Project Overview
Annual Reports
Commodities
- Agronomic: millet, rye, soybeans, sunflower
- Vegetables: asparagus, broccoli, cabbages, garlic, greens (leafy), peppers, turnips
Practices
- Crop Production: conservation tillage
- Education and Training: demonstration, extension, farmer to farmer
- Farm Business Management: new enterprise development, community-supported agriculture, cooperatives, marketing management, value added
- Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity, hedgerows, wildlife
- Pest Management: allelopathy, biological control, competition, disease vectors, flame, integrated pest management, mulches - killed, mulches - living, physical control, row covers (for pests), sanitation, smother crops, trap crops, weed ecology, weeder geese/poultry
- Production Systems: permaculture, transitioning to organic
- Soil Management: earthworms, green manures, organic matter, soil analysis, nutrient mineralization, soil quality/health
- Sustainable Communities: partnerships, community services
Abstract:
“Sustaining Agriculture through Community Partnerships” provided a resource notebook and training in sustainable production methods to agricultural and extension educators and service providers. Project participants will use these resources and training to conduct sustainable agriculture programs in their own communities. The goal of this project is to increase awareness among growers, educators and other agriculture professionals of the opportunities in sustainable agriculture and to provide ample access to information and resources.
17 participants, from 2 states, including farmers, Cooperative Extension agents and agriculture educators attended the training in October 2002. This training was a two-day workshop at the Sustainable Farming Program, Central Carolina Community College, in Pittsboro, North Carolina and included two farm visits to area sustainable producers.
Project objectives:
The following objectives were outlined in the “Sustaining Agriculture through Community Partnerships” project proposal.
Twenty eight (seven teams of four) 1862 and 1890 land-grant university extension professionals, Natural Resource Conservation Service conservationists, farmer educators, and vocational agriculture educators from community college and high school programs will be trained to conduct workshops in sustainable agriculture.
Using tested methods of experiential learning in sustainable agriculture, participants will learn how to demonstrate the hands-on approach and combine it with lecture and field trips to effectively deliver the desired results and the skill and knowledge to use it.
Seven interdisciplinary teams from counties/regions expressing an interest in sustainable agriculture will participate in the training that will foster collaborative partnerships. Teams will continue to work together in their own communities to provide training in sustainable agriculture.
The multidisciplinary teams will be provided resources for sustainable agriculture professional development programs.
A resource notebook will be developed for use in sustainable agriculture workshops. This notebook will contain lesson plan outlines, recommended resource lists and suggestions for utilizing local resources. Participants will be encouraged to use these notebooks as a resource when conducting local training programs.
Agriculture professionals will be able to further multiply their learning in sustainable agriculture and conduct training programs using resources from CFSA sponsored workshops.
This project will strengthen support for existing professional development programs in sustainable agriculture by providing tuition assistance to attend Sustainable Farming Program workshops, regional organic production schools and other appropriate conferences and workshops.