Sustainable Agriculture Professional Development for Agricultural Professionals of Northern Mariana Islands

The SARE-CNMI program has developed a network of stakeholders, contributors, and collaborators who will work in collaboration with the principal investigator to plan and implement programs and activities related to the sustainable agriculture program. The key concept that will guide the program is an open dialogue and sharing of ideas among network members to determine specific initiatives that would be undertaken to meet the goals and objectives of the program. For instance, multispecies systems are a traditional means of food production in the CNMI islands. Today, conventional agriculture systems have replaced many of these traditional multispecies systems. However, there has been a resurgence of interest in the island communities to re-learn and re-develop farming systems based on traditional multispecies systems as these have been shown to be more resilient in the face of adverse natural disasters. Moreover, much of the growing environment in the region is better suited for multispecies systems. This is especially important in terms of ensuring farmer resilience and improving farmland capacity against the adverse effects of climate change. Furthermore, the multispecies systems provide for a higher level of food security, offer greater productive capacity and are more efficient in use of land, soil, sunlight, and water resources. The SARE-CNMI program would provide trainings, outreach, and coordination efforts to promote the transfer of knowledge and expertise in multispecies systems through seminars, webinars, virtual meetings and hands-on activities. The program will mobilize local and regional knowledge and interest by engaging local growers with the professionals and experts to identify, demonstrate and evaluate locally appropriate integrated sustainable agricultural systems.

The SARE-CNMI program will also continue to be available by phone, email, other virtual platforms and in person to advise growers and stakeholders on appropriate agricultural strategies and events to promote sustainable agricultural practices as well as to receive their feedback to continuously improve the program.

During the project lifespan, a series of seminars, webinars, virtual meetings and hands-on activities will be held to promote the sustainable agricultural program and provide trainings, listening sessions, and advice for growers from all three islands namely, Rota, Tinian, and Saipan. The key focus will be to promote sustainable technologies and practices, and to educate people about the SARE grants program. Strategic planning meetings as part of seminars, webinars and virtual meetings will serve to aid in the improvement of a strategic plan. A number of publications and outreach materials to increase visibility of the SARE programs and grants, knowledge of stakeholders to promote sustainable agriculture for multispecies and multipurpose crops will be secured and/or developed and disseminated. A multi-year collaborative educational and professional development program in coordination with regional institutions will be developed and hands-on training and workshops with regional institutions on sustainable agricultural practices will be coordinated for agricultural professionals.