Supporting agricultural transformation through elderberry production in rural and urban landscapes

View the project final report

Commodities

• Fruits: berries (other)

Practices

• Education and Training: demonstration, networking
• Production Systems: agroecosystems
• Sustainable Communities: analysis of personal/family life, partnerships, social capital, social networks, urban agriculture

Missouri is the number one producer of American Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) in the United States.

Current research focuses on understanding the health benefits of elderberry, exploring markets, developing improved cultivars, and technical solutions for processing and harvesting. This project seeks to understand the social and cultural dimensions of elderberry growers’ production practices, what assets and resources they use to work towards stated goals for their elderberry enterprises. Increased knowledge on the cultural and social dimensions of elderberry production can provide insights on how to better align farmers values and preferences with programs (e.g. conservation reserve program, NRCS) meant to increase the resilience and environmental sustainability (e.g. through agroforestry) of agricultural practices.

Additionally, elderberry integration into urban landscapes can introduce urban residents to perennial agricultural practices and increase awareness and interest of the benefits of edible native perennials that provide food and medicinal benefits. The goals are to explore opportunities to integrate elderberry into urban landscapes via home gardens, community gardens, and agricultural parks through the establishment of a medicinal demonstration space at Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture and a workshop demonstrating the production and processing of elderberry in urban spaces and for home use.

Learning outcomes are below:

• Urban home gardeners will increase their knowledge on elderberry benefits and how to produce and process elderberry through demonstration plot and workshop
• Agriculture Professionals who work with elderberry growers and those interested in growing elderberry increase their awareness and knowledge on needs of elderberry growers
• Researcher(s) identify areas for intervention to help elderberry growers achieve goals (e.g. production, market participation, value-added products)

Objectives:

• Identify factors that influence elderberry growers to integrate elderberry into their agricultural production system
• Identify knowledge gaps, resource needs, and barriers elderberry growers experience 
• Educate urban home gardening communities on elderberry production and processing through a medicinal demonstration plot and workshop