![Evangel University Students](https://convoyofhope.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Web_1017_EUinFields-scaled.jpg.webp)
‘Tis the season for harvest at Convoy of Hope’s World Distribution Center. Students from Evangel University visited Convoy of Hope’s Center for Agriculture & Food Security, using plots as a practical learning tool and research hub.
This opportunity comes from Evangel’s partnership with Convoy for the university’s launch activities. In return, Convoy’s agricultural experts can use the students’ findings to help farmers in different types of environments around the world. The mutually-beneficial program runs through Evangel’s Center for Compassion.
“These students move in Friday night, then Saturday morning, they start serving. So it’s literally from day one,” Convoy’s Steve Pulis said. “Our hope is by the time they graduate, no matter where their career path takes them, they are a part of Convoy’s mission for sustainable compassion.”
That first day, Evangel’s Launch Day of Community Engagement, asks students, “What does compassion mean for me and my world at Evangel?”
From Classroom to Field
Convoy’s Jason Streubel, aka Dr. Dirt, works with his environmental biology class in the fields throughout the fall. They look at the differences in pillage on biomass production, disease suppression, nitrogen modulation, and fungal communities. Basically, they see how plants grow and use testing to see how they can grow even better.
“The goal is to let students participate in building and creating resources for our farmers. But it’s also to help them understand what good research looks like and how to do that in the field,” said Jason. “When they go out into the world, they’ll have sound principles matched with real world experience.”
He added that certain universities don’t have access to something like the Center for Agriculture & Food Security. This might be a student’s first time being in a field or setting up a field plot. This opportunity provides them with job experience and gives Convoy of Hope more capacity to serve worldwide.
“This segment of service with Convoy is part of the first activities they do at Evangel University,” Jason said. “It’s a very cool program.”