An interview with COLSA & NHAES sustainable agriculture scientist Becky Sideman

Wednesday, October 26, 2022

University of New Hampshire sustainable agriculture researcher and educator Becky Sideman 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 New Hampshire Agriculture Experiment Station, the coordinator of the sustainable agriculture and sustainable horticulture production programs and a state specialist with UNH Cooperative Extension.

Sideman joined UNH 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 New Hampshire 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 Applied Vegetable and Fruit Research Lab is just one example of UNH’s positive impact on the state.

Videographer: 
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 UNH faculty telling their stories in their own words.
UNH's Becky Sideman discusses a new desert-based agricultural system in use in Australia.