to support active land-grant research and extension programs (Louisiana and Alabama) are benefiting from cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture, 30 Mississippi State University, and North Carolina State University that have well-developed, robust research/extension programs that support the blueberry industry.