University Land-Grant Extension and Resistance to Inclusive Epistemologies

Public land-grant universities have historically engaged with the public through knowledge extension in the agricultural sciences, which later grew into other forms of outreach. Given the important mission of land-grant institutions to positively impact agricultural sciences, this inquiry focuses on the role of agricultural extension and the exchange of Indigenous knowledge through university programs. In a case study of a Native-serving institution with land-grant status, we explored the roles of Western and Indigenous science through interviews with university faculty and food producers. The responses demonstrate that perceptions of Native science in the Western knowledge environment are varied and can create a barrier between the University and the community. The barrier, in turn, can produce a gap that prevents the university from fully offering public benefits that are inclusive of Native peoples, perspectives, and science.