Project Overview
Annual Reports
Commodities
- Additional Plants: trees
Practices
- Crop Production: windbreaks
- Education and Training: extension, networking, on-farm/ranch research, workshop
Proposal abstract:
The professional development activity addressed in this proposal is the SARE PDP priority area: Agroforestry and Alternative Land Uses. The specific intended target audience consists of a core group of individuals from State and Federal Government Agencies, University Extension, Non-Profit, and Professional Organizations dealing with a broad range of issues that directly impact landowners and their management of forests and farms. Activities center on a three stage training approach using an updated and comprehensive agroforestry training manual. Stage 1 trains a core group of resource professionals, builds out to stage 2 trainings of intra-agency personnel representing key target organizations, and culminates with stage 3 landowner-focused region-specific trainings collaboration with core group teams of trained (stage 1 and 2) professionals. Outcome evaluation includes pre- and post-training surveys to assess gain in awareness, knowledge, attitude and skills concerning the design and application of agroforestry practices. Concrete behavior change will be evident when trained professionals include agroforestry as a viable alternative to address landowner needs from the perspective of their organizational practices and priorities. This will be evident through widespread landowner awareness and adoption of practices that include trees and shrubs (i.e. riparian forest buffers).
Project objectives from proposal:
The overriding outcomes of the proposed stage 1-3 trainings delivered to diverse agencies and organizations will be evidenced in greater partnering across agencies, broadened agroforestry knowledge base among resource professionals, and increased benefits to farms through adoption of agroforestry and other integrated land management practices. Short-Term Outcomes: Knowledge about agroforestry and communication within and between core agencies and organizations will be strengthened. The number people key individuals within each of the core groups with a working knowledge of agroforestry practices will be increased. Further, as a result of the farm tour and case study activities, participants will be given the opportunity to interact across agency and organizational boundaries that may exist, and thereby create or enhance networks. While agencies cannot afford to send all pertinent personnel to a 1½ day training event, there is merit to having a broad spectrum of individuals within the core groups aware of, and educated about, the potential benefits to properly applied agroforestry practices. The primary outcome of Stage 2 activities will be based on the number of people from within a core group that attend the specialized agroforestry training, and partnerships that are created and enhanced as a result. Paramount to the success of core group, or intra-agency, trainings will be the input and participation from group members that attended the Stage 1 activities. These individuals will prioritize the areas of importance with respect to their agency or organization, and assist in developing an effective curriculum to communicate the impact potential of agroforestry to the priority area. A quantitative outcome of Stage 3 trainings will be the number of landowners attending regional agroforestry workshops. A secondary outcome will be the direct benefits to the existing UMCA Technology Transfer Model as measured by the increase in regional on-farm implementation of agroforestry practices. The existing UMCA Technology Transfer Model emphasizes the merit of field days/workshops that use University of Missouri Farms and Centers to highlight current scientific research in conjunction with visits to farms where landowners are practicing agroforestry. This delivers both science and experiential knowledge to landowners attending workshops and enhances the learning opportunity for educators. Outcomes from Stage 3 activities will strengthen our existing Technology Transfer Model. Short-term outcomes achievable within the 3-year span of this Program are: 1) an increase in the knowledge of agroforestry practices and their benefits to sustainable farming by core participants and their perspective agencies or organizations; 2) enhanced networking and partnering between core participants working with farmers; 3) a greater utilization and adoption of agroforestry practices to enhance sustainable farming by using interactions between farm resources to the benefit of farm operations. Intermediate Outcomes: Policy changes within agencies and organizations will reflect knowledge gained and an appreciation for the benefits of agroforestry practices applied to the farm. This will result in greater cooperation and collaboration between agencies, organizations, and natural resource disciples when recommending agroforestry and other sustainable forest and farm management practices. As agroforestry practices increase in number and mature there will be a diversification of products produced and marketed from farms. Long-Term Outcomes: Increased landowner adoption of agroforestry practices will result in a greater diversification on farm landscapes, enhanced farm sustainability through product diversification and enhanced stewardship of farm resources. In 2013, five years after the end of the agroforestry PDP trainings, the number of trained professionals and landowners practicing agroforestry will be reassessed. This will include a description of the types of agroforestry practices that are being adopted, where, and why. It will also revisit barriers and constraints to wider implementation by core groups and landowners. An updated Directory of Agroforestry Professionals and Landowners in Missouri will be compiled and published.