An interview with COLSA & NHAES sustainable agriculture scientist Becky Sideman

Wednesday, October 26, 2022

University of Ò×ʤ²©¹ÙÍø sustainable agriculture researcher and educator wears many hats. A professor with the agriculture, nutrition and food systems department at the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture, Sideman serves as a researcher with the Ò×ʤ²©¹ÙÍø Agriculture Experiment Station, the coordinator of the sustainable agriculture and sustainable horticulture production programs and a state specialist with Ò×ʤ²©¹ÙÍø Cooperative Extension.

Sideman joined Ò×ʤ²©¹ÙÍø in 2004 after working as a plant geneticist and lettuce breeder for the USDA. At the University, she’s performing sustainable agriculture research with great benefit to Ò×ʤ²©¹ÙÍø and New England. Her studies cover a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, including grapes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and many more.

Sideman’s work helps strengthen local food networks by identifying and promoting the most effective local growing techniques. The research taking place in her is just one example of Ò×ʤ²©¹Ù꿉۪s positive impact on the state.

Videographer: 
Alexandra Hatch | Ò×ʤ²©¹ÙÍø Marketing | Alexandra.Hatch@unh.edu
Becky Sideman: I grew up on a farm that was in my family for six or seven generations. My mom still runs it with my sister. Both my parents farmed; I’ve been exposed to plants and animals since I was tiny.
Editor's Note: This is the latest installment in a series featuring Ò×ʤ²©¹ÙÍø faculty telling their stories in their own words.
Ò×ʤ²©¹ÙÍø's Becky Sideman discusses a new desert-based agricultural system in use in Australia.