The Sustainable, Optimized Urban and Latino-driven Agriculture (SOULA) project at San Diego State University was funded by the USDA-NIFA-HSI grant (award # 2017-38422-27108) in 2017. The project aims to provide innovative solutions to food security through interdisciplinary collaborations, the incorporation of indigenous knowledge, and the development of a pipeline of diverse specialists with flexible skill-sets in the fields of food and agriculture. We provide hands-on research experiences to students through our Indigenous to Urban Agriculture course, Food Security Internship, and Summer Field School. In our lecture and laboratory curricula, students are introduced to the traditional milpa (multispecies interplanting) technique, modern urban agricultural methods, and advanced scientific instrumentation. They then apply the knowledge in real-world projects through the internship. We also provide study abroad opportunities where students work alongside indigenous farmers, document and preserve traditional farming techniques that may be lost in subsequent generations.
