Progress report for SPDP23-020
Project Information
Agroforestry, an intentional, integrated agriculture + forest management approach, is of increasing interest among Virginia farmers given its ability to improve ecosystem function, support crop and livestock production systems and diversify farm income. Agroforestry systems spatially and strategically integrate trees into agro-ecosystems and non-timber crops into forest ecosystems and can play a role in helping farmers and landowners address the many urgent and complex economic, environmental, and social issues that challenge farm sustainability, profitability, and resilience. Virginia has been at the forefront of agroforestry innovation in research, demonstrations, and training through the years, and from this several Agricultural Educators/Professionals (AgEdPros) have emerged as leaders who provide support to farmers and landowners. However, many aspiring and practicing agroforesters express difficulty accessing support because much of the available agroforestry educational and technical assistance is dispersed. This budding community needs support through coordinated training and network development. This proposal represents a collaboration between Virginia Tech’s Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation (VT-CSFST) and Catawba Sustainability Center (VT-CSC), Virginia State University (VSU), Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE), Appalachian Sustainable Development (ASD), the Virginia Association for Biological Farming (VABF), and farmers to address this agroforestry-related educational and technical assistance need. Our team will expand Virginia’s Agroforestry Regional Knowledge (ARK) Exchange Network, enhance Train the Trainer (TtT) programming, and amplify awareness and coordination of existing and emerging on-farm research and demonstrations using a collective impact approach to grow agroforestry systems and a coordinated educational technical assistance network in Virginia.
The overall project goal is to expand the Agroforestry Regional Knowledge (ARK) Exchange Network in Virginia using a collective impact approach to strengthen, solidify, and anchor an informal network of farmers, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, governmental agency, and non-governmental partners across the state through enhanced TtT programming and coordination of existing and emerging on-farm agroforestry systems demonstrations. The project builds on the foundation of earlier agroforestry and silvopasture systems research and demonstrations (e.g., VT-CSC, VT’s Kentland Farm, Shenandoah Valley AREC, Clermont Farm, Southern Piedmont AREC, Jubilee Climate Farm) to better connect the constellation of regional agroforestry educational and technical assistance support that has emerged and gained traction across Virginia the last decade. To this end, we will leverage and build upon the Edwards Mother Earth Foundation (EMEF) Catalyzing the Next Phase of Appalachian Agroforestry (CNPAA) and the Climate Smart Agroforestry: Multi-Regional Training for Technical Service Providers (CSA), led by VT and ASD, respectively, that were initiated early 2022 to: 1) develop and formalize an ARK Exchange Network across the Appalachian region, 2) provide agroforestry TtT programming, and 3) distribute grants to producers to establish agroforestry demonstrations. Presently, 19 of these agroforestry grants have been awarded to producers in Virginia, with at least 50% of the grants awarded to historically underserved audiences. They are also in the process of developing extensive online and in person agroforestry TtT curriculum for silvopasture, alley cropping, and forest farming practices. Additionally, we will expand upon the agroforestry technical assistance and educational programming efforts of other project collaborators including the VT-CSC, VSU’s Small Farm Outreach Program (SFOP), and the two-day Land Planning for Agroforestry workshop recently supported by Virginia SARE as a professional development opportunity.
This two-year SARE professional development programming and peer-to-peer mentoring proposal will specifically engage the following educational and technical assistance provider audiences: VSU Small Farm Outreach Program assistants, Virginia Cooperative Extension agents, NRCS field conservationists and technicians, SWCD district staff, NGO field personnel, farmer mentor-leaders, and other agricultural educational professionals.
Objective 1: Foster communication, coordination, and peer-to-peer learning between educational and technical assistance partners as the ARK Exchange Network to enhance collaboration, permanence, and lasting impact of agroforestry TtT professional development programming in Virginia.
- The ARK Exchange Network will increase the collective impact of project collaborators to develop, share, educate, and disseminate agroforestry research and demonstration-based knowledge in their professional development programming to affect the adoption, implementation, and durability of agroforestry systems by farmers in Virginia.
- The project will strengthen the relationship between Virginia Tech and Virginia State University to increase agroforestry knowledge exchange between the institutions as well as their capacity to collaborate on agroforestry programming, research, and demonstrations.
- Project collaborators will increase their individual organization’s capacity to support farmers' needs for educational and technical assistance.
Objective 2: Provide coordinated agroforestry TtT professional development programming to foster peer-to-peer learning, information sharing, and network building among agricultural educational professionals and farmer mentor-leaders.
- 90% of participants increase their knowledge, skills, and aptitude in agroforestry system design, establishment and maintenance such as knowledge of tree species suited for regions and sites, planting/establishment techniques, protection methods/systems, spatial arrangement, and more
- 90% of participants are equipped with educational knowledge, technical training skills, and cultural community-based competencies to support farmers, especially historically underserved producers, with agroforestry systems adoption, implementation, and maintenance
- 80% of participants increase their awareness of educational resources, specialist support, and existing and emerging on-farm research and demonstration sites within their region and statewide as part of the ARK Exchange Network
- 30% of farmer mentor-leaders and AgEdPro participants have or plan to initiate or enhance existing projects that can serve as demonstration case studies
- 30% of AgEdPros and farmer mentor-leaders participants have offered or plan to offer agroforestry training programs for farmers in their region
- 30% of AgEdPros and farmer mentor-leaders participants have offered or plan to offer 1:1 support to aspiring or established agroforesters
- At least 13 VSU-SFOP Assistants, and 5 mentor farmers they work with, will increase their knowledge of agroforestry
- Over 100 AgEdPros and mentor farmers will participate in project programs
- Over 100 AgEdPros and mentor farmers join the ARK Exchange Network
Long-term changes/impacts, beyond the project may include:
- Greater adoption, implementation, and longevity of agroforestry systems
- Formalized and expanded ARK Exchange Network that is adaptive and responsive to culture, context, and change
- Improved ecological function and health
- Integrated multi-faceted stacked agricultural, livestock, and value-adding enterprises
- Increased climate resilience on farms
- Greater quality of life for producers, communities, and consumers including improved economic well-being of farmers
Cooperators
- - Producer
- (Educator)
- (Researcher)
- - Technical Advisor (Researcher)
- - Producer (Educator)
- - Producer (Educator)
Education
Project collaborators have a long track record of collaboration and providing TtT to AgEdPros and farmers through their organizations, including: VCE, VSU-SFOP, VT-CFSCT, VT-CSC, VBFRC and ASD. They will leverage their networks to reach the targeted professional development programming audience, with direct focus on enhancing educational and technical assistance provision to historically underserved farmers.
Their educational approach includes offering programs that:
- Are driven by farmer mentor-leader input
- Focus on peer learning, including encouraging a team approach where AgEdPros and farmer mentor-leaders attend trainings together, and inviting them to share their on-the-ground experience as speakers in programs
- Showcase existing regional agroforestry demonstrations
- Build upon online and in-person curriculum developed through ASD’s CSA Project and previous SARE PDP projects
- Amplify agroforestry within small, underserved, veteran, biological, and beginning farmer communities in Virginia.
Project activities are diverse and multi-pronged including a virtual webinar series, development of a new agroforestry demonstration, full-day and multi-day events, and participation in existing conferences. Project collaborators developed this plan in collaboration, drawing on their diverse and expansive experience moving agroforestry forward in Virginia over the last decade. If COVID-19 restrictions occur, we will adapt programs to be virtual or outdoors.
Winter Agroforestry Webinar Series
An agroforestry webinar series will be held in the winter of 2024 featuring “Agroforestry on the Ground in Virginia.” The series will be co-hosted by project collaborators. Farmer mentor-leaders and AgEdPros with on the ground experience will be invited as speakers to share regional showcase examples across Virginia. They will present why they pursued agroforestry, methods of establishment, and lessons learned through their innovation and teamwork. The webinars will be recorded and archived on the VT-CFSCT’s website.
VSU-SFOP Agroforestry Demonstration
The VSU-SFOP will work with a team of their Program Associate leaders and a selected farmer in the region to develop a new agroforestry demonstration. Practice selection and system design will be developed in collaboration with the farmer and with the support of VT and ASD project collaborators' agroforestry expertise. This demonstration will be established in Y1 of the grant term and will be featured in the 1-day Agroforestry Introduction Workshop at VSU’s Randolph Farm in Y2.
2-Day Agroforestry TtT Field Intensive at the VT-CSC
A 2-day Agroforestry TtT Field Intensive hosted at the VT-CSC will be held in Fall of 2024. This training will showcase the VT-CSC’s diversity of agroforestry demonstrations through in-field learning and will include multimedia presentations from experts and interactive panel discussions with farmer mentor-leaders and AgEdPros about ways to navigate implementation on the ground for this innovative practice. The training will feature a custom curriculum to provide participants with foundational and in-depth knowledge for designing, establishing, and maintaining agroforestry systems. All five common agroforestry practices will be covered, but silvopasture, alley cropping, and forest farming will be featured in more depth due to their applicability to Virginia landscapes and need for more training information. An online pre-training module will be provided to participants to prepare for the in-person training. A curriculum development team will meet regularly to plan the curricular aspects of the event (Warren, Munsell, Trozzo, Taylor). The 2-day event curriculum will build upon curriculum developed through ASD’s CSA Project, currently in development, and will tie in resources from previous SARE PDPs. AgEdPros and farmer mentor-leaders will be encouraged to participate as a team, inviting farmers to bring their AgEdPros, and AgEdPros to bring their farmers. At least 6 and up to 10 VSU-SFOP Assistants will be joining with farmer mentors they work with and we will invite AgEdPros across different institutions and sectors throughout the state to join in similar fashion.
1-Day Agroforestry TtT Introduction Workshop the VSU-SFOP Randolph Farm
A 1-day Agroforestry TtT Introduction Workshop will be hosted at the VSU-SFOP’s Randolph Farm in the Fall of 2024. The event will provide introductory information to all of VSU-SFOP’s Program Assistants and will be promoted broadly within Virginia AgEdPro networks. This 1-day TtT program will offer a learning opportunity for AgEdPros looking for a shorter format entry point into agroforestry and for those who are situated across the state. The program will include condensed curriculum presentations covering the basics of agroforestry, presentations on the agroforestry work going on at the VT-CSC, and an overview of VSU’s new agroforestry demonstration from the farmer mentor-leader and AgEdPros involved in establishment (in the field if time and location allow). A 1-day event planning team will meet regularly to plan the details and logistics of the event (Trozzo, Brown).
Conference Tracks and Panels
This project will also provide TtT learning opportunities at existing annual Virginia-based conferences that serve AgEdPros and farmer mentor-leaders, including:
- An Agroforestry Panel Discussion at VSU’s Small Farms Conference
- An Agroforestry Track at the Annual VABF Conference
- An Agroforestry Professional Development Session at the VCE Winter Conference
Beyond providing TtT programming to AgEdPros and farmer mentor-leaders across the Commonwealth, project activities are designed to help project collaborators develop capacity to continue agroforestry TtT programming, multiply their outputs and sustain outcomes in the future. Building off previous work, this project will solidify project collaborators’ collective work under the banner of the ARK Exchange Network providing a framework to continue supporting agroforestry adoption in Virginia. If funded, this SARE PDP project would provide much needed support to strengthen opportunities for project partners to continue to collaborate on TtT programming for greater reach and impacts with a diversity of farmers.
Our trainings contribute to sustainable agriculture in the Southern SARE Region by way of expanding agroforestry across the landscape through increased capacity for AgEdPros and farmer mentor-leaders to serve farmers and landowners interested in establishing agroforestry systems. With our focus on improving support to historically underserved populations, this project will help increase equity in the region. Agroforestry in practice not only impacts farm viability, but provides ecological and social impacts that span beyond the farm and across the larger food system.
Education & Outreach Initiatives
This activity addresses these two objectives:
Objective 1: Foster communication, coordination, and peer-to-peer learning between educational and technical assistance partners as the ARK Exchange Network to enhance collaboration, permanence, and lasting impact of agroforestry TtT professional development programming in Virginia.
Objective 2: Provide coordinated agroforestry TtT professional development programming to foster peer-to-peer learning, information sharing, and network building among agricultural educational professionals and farmer mentor-leaders.
The Virginia Tech Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation is partnering with Appalachian Sustainable Development to host the winter webinar series as part of their Ask an Agroforester online webinar program. These webinars feature AgEdPros and farmer mentor-leaders in Virginia showcasing regional examples and opportunities. The series is being hosted this winter from January to May and they are held in the evenings from 6:30-8:00 pm.
- We created an advisory group of farmer mentor leaders and at the first meeting we collected topics of interest for the webinar series. We are incorporating their suggestions into the winter series, and remaining topics will be incorporated into future Ask an Agroforester led by Appalachian Sustainable Development
- We completed three webinars in the series:
- January 25: Ask an Agroforester “Funding Edition” with Ian Nichols, Audrey Epp Schmidtt, and Leif Gonzales-Kramer
- Description: Are you interested in silvopasture and other agroforestry funding opportunities but don’t know where to start? Join us for a presentation and discussion of three large grant programs now active in the Southeast. Representatives from each grant will give short presentations and will field questions about funding eligibility, processes, and requirements. We will talk about the similarities and differences between these programs and share how some of them can (or in some cases, explicitly cannot!) stack together with other funding programs to help individuals cover additional costs.
- January 25: Ask an Agroforester “Funding Edition” with Ian Nichols, Audrey Epp Schmidtt, and Leif Gonzales-Kramer
-
- February 28: Ask an Agroforester “Agroforestry in the Urban Context” with Duron Chavis
- Description: Are you interested in exploring agroforestry in the urban context? Join us to hear from Duron Chavis, founder of Happily Natural Day. He will share about edible food forests in the City of Richmond, opportunities and challenges of agroforestry in urban areas, and why this work is important for urban communities.
- March 27: Ask an Agroforester “Silvopasture and Alley Cropping Management” with Adam Taylor
- Description: Are you wondering how to manage complex Agroforestry systems like Silvopasture and Alley Cropping? Join us and learn from a pro! Adam Taylor manages Virginia Tech’s Catawba Sustainability Center farm, which implements all kinds of Agroforestry projects and practices. If you’re a farmer or land manager – this one’s for you!
- February 28: Ask an Agroforester “Agroforestry in the Urban Context” with Duron Chavis
- We will be hosting a webinar in April and May:
- April 25: Ask an Agroforester “Youth Engagement and Education in Agroforestry” with Adam Taylor
- Description: Join us to learn more about ways of engaging and educating youth in Agroforestry.
- May: In development and will cover one of the following topics:
- Land Access and Conservation Models for Agroforestry
- Community-led Agroforestry
- Agroforestry Science
- Conservation Incentive Programs for Agroforestry (CREP, wildlife programs)
- April 25: Ask an Agroforester “Youth Engagement and Education in Agroforestry” with Adam Taylor
This activity addresses these two objectives:
Objective 1: Foster communication, coordination, and peer-to-peer learning between educational and technical assistance partners as the ARK Exchange Network to enhance collaboration, permanence, and lasting impact of agroforestry TtT professional development programming in Virginia.
Objective 2: Provide coordinated agroforestry TtT professional development programming to foster peer-to-peer learning, information sharing, and network building among agricultural educational professionals and farmer mentor-leaders.
VSU Small Farm Outreach Program (SFOP) is planning the installation of one to two agroforestry demonstrations at their Randolph Farm. One focused on demonstrating forest farming of mushrooms will be established and possibly a demo of a food forest.
- VSU has been creating connections within their institution with faculty members interested in supporting agroforestry, who will be leading the demonstration planting(s).
- VSU and Virginia Tech have been developing collaboration capacity between the institutions in planning the demonstrations and cross institutional knowledge is being exchanged.
- VSU will have one to two new agroforestry demonstrations to feature on the Randolph Farm for the many visitors who tour the site annually.
This activity addresses these two objectives:
Objective 1: Foster communication, coordination, and peer-to-peer learning between educational and technical assistance partners as the ARK Exchange Network to enhance collaboration, permanence, and lasting impact of agroforestry TtT professional development programming in Virginia.
Objective 2: Provide coordinated agroforestry TtT professional development programming to foster peer-to-peer learning, information sharing, and network building among agricultural educational professionals and farmer mentor-leaders.
A 1-day Agroforestry Training for Natural Resource Professionals “Agroforestry Fundamentals” will be hosted at the VSU-SFOP’s Randolph Farm on September 17, 2024. The event will provide introductory information to all of VSU-SFOP’s Program Assistants and will be promoted broadly within Virginia AgEdPro networks. This shorter format program will offer a learning opportunity for AgEdPros looking for an entry point into agroforestry. The program will include condensed curriculum presentations covering the basics of agroforestry, presentations on the agroforestry work going on at the VT-CSC, and an overview of VSU’s new agroforestry demonstration from the farmer mentor-leader and AgEdPros involved in establishment (in the field if time and location allow). We will also convene an AgEdPro and Farmer Mentor Leader panel discussion.
- Virginia Tech Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation, VSU-Small Farm Outreach Program, the Virginia Tech Catawba Sustainability Center, and Appalachian Sustainable Development are building collaborative capacity in planning this 1-day event in coordination with the 2-day workshop.
- We have formalized a partnership with NRCS, reserving 15 spaces for their staff and scheduling the event on a date that works with their calendar.
- We are also working with Virginia Cooperative Extension and submitted a request for them to cover travel costs for 10 extension professionals to attend the event.
- The Virginia Tech Catawba Sustainability Center Farm Manager and the Appalachian Sustainable Development Agroforester have committed to attending this workshop to cross exchange knowledge between institutions/organizations.
This activity addresses these two objectives:
Objective 1: Foster communication, coordination, and peer-to-peer learning between educational and technical assistance partners as the ARK Exchange Network to enhance collaboration, permanence, and lasting impact of agroforestry TtT professional development programming in Virginia.
Objective 2: Provide coordinated agroforestry TtT professional development programming to foster peer-to-peer learning, information sharing, and network building among agricultural educational professionals and farmer mentor-leaders.
A 2-day Agroforestry Training for Natural Resource Professionals “Silvopasture 201” at the VT-CSC will be held October 24-25, 2024. This training will showcase the VT-CSC’s diversity of agroforestry demonstrations through in-field learning and will include multimedia presentations from experts and interactive panel discussions with farmer mentor-leaders and AgEdPros about ways to navigate implementation on the ground for this innovative practice. Hands on design activities will also be included. The training will focus on Silvopsature and will go into depth, providing more of a 201 foundation. This was decided by the curriculum development team based on the need for in-depth training to be able to train AgEdPros and farmer mentors in supporting the groundswell of interest in silvopasture in Virginia.
- Virginia Tech Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation, VSU-SFOP, the Virginia Tech Catawba Sustainability Center, and Appalachian Sustainable Development are building collaborative capacity in planning this 2-day event in coordination with the 1-day workshop.
- We have formalized a partnership with NRCS, reserving 12 spaces for their staff and scheduling the event on a date that works with their calendar.
- We are also working with Virginia Cooperative Extension and submitted a request for them to cover travel costs for 10 extension professionals to attend the event.
- VSU-SFOP will be bringing 12 SFOP assistants and farmer mentors from their region.
This activity addresses these two objectives:
Objective 1: Foster communication, coordination, and peer-to-peer learning between educational and technical assistance partners as the ARK Exchange Network to enhance collaboration, permanence, and lasting impact of agroforestry TtT professional development programming in Virginia.
Objective 2: Provide coordinated agroforestry TtT professional development programming to foster peer-to-peer learning, information sharing, and network building among agricultural educational professionals and farmer mentor-leaders.
This project will also provide TtT learning opportunities at existing annual Virginia-based conferences that serve AgEdPros and farmer mentor-leaders, including: 1) An Agroforestry Track at the Annual VABF Conference, 2) An Agroforestry Panel Discussion at VSU’s Small Farms Conference, and 3) An Agroforestry Professional Development Session at the VCE Winter Conference
- Completed the Agroforestry Track at the VABF conference that partnered this year with VSU-SFOP on a joint summit.
- Increased collaborative capacity between VT, VSU, Appalachian Sustainable Development and the Virginia Association for Biological Farming to offer coordinated agroforestry training to farmer mentors and AgEdPros.
This activity addresses these two objectives:
Objective 1: Foster communication, coordination, and peer-to-peer learning between educational and technical assistance partners as the ARK Exchange Network to enhance collaboration, permanence, and lasting impact of agroforestry TtT professional development programming in Virginia.
Objective 2: Provide coordinated agroforestry TtT professional development programming to foster peer-to-peer learning, information sharing, and network building among agricultural educational professionals and farmer mentor-leaders.
We hold quarterly meetings with all project partners and recruited an advisory group of agroforesters that also meets quarterly and provides input on the project.
- We have held two quarterly meetings with all partners and have scheduled the remaining quarterly meetings.
- We recruited an advisory group of 5 agroforestry representing different practices and regions in the state.
- We held the first quarterly meeting of the advisory group at the VABF/SFOP summit in January and and our second meeting was held at the end of March. We are scheduling the remaining quarterly meetings. We asked for feedback on webinar topics of interest and incorporated feedback into the series.
n/a
n/a
n/a
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation Summary:
Learning Outcomes
Project Outcomes
Winter Webinar Series
- January 25: Ask an Agroforester “Funding Edition” with Ian Nichols, Audrey Epp Schmidtt, and Leif Gonzales-Kramer
- Recording available (151 views as of 3/29/2024)
- Shareable Table created to share distinctions between the grant funding sources
- 61 participants
- This resource is available for continual use by ARK Exchange Network partners.
- February 28: Ask an Agroforester “Agroforestry in the Urban Context” with Duron Chavis
- Recording available (66 views as of 3/29/2024)
- 44 participants
- March 25: Ask an Agroforester “Management of Silvopasture and Alley Cropping in Diverse Systems” with Adam Taylor
- Recording coming soon
- 27 participants
- 132 attendees total
- Results of poll conducted in session
- 49% (n=37) Farmers
- 7% (n=5) Natural Resource Providers
- 16% (n=12) Both
- 28% (n=21) Other
- Results of poll conducted in session
- 301 registered total
- Many weren’t able to attend live, but indicated they would be watching the recording afterward.
- 100% of survey respondents (n=21) agreed or somewhat agreed they received an increase in knowledge of agroforestry
Conferences and Panels
- The Agroforestry Track at the Virginia Association for Biological Farming and VSU Small Farm Outreach Program Summit 2024 was completed. The two organizations partnered this year, combining their individual annual conferences into a joint summit with 604 attendees.
- 8 Agroforestry Sessions with 14 speakers
- "Pawpaws to the People: Preservation and Development of North America's Largest Superfruit” with Ben Casteel [35 attendees]
- "Community of Practice: Multi-strata Agroforestry” with Steven Wilder [42 attendees]
- "Agroforestry Integration for the Small Farm” with Stesha Warren [53 attendees]
- "Agroforestry Regional Knowledge (ARK) Exchange Network - Agroforestry Panel Discussion” with Katie Trozzo, Ian Nichols, Cornelius Deppe, Ryan Huish, Dana Lydon [26 attendees]
- "Alley Cropping: Design, Implementation, and Production at Virginia Tech's Catawba Sustainability Center” with Adam Taylor, Stesha Warren [24 attendees]
- "Integrating Nitrogen Fixers in Diverse Settings” with Dani Baker [50 attendees]
- "Native Perennial Food Plants for your Edible Landscape” with Dani Baker [52 attendees]
- "Silvopasture: Thinking Through the Design Process” with Emilie Tweardy [20 attendees]
- 302 total attendees
- Additional demographics, how many were businesses, how much farm acreage? Could get that from VABF registration information.
- Member survey and conference survey could connect. Could extrapolate.
- 103 ARK Exchange listserv sign ups
- 8 Agroforestry Sessions with 14 speakers
Advisory Group and Partner Meetings
- Developed a project Advisory Group of 5 Virginia agroforesters to inform project activities
- Duron Chavis, Happily Natural and Sankofa Community Orchard
- Ebonie Alexander, Black Family Land Trust
- Ryan Huish, Appalachian Cove Forest Farm and Homestead
- Dana Beegle, Stone Root Farm
- Cornelius Deppe, Silver Run Food Forest
- Held Advisory Group Meetings on Sunday, January 21, 2024 at the VABF/SFOP Summit and virtually on Friday, March 29, 2024
- Held all Partner Meetings on Tuesday, November 14, 2023 and Wednesday, February 14, 2024