Final report for LNE22-439
Project Information
Agroforestry is a set of indigenous land use practices that have been employed for thousands of years worldwide. According to the USDA, agroforestry involves the intentional integration of trees and shrubs into crop and animal farming systems to generate environmental, economic, and social benefits. Interest in agroforestry is growing among farmers in the northeastern United States.
In the last three years, agricultural producers have expressed significant interest in applying these multifunctional land use practices to their landscapes, particularly due to unprecedented support from various grant programs. These include SARE, the USDA Commodities Grant, and private investments that have contributed millions of dollars to a sector that has been largely overlooked for the past thirty years.
After more than 30 years of focus on agroforestry in the United States, the sector is finally gaining attention. "It's a blessing and a curse," Giroux noted. "On one hand, our sector has never seen this level of commitment to agroforestry; on the other hand, we are still woefully unprepared, lacking enough service providers equipped to train farmers in the modern forms of agroforestry." (Mongabay, 2022)
This grant aimed to bridge the knowledge gap for landowners seeking technical services related to the planning and implementation of the three most requested agroforestry practices in the northeastern United States: alley cropping, forest farming, and silvopasture. At the same time, it sought to address the shortage of well-trained service providers within the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) by equipping trainers with the essential knowledge and skills necessary to plan and implement these practices. The intention was to ensure that conservation planners could provide ongoing support to landowners interested in integrating agroforestry into various types of farmscapes.
Using Interlace Commons' evolving training model, known as the Field Consistency Program (FCP), we aimed to determine whether its current format was still a relevant and convenient way to support landowners interested in applying these practices to their farmscapes. Through the FCP, Interlace Commons assisted farms in the following ways:
1. Helping them identify their mission, key stakeholders, current goals, and objectives, and understanding how trees could support their farm and its present or future enterprises. 2. Supporting the assessment of current and future biophysical assets and constraints, which informed the development of an agroforestry field plan. 3. Leading to an understanding of how to integrate all the new learnings and implement the intended practices effectively.
The current format of this set of exercises is clearly useful, but it is designed as an educational program rather than an efficient framework for delivering technical service provision. Farms simply do not have the capacity to go through an educational program while also managing their operations. They are specifically looking for ways to apply these practices to improve economic output through enhanced production efficiency, while also addressing conservation concerns. While both farms and planners seek similar information, it needs to be presented in two very different and specific ways.
The narrative that agroforestry is simply about combining land uses is a dangerous one which can lead to detrimental effects to farm production practices and resulting livelihood strategies. Farms need to understand best practices for designing systems and typologies that encourage annidation or mutualism. Moreover, they need to understand how to design for outcomes that prevent competitive tree / crop competition which is not currently being explained to landowners. Farms are eager to understand the practicalities of how to implement these practices but also need auxilliary learning to sustain these practices including skills in horticulture and silviculture.
Technical service providers, on the other hand, need to understand the broad concepts of agroforestry and the specific reasons—along with the current scientific knowledge or other ways of knowing—about why combining land uses is beneficial. They need to learn how to work within their agencies' existing planning frameworks and how to implement these practices across various scales, land uses, and types of farms.
Based on farmer testimonials like the one highlighted below, the FCP is still useful but needs redesigning to become less cumbersome and more efficient.
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The SARE Research and Education project was a crucial "real" starting point for our forest farming ventures. We have spent years reading and dreaming about non-timber forest products but putting it into practice had been put off again and again due to the amount of unknowns. Interlace Commons was instrumental in bridging the knowledge gap that exists between theory and implementation. They were able to take what we envisioned for the future of our farm and develop a concrete plan for achieving it. Beyond planning, they were literally in the woods with us and provided seeds and root stock and planting, they supplied us with mushroom inoculation equipment and spawn, showed us how to do the work, and they helped us understand the marketing challenges and opportunities that are available in our location.
If we hadn't participated in the program we would not have inoculated logs sitting in the woods or medicinals planted with a plan for harvesting and selling. There are so few keepers of this knowledge available and we would have been left to our ability to do research and experiment for ourselves. Any business venture requires a leap of faith but working with Interlace Commons made the leap so much more manageable and we are able to embark with confidence.
We will absolutely continue working with Interlace Commons as these products come to fruition and beyond that we have requested their guidance and assistance in other aspects of our farm that were not part of the SARE program. For us the program was a huge success in our goal of actually getting started. We are very grateful to have met the folks at Interlace who have taken a genuine interest in our lives: farm, family and all.
-Ryan Gumbart, Black Watch Farm - SARE Research and Education Participant
As a result of this project, nine landowners in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont - farming pasture, forest, and arable land - will convert 5 to 10 acres each (60 total acres) from single-function landscapes to alley cropping, forest farming, or silvopasture. The anticipated benefits from each practice are listed below. While it is impossible to verify these benefits fully by the project's end, the nine farmers will be surveyed to capture expected and/or realized benefits from their perspective.
Alley cropping: product diversification of high value, long-term crops.
Silvopasture: micro-climate modification increasing the nutritive value of forages,
Forest farming: land-use intensification
Problem or Opportunity and Justification:
Private and public landowners are increasingly interested in adopting agroforestry for its multiple benefits, including positive economic and environmental outcomes, climate resilience, food security, and the enhancement of rural livelihood strategies. Although agroforestry research has been ongoing in North America for the past thirty years, minimal measurable impact on adoption has occurred. In the Technical Service Providers community, in the case of this grant, we worked specifically with NRCS and Conservation District planners. The USDA and Conservation Districts are often the first point of contact for farmers; however, very few conservation planners have experience in the agroforestry practices associated with production. Support for farmers interested in alley cropping, forest farming, and silvopasture practices were limited partly because planners had less experience resolving how these three specific practices can address resource concerns. This issue was resulting in conservation planners promoting these specific practices measurably less than riparian buffers and windbreaks, two practices associated with protecting or enhancing ecosystem function.
Solution and Approach:
Interlace Commons utilized a farmer-centered curriculum called the Field Consultancy Program to support agricultural landowners interested in designing and implementing alley cropping, forest farming, and silvopasture while concurrently providing agroforestry training for training NRCS conservation planners to reduce knowledge barriers preventing agroforestry promotion and technical assistance. The two-year program resulted in case studies including a farm narrative, site analysis, and a field plan.
At the beginning of this project, only one of the eight participating farmers had any understanding of how to integrate trees with crops or livestock. Two of the farmers were utilizing trees in their agricultural landscapes, but they did not recognize their practices as agroforestry, nor did they fully comprehend how the trees and shrubs were protecting or enhancing ecosystem functions and improving production efficiencies. The conservation planners involved in this project had a limited understanding of the USDA-defined practices funded by their agency's conservation programs.
Our approach introduced the concept of multifunctional landscapes that could address both production and conservation objectives. Unlike traditional government programs, the Interlace Commons curriculum encouraged planners to think more holistically about farmers' goals, challenges, and opportunities. It helped them understand that agroforestry practices require time and careful consideration of existing operations, as well as how these practices might either improve or detract from their operations.
Although this grant did not have a research specific focus we aimed to understand the following issues:
- What type of training do conservation planners need to be successful working with their farm constituents? How is this training different that what farms receive?
- What internal national federal frameworks, practice standards and payment schedules continue to prevent or slow adoption?
- What is the missing infrastructure or tools needed to scale agroforestry in the northeastern United States?
- What other ways of knowing beyond the scientific community is missing from the current models of training farmers and service providers?
Cooperators
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Research
Not Applicable
Education
Engagement:
This project:
- Engaged eight farms: three in Massachusetts, two in New Hampshire, and three in Vermont. The focus was on developing agroforestry land-use plans that emphasized alley cropping, silvopasture, and forest farming. This process enabled the participating farms to identify best practices for designing, implementing, and maintaining these agroforestry methods.
- For the farms that planned to implement alley cropping and silvopasture, a participatory design process led to the creation of planting plans and schedules that served as valuable tools for informing the implementation process. The final planting plans can also be used for future educational and outreach initiatives. In contrast, the forest farming projects did not necessitate detailed planting plans; instead, they required estimates for plant materials, fungi spawn, and plugs that directly related to the size of the planting area. Furthermore, the forest farming projects demanded a thorough understanding of site conditions, including factors such as stand density, species matrix, and herbaceous indicator species, which would contribute to the future success of the practice.
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Interlace Commons faced challenges in effectively using the grant framework to share project processes and results with farmers and technical service providers. Attendance at our community outreach events was unexpectedly low, partly due to overlapping agroforestry programs and the harvest season. However, we leveraged additional funding for planned intensives at two of our eight farms, which were fully booked with a waiting list, indicating a demand for more advanced 201 and 301 level training.We are currently collaborating with regional organizations to develop strategies for reaching a wider range of stakeholders with information on alley cropping, forest farming, and silvopasture in the Northeast.We believe the information that was provided particularly at the intensives was valuable for farmers and service providers looking to enhance sustainability, address ecosystem degradation, increase profitability, or prepare for or respond to climate change and its impacts.
- Throughout the course of this project, several sources of federal funding became available. The participating farms were informed about programs associated with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in their respective states. During the time of this SARE grant, Interlace Commons received financial support from the Edward Mother Earth Foundation to create a document outlining all known funding opportunities available to farms in the states of the participating farms. This document is now accessible on the Interlace Commons website.
Education:
Farms were tasked with creating a narrative that outlined their primary and secondary stakeholders, mission, resources, challenges, opportunities, and vision for the future. In practical terms, this document served as a foundation for understanding what additional questions Interlace Commons needed to address while assisting the farms in developing their agroforestry field plans. When assessing the biophysical assets and constraints, it became clear that the participants did not have enough time for this training exercise. As a result, Interlace Commons developed maps to illustrate these aspects and then used them during the planning process. To improve our program, Interlace Commons has now focused on helping farms identify the tools necessary for independently researching landscape constraints and assets. With insights from their farm narrative and a better understanding of field-scale landscape dynamics, the participants discussed concept plans for their field designs.
Determining the extent to which the SARE Research and Education grant independently catalyzed the adoption of alley cropping, forest farming, or silvopasture in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont as transformative strategies to address agriculture's environmental and economic challenges is complex. We believe we have effectively educated participating farms and service providers on how agroforestry interventions can safeguard and enhance ecosystem functions while diversifying income streams. The co-design process resulted in well-planned practices that promote community engagement by effectively integrating trees in agricultural landscapes under various conditions and arrangements. The newly established sites now present significant opportunities for future scholarly research.
Challenges:
- As part of our work on this grant, we focused on mentoring service providers. The grant partnered with the NRCS in Massachusetts and Vermont, as well as a Conservation District in New Hampshire. Unfortunately, the Conservation District lost its funding and could only participate for a short period. Additionally, other grants with similar objectives were executing programs simultaneously, which likely affected participation from the farming community.
Wins and Opportunities:
- Interlace Commons' previous national and regional policy work, training, and mentorship conducted through this grant, along with support from other IC funders and additional initiatives in the agroforestry sector, have significantly increased interest in and understanding of the three practices mentioned. There is no doubt that there has been a rise in the adoption of alley cropping on farms in Massachusetts and the surrounding states.
- Interlace Commons leveraged funds from a private foundation to offer alley cropping and forest farming intensives that otherwise would have been informally focused field days.
- Participating farms can continue outreach and education activities with Interlace Commons and others as a result of this project
Objective 1 Methods:
Interlace Commons’ utilized our existing Field Consultancy Program to guide the agroforestry planning process:
- Farm narratives were created that identified challenges, goals, and opportunities, a statement of purpose, and a description of farm enterprises;
- Site assessment maps that identified the most relevant biophysical assets and constraints were developed for each farm.
- A field design, including a planting plan influenced by the farm narrative and site assessment documents now exist.
Objective 2 Methods
All eight farms, with the support of Interlace Commons, implemented their respective agroforestry plans as outlined in the planting documents, utilizing labor supplied by Interlace Commons. For the forest farming projects, planting plans were not required. The site assessment maps, which identified the appropriate stands, canopy density, and indicator species, were used to determine the locations and layout for planting.
- In the fall of 2023, and in some cases in the spring of 2024, the eight planting sites were laid out in accordance with the planting plans and site assessment maps.
- The preparation of the eight planting sites was tailored to the type of agroforestry practice; for example, in the case of silvopastoral systems, the planting lanes were either scalped or tilled.
- Trees and shrubs, field crops, fungi, or forest botanicals were installed at the eight planting sites according to the planting plans.
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Objective 3 Methods: To maximize the impact of these eight farm sites, we utilized the Interlace Commons website for future engagement.
Phase 1: Documentation:
- We developed case studies for each farm, which include relevant narrative information, site assessment maps, and planting plans. These documents also cover resulting questions, successes, and challenges. The documentation is available on the Interlace Commons website here and in PDF format here: Interlace Commons Case Studies.
Phase 2: Dissemination:
- The start of this project was delayed by one year, which resulted in the dissemination activities being integrated into the Field Days. Interlace Commons and the participating farms held Field Days in September and October 2023 in collaboration with Interlace Commons. These Field Days were promoted through the social media networks of Interlace Commons and the participating farms, as well as through word of mouth.
Evaluation:
Post-surveys were conducted to assess the effectiveness of the learning experience. The results of evaluations can be found here: SARE_ Research and Education Evaluation (Responses)
Milestones
This project start date was delayed from 2022 to 2023.
YEAR 2023
Evaluation
Status: Complete
Accomplishments: Between January 1 and February 2023, we engaged with nine participating farms and three conservation planners to explore their understanding of landscape analysis and the design or implementation of agroforestry systems. The goal of these discussions was to determine whether the farms were familiar with the term "agroforestry" and whether they had integrated land uses that included trees or shrubs, regardless of their definitions. Additionally, we sought to understand their aspirations for combining land uses, what motivated them to pursue their current operational enterprises, and how changes could enhance their current conditions or production outputs. With the planners the objective of our conversations were to understand what type of knowledge, if anything planners knew about the USDA defined practices, if they were funded through conservation programs EQUIP, CSP etc.., what policies might be preventing or encouraging adoption,
Engagement
Status: Complete
Accomplishment: In March, April, and May 2023, nine farmers and three conservation planners participated in onsite meetings and Zoom calls with Interlace Commons to learn about the USDA-defined forms of agroforestry. During these discussions, the farmers explored various concepts related to agroforestry and expressed interest in specific practices.
Interestingly, the participating farms generally had a limited understanding of modern agroforestry practices, including the various ways these can be implemented in different landscapes and how they can enhance production efficiency and conservation outcomes. Among the eight farmers, two had existing tree plantings on their agricultural land, though none had integrated these with other land uses. One farmer demonstrated a proficient understanding of forest farming, the specific practice they were interested in planning and implementing. Conversations with the planners focused on topics such as conservation funding, agroforestry practice codes, practice standards, and payment schedules. During this process the Conservation District planner in New Hampshire left the program to take another job with a different organization. Another planner stepped in and shortly thereafter that same district lost funding and had to leave the project.
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Learning
Status: Complete
Accomplishments: Eight farmers (one farm was unable to meet the project benchmarks and left the program) developed a farm narrative that identifies, among other aspects, their stakeholders, goals, objectives, and priorities. Additionally, program participants learned to identify personal resources that may either hinder or encourage the adoption of future agroforestry enterprises. The development of these farm narratives took place between May and June 2023. Initially, the program was designed to train the participating farms in site assessment, helping them identify biophysical assets and constraints, and how this analysis would inform their agroforestry field plans. However, it became clear that the farms did not have the capacity for this type of intensive training. Interlace Commons produced relevant maps to assist farms in understanding conditions that could either prevent or encourage the adoption of agroforestry.
The program was originally intended for conservation planners to guide the farms in identifying resource concerns and the federal cost-share programs available to address related issues. This aspect of the program yielded mixed results. Massachusetts and Interlace Commons excelled in this regard, and were able to help farms identify conservation concerns and the practices that could address them during our initial onsite visits. The participating Massachusetts farms were either aware of or actively working with the NRCS. In contrast, Vermont's NRCS Resource Conservationist was overcommitted and unable to attend the initial site visits. Interlace Commons stepped in to provide details on identifying and addressing conservation concerns by utilizing NRCS programs. We leveraged our experience and understanding of the NRCS planning process through our role as agroforestry planners under a cooperative agreement. The understanding of how to work within NRCS planning frameworks was also useful with New Hampshire farms. This farm focused learning occurred in May and June 2023.
Eight farmers and two primary conservation planners were introduced to three USDA defined agroforestry systems, (alley cropping, forest farming, and silvopasture), along with related typologies that the participating farms identified for development. This part of the program, similar to site assessment, was perceived as cumbersome and better suited for discussion in the field. During site visits, the farms were encouraged to conceptualize their ideas for the intended practices. These discussions helped improve the farmers' understanding of how agroforestry could influence landscape sustainability, enhance their livelihood strategies, and address the risks and trade-offs associated with land-use intensification linked to their chosen practices. A co-designed field plan with associated planting schedule was the result of this portion of the project and incurred in July through December 2023.
**It is worth noting that the grant began under Bill Fosher at NRCD in New Hampshire. After he left the agency for the American Farmland Trust, he was replaced by Sarah McGraw, who subsequently left for NRCS. Zoe Eisenpress then took over but informed Interlace Commons that our position was terminated due to a lack of funding. In Vermont, we worked with Joe Buford, the State Resource Conservationist, and Stephanie Vasilopoulous. In Massachusetts, we collaborated with an engaged staff, including Kate Parsons, Rose Schwartz, and State Resource Conservationist Catherine Magee.
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YEAR 2024
Engagement
Status: Complete
Accomplishments: The types of plant materials were reviewed this the farm, how they would be prepared for planting and how they would need to be stored and cared for upon arrival at their farm. Purchase orders were submitted between the months of December, 2023 - March 2024
Learning
Status: Complete
Accomplishements: Using the farm’s developed agroforestry plans, the eight farms reviewed how to prepare a site for planting, what tools and machinery are appropriate at different scales, and what auxiliary items needed to reduce mortality and sustain plant health. This learning happened between from October, 2023 - April 2024. Supported by Interlace Commons, eight participating farms installed their implementation plan between April and October 20th, 2024
Education/Engagement
The participating eight farms presented their project during a Field Day; Interlace Commons explained in the case of farm participants how to work with the USDA, what programs exist to support farms interested in agroforestry, and how to match identified resource concerns to AMA, EQUIP, and CSP programs. These field days happen between July 1st, 2024. October 30th 2024.
Evaluation
Status: Completed
Accomplishments: Seven of the eight participating farms filled out a program survey identifying their understanding of agroforestry systems development
Milestone Activities and Participation Summary
Educational activities:
Participation Summary:
Learning Outcomes
Performance Target Outcomes
Target #1
9
Eight Farms broadly converted single function practices to multifunctional landscapes. Arable / horticultural farms converted to alley cropping systems, pasture based livestock producers converted to pastures that contained systems that provided both shade and forage and forest landowners achieved multiple conservation and production outcomes by adding forest farming to existing forestland practices.
60 acres
Microclimate regulation (longer standing forages and potential increased nutritive value, carbon sequestration, structural and species diversity, mitigation of soil erosion...
8
All eight farmers converted single function landscapes to one of three forms of agroforestry: alley cropping, forest farming or silvopasture.
Less than 20 acres
No measurable benefits resulted from the change or adoption at this point.
Farms were invited to participate in the Interlace Commons field consultancy program, which required them to engage in a narrative process, site assessment discussions, concept planning, and the development of planting plans along with scheduling. As a result, all eight farms have created narratives, site maps, and planting plans with associated schedules. We compiled the most relevant information from this process into case studies featured on the Interlace Commons website.We realized early on that we would not meet the original acreage targets, partly because northeastern farms operate on small land units. Additionally, none of the participating farms had the necessary knowledge, skills, or tools to apply tree-based systems to larger land areas. Ecosystem function was not measured during this project, as time was a limiting factor in determining whether the combined land uses contributed to the protection or enhancement of ecosystem function. Currently, these projects serve as working laboratories with potential for future study.Farmer contributions to biophysical assessment wasn't practical and didn't take shape in the ways originally proposed. Farmers simply didn't have time use this project as both an educational and training exercise. The outcome remained the same with a different unplanned format.
Change in knowledge, attitudes and skills -
- The participating farms now have a clear understanding of how to plan and implement their chosen practices, as well as the benefits of integrating different land uses. Out of the original nine participants, eight have planned and adopted alley cropping, forest farming, or silvopasture systems. We captured images of the landscapes both at the project's start and after the interventions were implemented.
- These eight farms are now better positioned to enhance production diversity. Each farm has installed edible crops that can be sold through retail, wholesale, or value-added markets. The farms now recognize that agroforestry is a valuable tool for both conservation and production.
- The farms have also learned how to properly prepare planting sites and correctly install woody stems.
- Additionally, there was previously some confusion about categorizing certain crops as agroforestry instead of focusing on the combination of land uses. Now, the farms understand what agroforestry is, what it is not, and the various practices involved.
- The farms acknowledge that there will be an increase in field management requirements. In the case of producing value-added products, they recognize that they need to acquire new skills that they do not currently possess.