Stories From May 2025
Benefits of North Carolina Adopting African Indigenous Leafy Vegetables
Adopting African Indigenous Leafy Vegetables in North Carolina offers a triple-win: economic opportunity for growers, improved nutrition for communities, and a more sustainable, resilient agricultural system. With proper extension support, marketing channels, and education, these vegetables could become a valuable asset to North Carolina’s diverse and evolving agricultural landscape.
NC State and Moldova Forge Path for Agricultural Innovation and Education
NC State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) is strengthening its partnership with the Technical University of Moldova (TUM) to enhance agricultural education, research and innovation in the Eastern European nation. Building on decades of ties between North Carolina and Moldova, this collaboration is now focused on modernizing Moldova’s agricultural sector and preparing its workforce for the challenges of the 21st century.
Institute Cultivates Tomorrow’s Food and Ag Leaders
In early April, 70 teens took part in the 2025 North Carolina Youth Institute. The two-day event gave them the chance to interact with university students and faculty members, to take part in experiential workshops and to share their ideas for addressing global challenges in food, agriculture and sustainability.
Simon Fraher: Sweetpotato Genetics PostDoc
Simon Fraher is a highly skilled vegetable breeder finishing his doctorate this spring semester with NC State University’s Sweetpotato and Potato Breeding and Genetics Programs. His focus is to benefit the sweetpotato community with molecular marker development for guava root knot nematodes and pioneering genomic selection research. These breeding efforts bolster North Carolina’s economy as a leading sweetpotato producer and help address food and nutritional insecurity in tropical regions around the world.