The American Samoa Community College (ASCC) – Agriculture, Community and Natural Resources (ACNR) Division’s Media Specialist, Daniel Helsham, has been selected by the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program as a member of its SARE Fellows program, representing the Western region, from 2024-2026. Helsham is the first Samoan/ Pacific Islander SARE fellow and the first to be selected from any of the US Pacific territories.

A division of the US Department of Agriculture, SARE supports farmers, ranchers, researchers, and educators who are improving the sustainability of US agriculture. The SARE Fellows program is a two-year professional development experience that helps agricultural educators enhance their understanding of sustainable agriculture and build relationships with farmers and their communities. Every year since 2007, one individual from each of the four SARE regions – North Central, Northeast, Southern, and Western, the last of which includes American Samoa, is selected through a highly competitive national process.

“I am extremely honored and thankful for this opportunity to help our people by learning from the other program fellows and the sustainable agriculture experts in the different SARE regions,” said Helsham. “Through this program, I believe we can gain valuable insights to help us address the critical food security issues faced by American Samoa, such as improving local food production and decreasing the territory’s heavy reliance on imported and processed food.”

As the ASCC-ACNR Media Specialist, Helsham’s work involves developing media content and communications strategies to increase awareness and promote the importance of agriculture and natural resources within the community. His professional background consists of a Master of Science in Agricultural Communications from Texas Tech University, a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications from Chaminade University in Honolulu, and an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts from ASCC.

“We are excited to welcome these talented and dedicated individuals to the SARE Fellows program,” said SARE Associate Director Kristy Borrelli. “They understand the current demands facing sustainable agriculture, and we are confident that they will make a significant impact on the field.”

The core of the SARE Fellows program consists of state-based study tours, each three to four days long. The tours cover each of the regions on a rotating schedule, so that each Fellow visits all four regions during their two-year program. Helsham’s first tour will be to the Missoula Montana region in early 2024. After completing the program, the graduating class of Fellows facilitates a “Reading the Farm” super seminar and farm tour at the National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA) annual meeting.

For more information on the nationwide SARE Program, visit https://www.sare.org.