Developing Learning Communities of Farmers and Educators to Promote Root and Tuber Crops Cultivation in Response to Food Security and Climate Change

Commodities

Practices

In the coming years, Puerto Rico is expected to experience increased temperatures, more extreme precipitation, and possibly longer droughts (Crespo, 2022). The municipalities of Mayagüez, Añasco, Aguada, and Rincón are coastal and low-altitude towns. In recent years, residents of these towns have observed and experienced rising temperatures and sudden flooding caused by the Río Grande de Añasco River, which has impacted food supply chains and agricultural production in both valleys and mountainous areas. A study by the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics (2023) indicated that 64% of surveyed farmers reported that their greatest losses were due to extreme weather events such as hurricanes. Root and tuber crops, especially sweet potatoes and cassava, are classified as ideal for climate change due to their adaptability to poor soils, drought resilience, growth capacity below ground, and high fiber content. For example, 196,416 hundred weights of sweet potatoes were imported in 2019, while Puerto Rico produced only about 6,408 hundred weights (NASS, 2024). Promoting their cultivation among local farmers will help develop a secure food source, improving food security, mitigating climate change due to these crops' ability to grow in marginal soils and their efficiency in water use.

This project aims to educate farmers, teachers, and school communities about sustainable agriculture applied to root and tuber crops by implementing climate-smart strategies. This is necessary to foster resilience against extreme weather events and reduce food insecurity. Planned educational methodologies include short courses, lectures, workshops, field days, method demonstrations, and school gardens.

The impact of this project will be measured using pre- and post-intervention evaluations, assessing the knowledge gained by farmers and the implementation of practices on their farms and in school gardens. The number of farmers impacted and benefiting from the seed banks developed by school communities will be counted. This will enable farmers to improve their profit margins, use soil and water resources correctly, and foster a support and collaboration network among farmers, educators, and school communities.

Reference:

Crespo, W. (2022). https://research.fit.edu/media/site-specific/researchfitedu/coast-climate-adaptation-library/latin-america-and-caribbean/puerto-rico-usvi-bvi/PRCCC.--2022.--Puerto-Rico-State-of-the-Climate-2014-2021-Executive-Summary.pdf

Instituto de estadísticas de Puerto Rico (2023). El 50% de los agricultores cambió de cultivo en los últimos cinco años por problemas de producción. https://estadisticas.pr/en/media/3638

Train and Empower Small Farmers and School Teachers: Enhance the skills of small farmers and school teachers in sustainable agricultural practices for root and tuber crops, emphasizing soil conservation and climate-smart practices.

Establish of Root and Tuber Crops Seed Banks: Encourage the creation of seed banks for root and tuber crops and high-fiber foods among farmers, with a focus on ensuring sustainability of their agricultural operations.

Educate School and Communities on Sustainable Agriculture: Provide training to school communities on sustainable agriculture, with focus on developing community seed banks and producing high-fiber foods from root and tuber crops.

Distribute Root and Tuber Crops Seeds: Promote the distribution of seeds in school communities through knowledge exchange and the provision of propagation materials for root and tuber crops.