Final report for WSP18-006
Project Information
The Guam WSARE PDP has three focus areas for professional training and program development:
1) Adapting New Farmer Curriculum for use by Outreach/Education Professionals that do not 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 attempts to integrate earlier developed curriculum into formats suitable for other audiences. Inputs include; local Smith Lever funds, PDP funds, UOG CE&O new Community Healthy Living program staff and expertise from UOG: CES & AES & SBDC, NRCS and DoAG staff, and other agriculture, food, and health professionals. WSARE PDP will facilitate agricultural subsistence and market need assessment, program planning, and coordination of curriculum development and role modeling.
2) Agricultural Professional Support for capacity building in technical support of agricultural producers, (including subsistence producers and home market gardeners). In the past WSARE PDP effort focused on developing New Farmer curriculum for commercial producers and supporting agricultural professionals in workshop delivery. This will continue, WSARE PDP funds will be leveraged with local Extension and grant funds. Other inputs include: staff support from UOG CES & AES, DoAG, FSA, GCC culinary program, and NRCS as they collaborate in training delivery. The WSARE PDP program will support curriculum development, training in its use, maintaining demonstration sites, and assisting partner groups in delivering trainings to their client groups. The PDP program will also conduct strategic planning sessions with farmers, agricultural and market professionals, and community groups to identify new topics.
3) Delivering New and Veteran Farmer Trainings by developing curriculum and demonstrations for trainings of clients that want to begin agricultural production. Our multi-agency outreach group has identified three types of producers; subsistence/producers (those striving to reduce the family food bill and increase food diversity by gardening), market gardeners (gardeners who produce a surplus for sale as a first step to larger commercial production), and commercial producers (those who derive a significant portion of their income from agricultural production). Local support is available from Northern and Southern Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD), Farmers’ Co-Op, Guam DoAG, UOG Small Business Development Center (SBDC), DPHSS, and GCC culinary program. This core group regularly works in smaller partnerships to obtain outside funding for targeted efforts.
Due to leverage use of local funds this project was able to extend its period of work on these ongoing focus areas, to include the early COVID adaption of program focus.
1) Expanded advisory group formed and initiates outreach plan and development.
2) Island Outreach professionals will utilize and adapt existing program curriculum [for producers (both traditional and non-traditional) ]and use in workshops and demonstrations on recommended practices.
3) New gardens/ plantings to be initiated giving increased production and consumption of fruits and vegetables by island families, adoption by these producers of sustainable practices taught.
4) Agriculture and non-agriculture professionals conducting workshops promoting home, school and community gardening, and commercial production efforts utilizing recommended practices. Increase in home, school, community, and commercial plantings.
Final activities under grant during 2020 - 2021 added adaptation to Pre-Post COVID environment modifications of above objectives
In previous years the project worked on all the articulated objectives more or less at the same time. In the projects final year these issues and emphasis shifted. The year started off as planned but in the first month COVID hit and the whole UOG Sustainable Agriculture and Cooperative Extension & Outreach activities had to reassess and realign to address the new challenges. In this the WSARE State Coordinators Pacific Island grant's activities was spot on in its orientation to zoom meetings and outreach the skills and infrastructure put in place by this project allowed Guam Sustainable Agriculture to immediately switch to meetings through zoom. The activities timeline of WSARE PDP program for 2020 calendar year follow: Timeline January to March (2020) - WSARE PDP trainings of Chamorro Land Trust Commission's Agricultural Land Agents and Americorps Volunteers. Started new on campus agroforestry demonstration plot for hands on use in trainings. Partnered with Guahan Sustainable Culture (March 7, 2020) to deliver a Saturday morning workshop on Backyard Egg Production on Dry Deep Litter. This training utilized the WSARE funded House 2 Backyard Layer Demonstration and the demonstration's 20 - hen, chicken tractors.
COVID impacts start in late February in full force by end of March. Student and other program workers shortened hours, on campus demonstrations mothballed. April to June (2020) - Worked (near weekly meetings) with the Lt. Governor's office to engage institutional purchases and food banks to use local produce. Developed concept and mentored FCAG in starting Curbside Bag produce sales. July to October (2020) The PDP team, in collaboration with DOAG and SSWCD submitted two grants in peri-urban agroforestry: "Guam Urban Agroforestry Materials Collaboration Assistance Network" and "Guam Urban Agriculture/Aquaculture Methods and Innovative Production". The team also partnered with the FCAG, CLTC, DOAG, and COM to submit a WSARE Research to Grass Roots grant "Information Network for Sustainable Pacific Islands Research and Education". Made 2 videos on home gardening and chicken tractors for at home food production for UOG COVID emergency worker fundraising effort. Facilitated and led FCAG in their efforts with DPHSS Senior Division to provide produce bags to the 2000+ seniors in congruent meals and home meals program. Facilitate SWCD in Grant submission. Conducted a 2-hour virtual workshop for dorm RA’s and students in sustainable agricultural practices and crop production. Conducted site assessment and provided technical supports. Continued meetings with Governor's cabinet members to engage FCAG with government agency produce procurement. October to December (2020) - Facilitate FCAG efforts to expand local mixed produce bag sales. Submit PDP information outreach grant to support DoAG forestry and Southern SWCD efforts. Restarted on campus backyard aquaponics (tilapia and Chinese water spinach), demonstration. Established an additional on-campus agroforestry demonstration site in anticipation of future outdoor workshops. This plot was heavily sheet mulched to minimize student labor.
Advisors
- (Educator and Researcher)
Education
Educational approach:
The PDP program coordinates collaboration among agricultural support agencies/NGOs in the delivery of educational programs by providing support in
collaborative curriculum development, demonstrations, and workshop delivery. Subject matter and core issue topics identified in past sub regional conferences and refined though advisory meetings were addressed from the multiple perspectives of food security during this period. In particular we gave a focus on curriculum development to support the growth of subsistence farming on Guam and the regions' islands. We promoted the growth of agro-forests or forest gardens adapting traditional farming systems of the islands with modern soil and water conservation practices as one of the more productive and sustainable systems for these limited resource subsistence farms. Key was utilizing a micro-plot approach to break these multi-year endeavors into task doable by limited resource family groups. The program, as always, facilitated multi-agency project planning among outreach professionals in their efforts to address the identified local and regional interest and needs.
Maintaining on campus demonstrations for use in workshops supporting this multi-partner curriculum, and delivery of workshop both by the UOG ANR Sustainable Agriculture team in collaboration with our multiple partners. During this period we adapted existing New Farmer Curriculum for use by
Outreach/Education Professionals that do not have agricultural backgrounds and delivery to nontraditional clients. We trained professionals in use of this curriculum for use in home and subsistence gardener, and other contexts. The program attempted to integrate earlier developed curriculum into formats suitable for other audiences and developed new lecture materials for their use.
2018-2020
In our efforts to focus on using online technologies in the program development this period focused on building and operating a peer-to-peer communications network that trained WSARE liaisons with a focus on island sustainable agriculture issues. The state PDP program resources (and coordinators' time) was used to support a Enhanced Coordinators grant for this purpose. During 2019 the Zoom network was utilized to both help the island partners prepare the WSARE visits following the coordinators meetings and then to assist several in preparing WSARE grants.
The 2019 coordinator's visit gave a huge boost to the Guam PDP program's outreach as WSARE staff was able to both conduct a grant writing session and hold a special session for one group of outreach/education professionals that do not have agriculture background, our island teachers. We also held two more WSARE grant writing sessions during the year on Guam and two over zoom for our island liaisons team. Also, during the week of the Coordinators visit during May these funds brought Craig Elevitch to conduct two workshops on agroforestry and food forest design and also participate in the Coordinators tour. This supplemented and supported our efforts in our micro plot development of subsistence agroforestry systems.
On the long term on-campus demonstrations we had a major setback. During 2019 due to campus construction and installation of a new drainage system on the cliffline, the micro-plot demonstration was blocked from access (January - July) and was damaged by heavy equipment and earth movements and trenching on its border. During the second half of the year from July to December of 2019, the demonstration required restoration and replanting many areas to prepare for 2020 planned trainings. The relative ease with which this was restored showcased the resiliency of environmental adapted agro-forestry forest garden approach for island production systems.
In the last months of 2019 the University and the Cooperative Extension and Outreach were approached by two different groups to provide training during 2020. The first was the Chamorro Land Trust Commission specifically requested the University to re-engage with the CLTC, specifically by providing the WSARE New and Veteran Farmer Trainings first for their land agents and then for their agricultural lessees and applicants. The second group was the Guam AmeriCorps program requested the same training as part of their volunteer technical training under their UOG CE&O Global Food Security endeavor which Guam WSARE program is a part. The PDP program will implement these agreements during the 2020 reporting year.
2020 Pre- Post COVID (1/2020 to 3/2020)
The program began the year by adapting New and Veteran Farmer Curriculum for use by Outreach/Education Professionals that do not have agricultural backgrounds; the agricultural land agents of the Chamorro Land Trust Commission. These professionals were trained in use of this curriculum for use in their subsistence farm lease program, particularly in their family/land resource assessment and the development of realistic farm and environmental plans for each lease. The plan was to then pair each agricultural land agent with two of their lease families in a hands on farm planning and soil and water conservation workshop series with the goal of developing a plan for each family. This training series (met Tuesday and/or Thursday mornings for 2 classroom hours and then on Saturdays for 4 hours of class and hands on practice) over a 4 week period. The land agent training was completed between January and March, but then COVID hit before the workshop series with farm families could begin. Two partner groups also participated in the Saturday morning portions of these trainings, the Guam AmeriCorps volunteer program and Guahan Sustainable Culture and their clients.
Also during this period a cooperative training was conducted with one of our new non-traditional agriculture partners the Guahan Sustainable Culture group. Together we conducted a Saturday morning training for subsistence producers on raising chickens in deep litter pens and how to care for 5 day old baby chicks. This was combined with a bulk order of day old chicks of several heirloom varieties (Barred Rock, Buff Orphington, and Rode Island Red) for the workshop participants. This utilized previously developed New Farmer training materials and the PDP on campus layer demonstration with new partners as planned in objective 2.
In December 2019 and January 2020 the on campus PDP funded aquaponic demonstration system was restarted with tilapia and kangkong (chinese water spinach) in anticipation of workshops later in the year (COVID postponed workshop plan but demonstration ongoing.)
COVID (4/2020 to 12/2020) - For all program objectives activities were modified.
For the objective 1 the efforts for expanding the WSARE PDP Advisory group were reversed. In the new context we pulled back to a core group (of Federal, local Extension and Farmer NGO) of advisors to realign our WSARE PDP efforts under the new COVID context. This proved to be very functional as we were able to focus on the initiatives noted below in a rapid and focused manner. This group met regularly over the remaining period in 2020 often two or more times a week through zoom and when permitted face to face outdoors.
Under objective 2. Held several zoom meetings with farmer's groups and local organizations/agencies on SARE grants using previously prepared grant writing workshop curriculum. Impact on this effort was limited and the few grants submitted were primarily driven by efforts of participating agricultural professionals.
Under objectives 3 and 4 the PDP Co-Coordinator and another UOG/ANR faculty conducted one-on-one site visits with dorm director and a Zoom workshop for the UOG dormitory students and staff in sustainable agriculture practices to assist them in establishing a student garden. As we drastically cut back our demonstration and nursery activities at house 2, many of the plants were given to the dormitory garden. In preparation for post-COVID workshops, a new on campus agroforestry demonstration site was established utilizing many of the plants in the Guam PDP house 2 nursery. This new agroforestry site was heavily sheet mulched to minimize student labor during the COVID period. It is currently growing and is ready for agroforestry outdoor workshops when once again permitted.
COVID mitigation effort (new objective/issue focus) the Guam PDP Coordinator with active participation of the advisory group led zoom meetings/discussions with Government of Guam agencies that were providing meals (senior and school lunch programs for example) and emergency care packages all while buying imported produce for these efforts. The effort was to try to focus at least a portion of these produce purchases on buying local produce. Many zoom meetings were held between March and August 2020. Outputs/Impacts from this in 2020 were launching the Curbside Farms Initiative with our Farmers Cooperative Association of Guam (FCAG) partners, and this led to the Guam Department of Health and Social Services Senior Meals Program adapting this idea to the provision of over 2,600 seniors with produce bags. They saw the popularity of the large weekly mixed produce bags and 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.
Education & Outreach Initiatives
The Guam PDP program with support from a WSARE Professional Producer grant established an on campus micro plot agroforestry demonstration for use in trainings. Then use adapted Guam PDP New Farmer curriculum in workshops at this
demonstration. Also the Guam PDP nursery was used to support the grants efforts to establish 4 farmer demonstrations.
The on campus demonstration is now in its 4th year and is used regularly for tours and workshops. The initial fenced micro plot has been expanded with an adjacent micro-plot as a result of workshop hands on activities and to give workshop/tour participants a view of the succession in multi-storied agroforestry establishment.
During the 2019 January to June period access to the site was blocked off and site was damaged by heavy equipment. The period from July to December focus on repairing the site and replanting portions. During this period of 2019 a new on-campus demonstration was developed in the riparian buffer surrounding the University's primary groundwater recharge area. UOG fall agriculture classes utilized both areas in classes and student projects and youth tours.
The on campus demonstration is now in its 4th year and is used regularly for tours and workshops. The initial fenced micro plot has been expanded with an adjacent micro-plot as a result of workshop hands on activities and to give workshop/tour participants a view of the succession in multi-storied agroforestry establishment.
During the 2019 January to June period access to the site was blocked off and site was damaged by heavy equipment. The period from July to December focus on repairing the site and replanting portions. During this period of 2019 a new on campus demonstration was developed in the riparian buffer surrounding the University's primary groundwater recharge area. UOG fall agriculture classes utilized both areas in classes and student projects and youth tours.
Coordinate and plan summer meeting logistics, tours, workshops, business meeting, and other related activities with WSARE, COM, NMC, partner agencies, NGO's, farmer/ranchers, and guest presenters.
Guam hosted the PDP summer meeting for the very first time. WSARE State Coordinators, Administrative Council members, and agricultural professionals attended the meeting. Several educational workshops were held during the week of the business meeting, (2) Agroforestry for Food Security (Craig Elevitch), Grant Writing (Al Kurki and Kim Kroll), and Farm to School (Al Kurki and Kim Kroll). Farm tours were conducted to showcase agricultural practices on subsistence and commercial farms on Guam. Following the tour, a Farmer-Chef Grill-Off competition was held in collaboration our advisory group members the University of Guam’s Cooperative Extension and Outreach, Micronesian Chef’s Association, and the Guam Farmer’s Cooperative Association of Guam to highlight local produce prepared by local chefs.
Prior to the summer meeting, several online trainings and meetings were conducted with WSARE liaisons, Micronesia/CNMI state coordinators, and WSARE team to plan logistics, travel, and tours.
After the Guam meeting concluded, twenty-seven facilitators from WSARE traveled to the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, Chuuk, Yap, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and the Marshall Island’s. Both Guam coordinator's joined the Marshall Islands WSARE team and collaborated in conducting workshops on Grant Writing, Introduction to WSARE, Livestock waste management, Sheet Mulching, Agroforestry. etc. The Guam coordinators continued through Zoom to coach the Marshall Island liaison in preparing a Professional Producer grant for submission.
Several grants submitted from Guam and the region. Guam was awarded a Research to Grassroots grant to continue promoting sustainable agroforestry practices through demonstrations in Micronesia. Marshall Island's: The Guam Coordinator and Co-Coordinator led the team to Marshall Islands. Group and one-to-one workshops/hands on trainings were conducted on several topics to meet the island's needs such as an overview of WSARE programs, grant-writing, Farm to School, dry litter waste management, windbreaks, nitrogen fixing hedgerows, soil building, and sheet mulching. Two topics for WSARE grant submissions in November 2019 were identified and initial writing was started during the visit. Through followup Zoom meetings the Guam coordinators assisted with the preparation of an integrated hog Dry-litter/crop fertility through use of litter as mulch Marshal Island grant submission under the Professional Producer call.
Overall, in 2019 the WSARE team met and provided training to over 200 farmers, agricultural professionals, local officials, and teachers in the islands. Workshops were designed to meet locally identified needs which included: SARE grant writing assistance, soil health/building (including tropical cover crops), nutrient management, plant propagation, pest management, seed saving, swine production and artificial insemination, alternative livestock and livestock feeds, and small-scale irrigation.
Train 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.
Twelve contact hours (Tuesday and/or Thursday session) 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 combination to these were Saturday morning (3 four hour each) hands on training in soil and water conservation practices that were opened to the public and partners like Guahan Sustainable Culture and Guam Americorps program.
The Land Agents were ready for phase II of the training were they would each pair up with two farm families 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. COVID stopped the Phase II of training series, planned to start up again in late 2021.
The Curbside Farms initiative is an emergency relief program for small-scale local farmers to produce, package, and distribute through curbside pickup, fresh local produce to customers. Customers pay a fixed price for the weekly mixed produce bags. Bags also contained printed materials on other Extension programs to address family needs during emergencies, vegetable and herb planting materials, and guidance on growing the plants.
Under the UOG CE&O Sustainable Agriculture program three faculty mentored, in many one-on-one and small group trainings, the Farmer's Cooperative Association of Guam in all stages of development in establishing and promoting the Curbside Farms' Mixed Produce Bags program. From scheduling produce deliveries, quality control, cleaning, packaging and distribution. CE&O also provided advisement in COVID protocols to keep up to date with the changing local regulations to insure staff and client safety. Extension's media unit assisted in preparing the initial promotional flyers. Literally hundreds of CE&O faculty hours were invested in launching and later expanding this program. This was conducted in parallel with discussions with 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 large weekly mixed produce bags and 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.
The first weekly distribution of Curbside Farms bags was 100 bags in May 2020 and continued weekly selling of 100 or more bags at a minimum of $20 or $25 through December 2020. This $2,000 a week in sales during the COVID-19 pandemic represents gross sales in-excess of $50,000 from this program alone during 2020. The Senior smaller bag programs grossed another $21,000 program for a total of $71,000 gross sales for this emergency program.
This program is ongoing and it is hoped will lead to incorporation of local produce in the senior program's meals in the future. 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.
Adapt PDP New Farmer curriculum (Chicken tractors and dry litter waste management) use by Outreach/Education Professionals that do not have agricultural backgrounds and delivery to nontraditional clients, by training professionals in use of this curriculum for use in home and subsistence gardener contexts. Then let them use the on campus demonstrations in trainings and provide assistance in training delivery. Guahan Sustainable culture is the partner group with outreach professionals and the participants were their subsistence client group.
In cooperation with Guahan Sustainable Culture subsistence producers were provide training on low cost backyard housing options and a dry litter systems based on shredded paper and cardboard, for a 20 layer flock. Also training was provided on care of 5 day old baby chicks and all participants were able to pool their orders for several day old baby chicks into a single order managed by Guahan Sustainable Culture to start their flocks. The on campus (House 2) poultry deep litter demonstration was utilized in this workshop.
How to use the abundant (on Guam, Government shredded paper not allowed to go to landfill) waste product/resource of shredded paper as litter in a dry litter layer production system.
Producers/trainees were able to start their flocks by ordering day old chicks, and while waiting were provided with hand on experience so they could set up the infrastructure to raise these chicks like housing, watering, feeding, and waste management with locally available materials.
More than 14 new backyard systems were started.
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation Summary:
Learning Outcomes
Project Outcomes
As a core activity of the Guam PDP program we hold 2 or more WSARE grant writing workshops each year. During this project period we conducted intensive trainings (both online through zoom and on Guam during a 1 week conference during 2018) to a group of our College of Micronesian WSARE liaisons. From these efforts three grants were submitted 1 Guam Farmer Rancher, 1 regional Enhanced Coordinator, and one Pohnpeian professional producer. Two were funded. Several drafts were initiated across the islands that were not ready in time but efforts on will be continued.
In 2018 renewed WSARE Advisory Focus group on Guam was held with Ag professionals, farmers, food industry reps, and health and educational professionals. A new focus on island food security was identified for multi-agency collaboration where sustainable food production promotion (both subsistence and commercial) has a key role.
During 2019, one research to grass roots grants from Guam was submitted and funded and two Grants from COM (Pohnpei and Marshall islands) were also submitted that were supported by this program effort.
In 2019 the advisory group members played an active role in hosting the tour of the Coordinators (Marilyn Salas farm, the Micronesian Chefs Association and the Farmers Cooperative Association of Guam (FCAG)) and hosting the Farm Grill night at the new Co-Op facility. Partners from the advisory group (FCAG, SWDC's, and Farm to School) both attended and recruited participants to attend the two agroforestry workshops and the WSARE grant writing workshop and the session for educators during the week of the 2019 Coordinators' meeting.
The Guam PDP implementation effort now in addition to its core PDP team is providing outreach support to six agricultural professionals with the College of Micronesia in both the Federated States of Micronesia and Republic of the Marshall Islands. This effort is also expanded to provide some support to the Northern Marianas College's WSARE effort during 2019 and resulted in NMC representatives attending the coordinators meetings in Guam.
2019 Coordinators meeting reported in multiple newsletters: IPM program, WSARE (In press), and UOG CE&O Impact Report.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the food supply chains and essential marketing infrastructure. Disruption at the local level raised concerns about food supply chains, farmer income, food security for consumers, and overall food safety. Guam Sustainable Agriculture Co-Coordinator Bob Barber, and CE&O specialists Jesse Bamba, and Kuan-Ju Chen collaborated with the Farmers' Cooperative Association of= Guam (FCAG) to start a curbside program to replace lost market outlets (such as tourism) with existing local customers.
The Curbside Farms initiative is an emergency relief program for small-scale local armers to produce, package, and distribute fresh local produce in a COVID safe manner to customers. Customers pay a fixed price for the weekly mixed produce bags they they purchased through drive by pickup. Bags also contained printed materials on other Extension programs to address family needs during emergencies, vegetable and herb planting materials, and guidance on growing the plants.
By focusing on the local level produce demand and marketing, Curbside Farms created micro-markets for farmers, increased consumer awareness, and provide a COVID safe supply of fruits and vegetables to island families. The first weekly distribution of Curbside Farms bags was 100 bags in May 2020 and continued weekly selling either $20 or $25 bags through December 2020. This $2,000 a week in sales during the COVID-19 pandemic represents gross sales in excess of $50,000 from this program alone during 2020. This program is still ongoing. The popularity of these bags inspired Guam Department of Health and Social Services, Seniors’ Programs to issue 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.
Face of SARE
A major activity of this period has been the preparation activities for the 2019 WSARE PDP meeting to be held on Guam.
This has included since August of 2018 promotion of WSARE PDP meeting among agriculture professionals on Guam. Holding regular advisory and focus group meetings. These identified food security\ issues, promotion of value of subsistence agriculture system and food security. PDP coordinators also meet regularly with farmer groups for input.
2019 two weeks of activities for PDP Coordinators Meeting and Island Teams' visits, Guam PDP program provided significant funding support for this effort and for Craig Elevitch workshops on Guam and Pre-coordinator meeting workshop on Saipan. Guam also provided significant support for the Marshall island team visit.
The Guam WSARE PDP program post COVID (March - December 2020) switched to meeting with all our client groups by zoom and outdoor one-on-one advisement. Technical assistance was provided to develop curbside marketing efforts of both produce and meals in a COVID safe manner. Many meeting were held with line agencies through zoom to promote purchase of local produce. The Guam PDP program led and hosted the negotiations between FCAG and DPHSS Senior Division meal program. And then coordinated the produce bag deliveries, the bulk of this through zoom. This inspired the local Southern Soil and Water Conservation District to collaborate with the 8 Islands 12 Trainings effort by funding and installing a Zoom Conference room in the FCAG building to facilitate all the zoom activity.