Sustainable Intensification for Greater Farmer Prosperity

Commodities

• Vegetables: beans, peas (culinary), other

Practices

• Education and Training: farmer to farmer, participatory research
• Soil Management: soil quality/health

Farmers in California face unique challenges sustaining soil health, as the high cost to rent land drives farmers to keep land in production as many months as possible, leaving little physical space or seasonal availability for cover cropping.  

Soil health improvement strategies that do not require replacing a cash crop with a cover crop may be more attractive a farmers because there is no loss of income from a missed cash crop; examples include integrating a marketable legume such as beans or peas or intercropping a legume at the same time as a cash crop. 

In collaboration with eight farmers and two researchers from Stanford University, the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) trialed two legume strategies that have been identified by farmers: harvestable peas/beans and legume cover crops intercropped in furrows of cash crops. 

On-farm trial results were shared through two on-farm conservation field days and one statewide conference.

196 farmers were exposed to alternative soil health improvement strategies. 21 farmers reported increased interest in incorporating legumes through one of the methods trialed in the project.

1. Compare agronomic suitability, soil health benefits, and nitrogen benefits of two practices: seeding clover in furrows with cash crops in beds, or incorporating more harvestable legumes (peas/beans) in crop rotations 

1. 1. • Farmers were given support and resources required to trial two methods of adding legumes in their crop plans. Methods were chosen by farmers. The methods offered were arrived at through conversations with 50 farmers over two years prior to the project.

     2. Facilitate farmer to farmer learning through education and outreach elevating participating farmers  

• • • Farmers trialing legumes were given 348 total hours of one-on-one technical support (48 hours per farmer) by an Agricultural Technical Specialist, as well as support by one of the researchers involved in the project.

• • • Participating farmers were given opportunities to present and share alongside Agricultural Technical Professional and Researchers through: one statewide conference and two on-farm field days. 

• • • Participating farmers were located in high-density farming areas including an incubator farm with ~30 participants and a shared ranch with approximately ~20 participants. Through project support, participating farmers served as resources for farmers outside the project.