From the Classroom to the Farm: Exploring Integrated Pest Management & Climate Change for Farmers and Agricultural Educators in Puerto Rico

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Commodities

• Vegetables: beans, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbages, cauliflower, celery, cucurbits, eggplant, greens (leafy), greens (lettuces), okra, onions, peas (culinary), peppers, sweet corn, tomatoes, sweet chili peppers, legumes, pumpkins

Practices

• Education and Training: decision support system, demonstration, display, extension, focus group, mentoring, networking, technical assistance, workshop

Climate change represents one of the biggest threats to agricultural productivity around the world. In Puerto Rico, extreme weather events and pest and disease outbreaks represent one of the biggest climate change threats to smallholder farmers (Rodríguez Cruz, 2021). In many cases, existing or historic approaches for the control of these phytopathogens are no longer reliable because of extreme changes in climate. Thus, there is a need to increase the use of integrated disease management practices and develop mitigation and adaptation strategies that can minimize the impacts of climate change on food production and availability. Understanding smallholder farmers’ educational needs and increasing access to information and awareness of climate change through education and training is a key first step to enhance their adaptive capacity and reach that goal. In a primary effort to increase accessible training and education to these communities, we developed From the Classroom to the Farm, a course aimed to increase awareness of basic concepts in plant pathology, integrated disease management and sustainable practices to smallholder farmers and agricultural professionals in Puerto Rico. The course is composed of 3 workshops: (1) Foundations of plant pathology, (2) Disease in tropical crops, and (3) Integrated and sustainable control practices. Each workshop is divided into sessions that contain a detailed lesson plan, activities, and assessments, which were developed using evidence-based pedagogical practices. Field days, laboratory experiments and hands-on experiential activities are included to promote learning that is student-centered and collaborative. Through the development of this course, our primary goals are to (1)  Enhance Puerto Rican farmers’ knowledge about integrated pest management and adaptive capacity in the face of a series of obstacles including natural disasters and limited resources in the island; (2)  increase accessible education and practical tools for disease and pest management for underrepresented farming communities on alternative adaptation and management strategies; (3)  increase farmers’ connections with Extension Faculty, other farmers, community and educational resources and programs; and (4) provide Extension agents and interested institutions with training and professional development experiences (Train the trainer).   

1. Enhance Puerto Rican farmers’ knowledge about integrated pest management and adaptive capacity in the face of a series of obstacles including natural disasters and limited resources on the island.  
2. Increase accessible education and practical tools for disease and pest management for underrepresented farming communities on alternative adaptation and management strategies.  
3. Increase farmers’ connections with Extension Faculty, other farmers, and community and educational resources and programs.  
4. Provide Extension Faculty and interested institutions with training and professional development experiences (Train the trainer).