Skip to main content
N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative

Michelle Schroeder-Moreno

MS
Michelle Schroeder Moreno headshot

Department of Horticultural Science

CEFS Director and Assistant Director of Educational Programs

Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor

4126 Plant Sciences Building

919-513-2598 Website

Bio

Dr. Michelle Schroeder-Moreno serves as the director at the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) at NC State University and an agroecology professor in the Department of Horticultural Science.

Over the course of her career, Dr. Schroeder-Moreno has taught more than 1,500 students and mentored numerous students in research focused in agroecology. Dr. Schroeder-Moreno provided leadership for the Agroecology Education Programs at NC State and she led the development of the Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems B.S undergraduate major, a cross departmental program between the Crop and Soil Sciences and Horticulture Science departments. Dr. Schroeder-Moreno integrated service learning and experiential learning into the courses she developed and taught listed below that provides the foundation for the major and the Agroecology Minor programs.

Courses taught/developed:

  • Introduction to Agroecology (CS 230)– taught from 2004-2022
  • Advanced Agroecology course and lab (CS 430/530)– taught from 2005-2022
  • Sustainability of Tropical Agroecosystems in Costa Rica; (Study Abroad Course; CS 495), Co-taught with the University of Georgia, 2005-2013.
  • Critical Issues in Sustainable Agriculture course (CS 595), Co-taught, graduate level, 2010 –2012.
  • Agroecología (online, in Spanish), Co-developed and taught with faculty from the Universidad del Empresa in Montevideo, Uruguay through the Inter-American Institute for Coopertion on Agriculture (IICA), 2011 –2014.

In 2006, Dr. Schroeder-Moreno developed the Agroecology Education Farm at NC State in collaboration with various students and CEFS faculty. The Agroecology Education Farm is located approximately 15 minutes from main campus at the Lake Wheeler Field Station near the Historic Yates Mill Park. It is dedicated to hands-on education in agroecological production serving diverse students across NC State University and the surrounding community. The Agroecology Education Farm works in collaboration with NC State Dining to produce healthy, local and sustainable food for students in NC State cafeterias and eateries across campus. Students from the agroecology major and from the Agroecology Student Club support numerous educational events at the farm throughout the year and the Agroecology Education Farm has become a place that has built a community of students, staff and faculty around it.

Dr. Schroeder-Moreno has published diverse peer-review articles than span broad topics from research in active student-centered learning to sustainable strawberry production, soil health, and management of beneficial mycorrhizal fungi. She has led or collaborated on grants totaling over $9 million. Dr. Schroeder-Moreno was one of the founding members of the national Sustainable Agriculture Education Association (SAEA) helping to elevate agroecology and sustainable agriculture as a discipline and was recognized for her innovation in agroecology education and teaching receiving the 2019 United States Department of Agriculture APLU National Teaching Award.

Since 2022, Dr. Schroeder-Moreno has served in her current role as Director of CEFS and NC State. CEFS is a longstanding partnership among a multidisciplinary team of faculty and staff at NC State University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NCA&T), and the Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.  Located in Goldsboro, North Carolina, CEFS at Cherry Farm has one of the largest facilities (2,000+ acres) of its kind nation-wide dedicated to sustainable agriculture and food systems research, education and extension programming. CEFS sustainable agriculture field research units and projects focus on long-term farming systems impacts, agriculture and climate change, soil health, weed ecology, organic grain and vegetable production, pasture-based beef and dairy systems and agroforestry to name a few. CEFS food system programs are also diverse and include understanding economic impacts of local food procurement, developing local food to school and early childcare programs, sustainable and value supply chain of local meat, increasing resiliency of farmers and food businesses in the Appalachian Mountains of Western NC, increasing education and engagement of communities and food policy councils, and understanding impacts of race and equity in the food system. Lastly, CEFS is supporting a variety of hands-on career ladder education and training programs for beginning farmers and veterans in on-farm apprentices, supporting diverse graduate students leading cutting edge sustainability research in the CEFS Fellows programs and supporting college and community college students through various summer and semester-based internship programs find their path as future food system leaders.

Publications

View all publications 

Grants

Date: 09/15/22 - 9/14/27
Amount: $190,000.00
Funding Agencies: USDA - Agriculture Research Service (ARS)

The objective of this project is to provide for cooperative efforts between North Carolina State University's investigator and USDA ARS (Agency) investigator with resources needed to facilitate the knowledge of soil health and availability of soil organic carbon and nitrogen to grain and forage crop commodities. Specifically, the investigators will conduct analyses of soil organic carbon and nitrogen fractions in multiple experiments, with the aim of developing improved recommendations for climate-resilient forages and crops.

Date: 10/31/22 - 10/30/25
Amount: $18,000.00
Funding Agencies: Western North Carolina Food Justice Planning Initiative (WNC FJPI)

The is to set-up a project for the cash match associated with the USDA-AMS award

Date: 10/31/22 - 9/30/25
Amount: $36,270.00
Funding Agencies: Piedmont Triad Regional Council

This is to set-up the cash match project for the USDA-AMS Award

Date: 09/30/22 - 9/29/25
Amount: $847,541.00
Funding Agencies: Agricultural Marketing Service - USDA

This proposal aims to strengthen existing partnerships and opportunities to invest in local food infrastructure that creates long-term regional food economic resilience. Increasing federal and state-level resources have provided significant opportunities for short-term local food markets and institutional engagement. However, more sustainable channels of financial and institutional support for food hubs and local food intermediaries are needed to build sustainable opportunities for farmers and communities. With recent engagement and elevated awareness (1), local governments have a great opportunity to learn, engage, and innovate for systems-level solutions that benefit the health and wealth of farmers and their communities. The growing network of food councils that exists across North Carolina can partner with their regional Council of Governments (COGs) to educate local governments, leverage existing funding streams, and advocate for long-term value chain and local food infrastructure investments. This proposal will build capacity and innovation in three multi-county foodsheds in North Carolina, while leaning on a statewide network of partners. Food councils will lead community outreach and advocacy efforts. COGs will provide capacity building, assistance with regional data collection and analysis, and a strong connection to local governments. The Food Hub Network will provide a needs analysis. Resourceful Communities will lead a cross-county economic and value chain impact analysis and potential funding solutions. CEFS provides program management and evaluation for this proposal, a statewide structure to the network of food councils, and coordinates Statewide and Regional Summits where cross-county analyses will be compared regionally and opportunities for action will be galvanized.

Date: 09/01/21 - 8/31/25
Amount: $620,804.00
Funding Agencies: USDA - National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)

The goal of this proposal is to develop a sustainable agriculture beginning farmer registered apprenticeship program that targets veterans. This will be a pilot program implemented in partnership with Lenoir Community College and support from veteran organizations across the state. After the pilot, the program can be expanded across North Carolina with other community colleges and recent graduates


View all grants 

Groups