Michelle Bufkin, AU Agriculture Communications Student/EDEN Community of Practice Social Media Assistant, recently interviewed EDEN delegate Andrea Higdon
1. How did you first get involved with EDEN?
University of Kentucky’s Point of Contact, Tom Priddy, highly recommended I attend the EDEN Annual Meeting in Fargo, ND, in 2005. At that first meeting, I recall a very warm welcome from Pat Skinner who immediately pushed me into the deep end of the pool by recruiting me for the Information Clearinghouse Committee. At the time, I was just beginning to learn about Extension’s role in disaster preparedness. The innovative ideas and enthusiastic educators at the meeting really motivated me to get more involved and helped mold my career path in disaster preparedness in the food and agriculture sector.
2. What is your role in disaster preparedness in your state?
I currently serve as the Emergency Management System Director for the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. In that role, I am responsible for all safety and emergency management activities in the College, including emergency action plans, business continuity, training, and compliance. I also serve as the College liaison to internal and external local, state, and federal stakeholder emergency preparedness groups.
3. Tell us a little about your role in developing and implementing the SCAP Program.
The EDEN Strengthening Community Agrosecurity Planning (S-CAP) program began as a concept driven by the EDEN Agrosecurity Program Area Work Group. A need was identified to help local emergency managers address animal and agricultural issues in their emergency operations plans, as its importance is often overlooked.
In 2008, I was part of a team of educators from the University of Kentucky and New Mexico State University that led the development of the program, with significant support from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Clemson Extension, The University of Tennessee Extension, Colorado State University Extension, Montana State University, and Utah State University Cooperative Extension. The product resulting from the team effort was a 2-day workshop to enable community partners to build capacity to handle agricultural issues during an emergency or disaster, improve networking among stakeholders who can plan for and respond to emergencies, and develop community agrosecurity planning teams to establish or enhance agrosecurity components within existing local emergency operations plans.
Since its inception, the S-CAP program has been delivered in 20+ states and 50+ trainers have been through the train-the-trainer program. S-CAP is recognized as a strategic theme in practice to empower local action in the December 2011 FEMA document titled “A Whole Community Approach to Emergency Management: Principles, Themes, and Pathways for Action (FDOC 104-009-1)”. The workshop has undergone several revisions to continue to improve upon the original concept. The most recent revision was approved by FEMA’s National Training and Education Division for inclusion in their state/federal course catalog. Over the course of the program’s lifetime, we’ve received critical financial support from USDA NIFA and DHS. I maintain my role as the S-CAP program director and communities continue to host our program with critical support from extension educators across the nation.
4. What has been your favorite part of getting involved with EDEN?
This is an easy question. Without a doubt, my favorite part of getting involved with EDEN is the people. EDEN delegates are so passionate and knowledgeable about their craft, one can’t help but walk away feeling energized and excited about disaster preparedness after talking with any one of them. Over the years I’ve developed deep professional and personal relationships that will last a lifetime. I truly appreciate and value my time spent in EDEN.
