A West Virginia University graduate student has turned personal principles into a professional passion, and her efforts have landed her on the world stage of organic agriculture.
Hannah Schrum, who is pursuing a masters degree in horticulture in WVU s Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences, recently presented her research at the 16th Organic World Congress of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements in Modena, Italy.
Attending and participating in the conference was very rewarding,said Schrum, who hails from Fayetteville, Ark.People came from over 100 different countries to contribute knowledge and learn from each other. I felt like an active, contributing team member in a world that is facing serious food security and sovereignty problems.
Schrums research focuses on the development of organic strategies to prevent root rot in peas and spinach.
Growers who produce certified organic crops or home growers who wish to avoid the chemicals currently have no viable option of controlling root rot if they find their soil is infested with the disease,she said.
My research investigated the effect of a number of different planting techniques with increased temperature and drainage and whether or not these techniques positively influenced crop stands,Schrum said.
After two years of study, planting both spring and fall crops at WVU s Organic Research Farm in Morgantown, she determined that a particular transplanting method is the best and most reliable technique to ensure peas and spinach grow when they would otherwise fail because of root rot.
Schrum, who earned her undergraduate degree in horticulture from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, became interested in organic production through personal experience.
I had a series of opportunities to live and experience the difference of organic food and sustainable farms,she explained.It wasnt a far jump to realize the implications these improvements would mean on a larger scale.
Ultimately, I chose to continue with organic research because it would allow me to contribute to improving systems, which will become more and more important as the world shifts out of favor of methods that depend on oil and toxic chemicals,she said.Living sustainably will soon shift from a fad to a necessity. Ive experienced it to understand how important it is; Ive seen the science to know it is possible.
WVU s nationally recognized Organic Research Project is one of only a handful of its kind in the United States. Its a multidisciplinary effort combining various disciplinesagronomy, economics, horticulture, animal sciencesto compare organic and sustainable practices and determine which will have the highest yields for growers.
Organic agriculture is slowly being recognized as a very important solution to many problems,Schrum said.Its encouraging to see a movement gaining serious economic momentum as people decide what is good for them, and thereby vote with their money, thus endorsing the products and processes which they support.
Schrum plans to graduate in August. Her travel to Italy for the conference was supported by the Davis Colleges Division of Plant and Soil Sciences and the American Phytopathological Societys Potomac Division.