Progress report for WGU21-001
Project Information
Three overlapping programmatic thrusts or threads:
Food security & subsistence agriculture
Linking local production to government procurement and local markets
Promoting sustainable agricultural production practices, both modern and traditional.
The recent impact of COVID-19 on our island and people's increased and personal awareness of island and family food insecurity, has strengthened our previous years' growing awareness of the need to promote subsistence agriculture. In the process we have continued to identify new & non-traditional partners. Our WSARE PDP program has curriculum suitable for adapting to these needs. In response to recent findings and events, Guam PDP will continue to work with existing and new advisory committee members to identify and address issues impacting food security. Given the recent complete island shutdown from a resurgence of COVID-19 due to mainland arrivals, this proposal was developed based on a meeting of core group from our advisory committee and one on one discussions with other participants in the agriculture sector. This period's topics include, but are not limited to: subsistence and commercial production systems, soil and water conservation practices, farm planning, government procurement of local ag. products, wholesale and retail market channel entry, permaculture, agroforestry, home, school, and community gardening, food security issues, promotion of government programs, and promotion of WSARE grants. During this period Guam WSARE will support efforts to develop a communication network (using Zoom) of sustainable agricultural professionals across the American-affiliated Western Pacific. We will a also continue to explore the delivery of programs through online platforms, publications, and videos.
Updates:
Third Year (1/2023 to 12/2023)
In the wake of the impacts of Super Typhoon Mawar on Guam, addressing family and island-wide food insecurity remains a pressing concern. In light of recent findings and the challenges brought, Guam PDP is dedicated to collaborating with both existing and new members of our advisory committee and recognize the importance of engaging discussions with key stakeholders in the agriculture sector. A key activity during the latter half of this year was to focus on typhoon recovery, rebuilding demonstrations, and project efforts. The team continues to seek innovative and non-traditional partnerships to address this critical issue and our team offers a curriculum that can be adapted to meet the evolving needs of our community.
Post COVID (1/2022 to 12/2022)
Hold face-to-face WSARE Advisory Committee needs assessment meeting for Post COVID collaborative partner program plan development. Continue facilitation of the COVID efforts with local government agencies providing meals, to increase utilization of local produce. Addressing island food security through curriculum development and restarting on campus demonstrations of: micro-plot forest gardens, recirculating aquaculture/aquaponics, livestock dry litter, backyard nursery production and various subsistence gardening systems. While still using Zoom as a tool for meetings, face-to-face interactions with partners and clients is again the primary outreach method for program events. Hold multiple on island WSARE grant writing workshops face to face and online workshops for Western Pacific Land Grant partners through the use of Zoom and the WSARE sponsored network of WSARE island liaisons. Meet with leader's in Guam's hospitality industry by including them in the year's WSARE Advisory Committee needs assessment and strategic planning meeting. Secure supplemental WSARE funding for a 64 hour Hawaii Master Food Preserver train the trainer workshop on Guam (placed in WSARE WSP19-029).
COVID Recovery (1/2021 to 12/2021)
Continued to address island food security in terms of the COVID impacts by facilitating the FCAG's COVID safe curbside bag effort and work with local government agencies providing meals and emergency food supplies in procurement of local produce. In the post-COVID period we were able to start re-engaging with our partners in face to face meetings as well as online (ZOOM). We were able to utilize face to face in our efforts to increase grant submissions by conducting WSARE grant writing workshops in collaboration with partners to address the massive influx of agricultural support needs of our stakeholders. This period also saw the beginning efforts to re-establish connections with the Guam's hospitality industry (the slowest sector or our economy to recover). Post-COVID Guam WSARE Advisory Group was reduced to 2 co-coordinators 4 Ag professional and farm group representatives to facilitate online meetings to address reprogramming for COVID response. These identified food security issues and value of subsistence agriculture systems for and food security as a key topic.
Objective 1. Increase island food security through the promotion of subsistence agriculture, agroforestry, and other sustainable agriculture systems for Guam's limited resource families micro-plot forest gardens should reduce spending on food and provide family food diversity. Selected agroforestry practices and micro-plot utilization directly alleviates many of the most pressing constraints reported by our regions farmers: poor rocky soils, lack of weed control, sloping land, and limited time/labor, equipment, and capital. Agroforestry practices such as mulching, for example, enriches the soil and suppresses weed growth. More importantly, a micro-plot approach addresses time, labor, equipment, and capital limitations by maximizing the productivity of a small plot of land. Increasing the abilities of many families to produce on the lands they have, will stabilize and grow and agricultural production community.
Objective 2. Increase government procurement of local produce in their meal programs. This will be done by linking government procurement to local production and local markets by working with existing and new PDP partners to support Governor’s program to relink government food procurement to local agricultural products. PDP will lead the building of new partnerships and guide the implementation of targeted marketing programs.
Objective 3. Increase capacity of outreach professionals to support farmer implementation of sustainable agriculture practices. PDP will promote sustainable agricultural production practices, both modern and traditional (agroforestry) through curriculum development and by promoting SARE grants through grant writing workshops. Also, will lead collaborations among agriculture professionals to develop curriculum, demonstrations, workshops, and project plans/proposals. Explore online program development activities and workshop delivery for these efforts.
Updates:
Third Year (1/2023 to 12/2024)
Objective 1. Addressing island food security through curriculum development and restarting on campus demonstrations of: micro-plot forest gardens, recirculating aquaculture/aquaponics, livestock dry litter, backyard nursery production and various subsistence gardening systems. After Super Typhoon Mawar, many of our demonstrations have been completely devastated. During this period, work has been done to get the sites re-established for upcoming workshops and tours. In collaboration with the Soil and Water Conservation Districts, the team will be developing village-based agroforestry demonstration sites in Inarajan and Yigo. The sites will provide an opportunity for participants to get hands-on experience in sustainable agriculture practices and receive curriculum from the Guam WSARE PDP team.
Objective 2. Re-establish connections with leader's in Guam's hospitality industry by including them in the year's WSARE Advisory Committee need assessment and strategic planning meeting. Held face-to-face WSARE Advisory Committee needs assessment meeting for collaborative partner program plan development and attended multiple meetings with chef leaders.
Objective 3. Increase Guam WSARE grant submissions. This was done by holding numerous meetings with faculty and producers on the various WSARE grant programs.
Post COVID (1/2022 to 12/2022)
Objective 1. Continued facilitation the FCAG's COVID efforts with local government agencies providing meals, to increase utilization of local produce. Addressing island food security through curriculum development and restarting on campus demonstrations of: micro-plot forest gardens, recirculating aquaculture/aquaponics, livestock dry litter, backyard nursery production and various subsistence gardening systems. While still using Zoom as a tool for meetings, face-to-face interactions with partners and clients is again the primary outreach method for program events.
Objective 2. Increase grant submissions in collaboration with partners to hold multiple on island WSARE grant writing . This was by holding face-to-face workshop on Guam and online for Western Pacific Land Grant partners through the use of Zoom and the WSARE sponsored network of WSARE liaisons.
Objective 3. Started re-establish connections with leader's in Guam's hospitality industry by including them in the year's WSARE Advisory Committee need assessment and strategic planning meeting. Hold face-to-face WSARE Advisory Committee needs assessment meeting for Post COVID collaborative partner program plan development. Guam Coordinator (Barber) attended the WSARE PDP 2022 meeting held in Cody Wyoming. In November 2022, secured supplemental WSARE funding for a 64 hour Hawaii Master Food Preserver train-the -trainer workshop on Guam.
COVID Recovery (1/2021 to 12/2021)
Objective 1. Restart by facilitating the FCAG's COVID safe curbside bag effort and reengage with local government agencies providing meals to congregate and home-bound clients. Work with the Department of Public Health and Social Services to provide mixed local product bags to over 3,000 of their clients.
Continue to address island food security in terms of the COVID impacts and trainings that address island food security through the promotion of micro-plot forest gardens to reduce spending on food and providing family food diversity. This involves re-starting on campus demonstrations and reestablish the training support infrastructure for train-the-trainer curriculum development and delivery. Reconnect with local and federal agricultural professionals through online and face-to-face meetings and workshops on new additions to the Guam WSARE New Farmer Curriculum.
Objective 2. Increase grant submissions in collaboration with partners to address the massive influx of agricultural information needs by stakeholders. Re-engagement in this initiative with our local and regional partners through zoom but also began having face-to-face meetings and workshops particularly WSARE grant writing workshops
Objective 3. During this period began reconnecting with leaders in the hospitality industry by including them in zoom meeting and grant writing workshop invitations.
COVID Recovery (1/2021 to 12/2021) and Post COVID (1/2022 to 12/2022)
In the COVID Recovery through Post COVID period we worked to address issues brought on or modified by the COVID context that related to our programs long term objectives. We were able to see a gradual return our initial program plan over this period. We continued to address island food security by collaborating with farmer groups to work with, local government agencies providing meals and emergency food supplies, in procurement of local produce. We used multiple venues and partners to deliver WSARE grant writing workshops to facilitate the preparation of many successful WSARE grant applications that support needs of our stakeholders on Guam, and online workshops for Western Pacific Land Grant partners through the use of Zoom and the WSARE sponsored network of WSARE island liaisons. Restarted the fact to face WSARE Advisory Committee needs assessment meeting for Post COVID collaborative partner program plan development. Refocused on island food security through curriculum development and restarting on campus demonstrations of: micro-plot forest gardens, recirculating aquaculture/aquaponics, livestock dry litter, backyard nursery production and various subsistence gardening systems. Meet with leader's in Guam's hospitality industry by including them in the year's WSARE Advisory Committee needs assessment and strategic planning meeting. Secured supplemental WSARE funding for a 64 hour Hawaii Master Food Preserver train the trainer workshop on Guam.
Advisors
- (Educator)
- (Educator)
- (Educator)
- (Educator)
Education
Guam PDP will continue to work with existing and new advisory committee members to identify and address issues impacting food security. Given the recent complete island shutdown from a resurgence of COVID-19 due mainland arrivals, this proposal was developed based on a meeting of core group from our advisory committee and one on one discussions with other participants in the agriculture sector. This period's topics include, but are not limited to: subsistence and commercial production systems, soil and water conservation practices, farm planning, government procurement of local ag. products, wholesale and retail market channel entry, permaculture, agroforestry, home, school, and community gardening, food security issues, promotion of government programs, and promotion of WSARE grants. During this period Guam WSARE will support efforts to develop a communication networking ( using Zoom) of sustainable agricultural professionals across the American-affiliated Western Pacific. We will continue to explore delivery of programs through online platforms, publications, and videos.
Third Year (1/2023 to 12/2024)
Objective 1.
Ongoing. Work continues on re-establishing our WSARE demonstration sites in the wake of Super Typhoon Mawar. Program staff have worked on clearing downed trees, re-planting, mulching, and repairing plant nursery and aquaculture/livestock demonstrations.
June 24, 2023. Papaya Cultivation Workshop. With many gardens and farms devastated by Typhoon Mawar, papaya is one tree that will grow and produce fruit quickly. Workshop participants learned from Dr. Robert Bevacqua and Mark Acosta about the best varieties of papaya for Guam and sustainable soil and water conservation practices like mulch and comopost. Rynette Perez also informed participants on the nutritional value of this local fruit. 30 participants attended.
October 7, 2023. Soil Health Workshop. In collaboration with the Southern Guam Soil and Water Conservation District and the Inarajan Mayor's Office, this workshop taught participants the importance of soil health, the importance in agricultural production, and how to take soil samples. Dr. Gollabi, UOG Soil Scientist was the primary presenter.
Ongoing. Multiple meetings with partners to plan upcoming sustainable agriculture workshop series in Inarajan and Yigo. This series will take place in the villages and will establish an agroforestry demonstration site using recommended sustainable practices. These demonstrations will be leveraged with the Renewable Resources Extension Act funds.
Objective 2.
February 23, 2023- Guam Master Food Preserver Program Outreach. A keynote presentation was conducted during the American Culinary Federation meeting in collaboration with the Guam Community College Culinary Arts Program. The Guam Master Food Preserver Program was presented Presentation topics included the program overview and curriculum, certification requirements, and brief slides on each of the preservation methods. A total of 19 members attended which consisted of chef's, wholesalers, Guam Department of Education Pro-Start Director, and culinary students.
Objective 3.
Numerous meetings and one-to-one communication has been done to increase WSARE grant submissions. This reporting period focused on Ag professionals submitting grants.
Mark Acosta attended the 2023 WSARE PDP meeting in Waikoloa, Hawaii and was selected to speak at the WSARE Building Partnerships for Agricultural Sustainability Summit in Phoenix, Arizona. The title of the presentation was "Collaborative Partnerships in Isolated Island Communities".
During this period Bob Barber reviewed 10 Farmer/Rancher grants in preparation for the 2024 review panel in Pheonix, Arizona.
Post COVID (1/2022 to 12/2022)
Objective 1.
April 30, 2022-Tropical Food Forests for Home and Community Gardens Workshop, Inarajan Mayor’s Office. Topics included Agroforestry, Fruit Tree/Vegetable Garden Rings, Sheet Mulching, and Drip Irrigation. Several extension publications disseminated. A community garden was established with participants and partners from SWCD, DoAg, and NRCS. A total of 29 participants attended.
June 17, 2022- National Association of Conservation Districts Conference Farm Tour. Local and federal representatives from NACD, SSWCD, NRCS, FSA, DoAg, and UOG along with local producers toured the WSARE cooperator agroforestry plot observing slope cultivation and conservation practices that address high erosion potential and exclusion fencing for feral animals such as pig, deer, and dogs. A total of 18 participants attended.
July 15, 2022- Government of Guam High school Summer Work Program. In collaboration with Senator Sabina Perez, A tour was conducted on sustainable agricultural practices implemented at the on-campus demonstration plot in particular, agroforestry. Information on applicable soil and water conservation practices and onsite fruit trees and truck crops were disseminated through handouts and discussion. A total of 40 participants attended.
August 9, 2022- Hot Pepper and Eggplant Workshop. In collaboration with Dr. Mari (WPTRC) and John Borja (DoAg/ADS), conducted a “Local Cultivar Workshop: ‘Ideal’ eggplant and ‘Guåfi’ hot pepper”. This workshop introduced and disseminated two local cultivars, ‘Ideal’ eggplant and ‘Guåfi’ hot peppers. To increase island sustainability, seed and seedling distribution of these local cultivars will be promoted through non-profit and government organizations (DoAg) to support our local farmers and gardeners. A total of 13 participants attended.
Objective 2.
June 6, 2022: WSARE Farmer-Rancher Grant Writing Workshop, UOG, SBDC. This workshop was coordinated in collaboration with Farm to Table, UOG-SBDC, Department of Agriculture, USDA-NRCS, and USDA-FSA. A total of 23 participants attended.
June 14, 2022: WSARE Farmer-Rancher Grant Writing Workshop, Farmer’s Coop, Dededo. A total of 27 participants attended.
June 21, 2022: Conducted a Zoom webinar on the WSARE Professional Producer Grant for project collaborators. A total of 15 participants attended.
June 2022. Conducted a face-to-face presentation on WSARE the Professional Producer grant at Palau Community College. 7 participants attended.
Objective 3. June 13, 2022: Guam WSARE Local Advisory Council Needs Assessment meeting. Focus group identified needs of agricultural professionals, NGO’s, and producers. The assessment will be used to guide the upcoming activities of the Guam WSARE-PDP program. 5 advisory council members attended.
December 14-17, 19-22, 2022- Master Food Preservers Training. A 64-hour training was led by Ken Love and Jane Tai from the Hawaii Master Food Preservers. The program consisted of 8 days of instruction, discussion, and hands-on activities on safely preserving fruits, vegetables, fish, and meat. Training topics included food safety and knife skills, jam, jelly, and preserves, canning low-acid foods, high pressure canning, pickling and fermentation, dehydration, and freezing. In order to receive certification, participants were required to pass the oral presentation and final examination. A group of six have been certified as master food preservers and four were certified as master food preserver trainers.
COVID Recovery (1/2021 to 12/2021)
Objective 1.
February 8, 2021 Presented "Sustainable Agriculture Resources" at the Guam Department of Education Librarian’s Symposium. The focus of the presentation was to teach participants how to navigate the UOG, WSARE, ATTRA, and Agroforestry.org websites. The goal was to enable participants to find and use sustainable agriculture resources. 37 particpants attended.
In November 2021 workshops were held for 7 CLTC Land Agents, trainings were each 2 hours with ½ hands on activities, on Tuesday and Thursday late afternoons. Topics: CLTC Rules and levels of agricultural production Working demo tour; Farm Plan Components; Agricultural Production/Environmental Plan & Issues in Production Monitoring; Conducting a CLTC Agricultural farm inspection & production monitoring; Resources for CLTC Ag program development.
Objective 2.
In Fall 2021, 2 online workshops were held and one on one sessions were held with earlier workshop participants to support their submission efforts. Four of the applicants from these workshop and one on one sessions were successful in receiving WSARE funding.
Objective 3. During this period began reconnecting with leaders in the hospitality industry by including them in zoom meeting and grant writing workshop invitations.
Education & Outreach Initiatives
Objective 1. Increase island food security through the promotion of subsistence agriculture, agroforestry, and other sustainable agriculture systems for Guam's limited resource families micro-plot forest gardens should reduce spending on food and provide family food diversity.
Selected agroforestry practices and micro-plot utilization directly alleviates many of the most pressing constraints reported by our regions farmers: poor rocky soils, lack of weed control, sloping land, and limited time/labor, equipment, and capital. Agroforestry practices such as mulching, for example, enriches the soil and suppresses weed growth. More importantly, a micro-plot approach addresses time, labor, equipment, and capital limitations by maximizing the productivity of a small plot of land. Increasing the abilities of many families to produce on the lands they have, will stabilize and grow and agricultural production community.
Fall 2021 t0 Third Year, Train the Trainer - CLTC Land Agent, Subsistence Farm Resource Assessment and Farm/Environment Plan Development
Objective:
Train Chamorro Land Trust's Land Agents with no formal agriculture background basics of assisting subsistence farm families in resource and constraint identification and development of a basic subsistence farm plan.
Description:
Twelve contact hours of training on values identification, family resources (labor, financial, equipment) documentation, and land resources and constraints, and a basic subsistence farm plan template. These sessions also included hands on training in key soil and water conservations and plant propagation techniques.
In November 2021 workshops were held for 7 CLTC Land Agents, trainings were each 2 hours with ½ hands on activities, on Tuesday and Thursday late afternoons. Topics: CLTC Rules and levels of agricultural production Working demo tour; Farm Plan Components; Agricultural Production/Environmental Plan & Issues in Production Monitoring; Conducting a CLTC Agricultural farm inspection & production monitoring; Resources for CLTC Ag program development.
In December 2023, once a new director for the CLTC was able to meet with us, we agreed we would conduct another series of trainings in Spring 2024.
Outcomes and impacts:
The Land Agents are ready for phase II of the training were they will each pair up with two farm families each to go through the training but after every 2 hour session spend 1-2 hours with each family on planning homework before the next session. This will give them hands on experience working with client families. Training calendars were not able to be worked out for 2022 so planned to start up again in late 2023.
Increase government procurement of local produce in their meal programs.
This will be done by linking government procurement to local production and local markets by working with existing and new PDP partners to support Governor’s program to relink government food procurement to local agricultural products. PDP will lead the building of new partnerships and guide the implementation of targeted marketing programs.
2021 and 2022 - The Guam WSARE worked with the Farmers' Cooperative Association of Guam (FCAG) to promote local produce by Government of Guam agencies that were providing meals and buying imported produce for these meals. The effort was to try to focus at least a portion of these produce purchases on buying local produce. The Guam Department of Health and Social Services Senior program was open to this. They saw the popularity of the mixed produce bags and in 2021 implemented a $21,000 contract with FCAG to provide every senior, in their home based and congregate meals program, a $8 mixed produce bag over a six-week period as well, an impressive programmatic spinoff of the earlier WSARE/FCAG COVID response Curbside mixed local produce bags.
This effort demonstrated to the Government of Guam agencies that the FCAG can handle large contracts (if given 2 months notice) with ease. The Guam Sustainable Agriculture program will continue to work with FCAG in trying to penetrate the purchasing system of local government agencies. A key goal is to get local produce iterm regularly in the Senior meal program by working with DPHSS and their contracted meal provider. Since the initial 2021 senior mixed produce bag efffort there have been 2 more smaller iterations of this effort through 2022. A large effort is planned for 2023.
Increase capacity of outreach professionals to support farmer implementation of sustainable agriculture practices and secure WSARE funds through the grants programs.
PDP will promote sustainable agricultural production practices, both modern and traditional (agroforestry) through curriculum development and by promoting SARE grants through grant writing workshops. Also, will lead collaborations among agriculture professionals to develop curriculum, demonstrations, workshops, and project plans/proposals. Explore online program development activities and workshop delivery for these efforts.
The Guam PDP team supports other ag professionals by utilizing plant material, seedlings, and fruit trees from the nursery to conduct outreach activities. Plants are used to establish demonstration sites and have been effective in curriculum delivery.
2021 and 2022
Online and Face to Face Grant Writing Workshops
Objective:
Increase grant submissions in collaboration with partners to address the massive influx of agricultural information needs by stakeholders. Re-engagement in this initiative with our local and regional partners through zoom but also began having face-to-face meetings and workshops particularly WSARE grant-writing workshops.
Description:
2021-2022: 7 grant writing workshops
Outcomes and impacts:
2021: Four participants from these workshops received funded grants
WRGR22-003 - Developing the Economic Sustainability and Viability of Value-added Products on Guam
WPDP22-006 - Information Network for Sustainable Pacific Islands Research and Education (INSPIRE)
2022: Three participants from these workshops received funded grants.
FW23-414 - Local Feeds for Poultry Farming on Guam
WPDP23-016 - Pesticide Safety Education for Pacific Island Educators and Stakeholders
2021-2022
Cultivating the next generation of farmers: Engaging schools and teachers
Objective: Increase teachers sustainable agriculture literacy through workshops on information resources and food production practices.
Description: 2021-2022 Workshops and tours conducted in collaboration with GDOE's Farm to School program, 4H clubs, annual school librarians conference, and GDOE professional development events.
2021, Coordinated outreach and educational activities for GDOE’s Farm to School grants. Developed curriculum and conducted 8 workshops for GDOE teachers and staff. Workshop topics include Overview of School Gardens, Eggplant, Sweet potato, Sweet corn, Soursop, Papaya, Watermelon, and Banana production. A total 216 teachers attended the workshops.
February 8, 2021 Presented "Sustainable Agriculture Resources" at the Guam Department of Education Librarian’s Symposium. The focus of the presentation was to teach participants how to navigate the UOG, WSARE, ATTRA, and Agroforestry.org websites. The goal was to enable participants to find and use sustainable agriculture resources. 37 particpants attended.
July 15, 2022- Government of Guam High school Summer Work Program. In collaboration with Senator Sabina Perez, A tour was conducted on sustainable agricultural practices implemented at the on-campus demonstration plot in particular, agroforestry. Information on applicable soil and water conservation practices and onsite fruit trees and truck crops were disseminated through handouts and discussion. A total of 40 participants attended.
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation Summary:
Learning Outcomes
Project Outcomes
Face of SARE
The program encompassed a wide range of topics, including subsistence production systems, sustainable soil and water conservation practices, farm planning strategies, permaculture and agroforestry practices, addressing food security issues, promoting government/federal programs, and facilitating access and submissions of WSARE grants.The team utilized various methods of program delivery, including online platforms, publications, and demonstration sites to ensure that our resources and knowledge reach as many individuals and communities in Guam and the wider Western Pacific region.
Guam PDP maintained an underlying theme of addressing food security issues merged with sustainable agricultural practices throughout the program. WSARE demonstration sites and plant nursery serves as a model for a hands-on training site in workshop delivery. These demonstrations serve to provide plant material and incentives for participants and partners of the program. Current curriculum was adapted for use by Outreach/Education professionals that don't have agricultural backgrounds and delivery to nontraditional clients, by training professionals in use of this curriculum for use in home and subsistence gardener and other contexts. The program integrates earlier developed curriculum into formats suitable for other audiences. The PDP team facilitates agricultural subsistence and market need assessment, program planning, and coordination of curriculum development and delivery, and as role models in demonstrations.