Agroforestry for Food Production and Ecological Restoration in the Northeast

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Commodities

Practices

• Crop Production: agroforestry
• Education and Training: demonstration, participatory research, technical assistance
• Production Systems: agroecosystems
• Sustainable Communities: community development, ethnic differences/cultural and demographic change, local and regional food systems

The Northeast region is experiencing pronounced impacts of climate change, necessitating robust adaptation strategies to ensure the resilience of our regional food system. Transitioning towards agroforestry-based systems in land and farm management is a well-suited adaptation and mitigation strategy for the Northeast, providing a wide range of environmental benefits including enhanced soil, water, and nutrient cycling, improved erosion control, and increased biodiversity support. Despite these benefits, significant barriers to adoption exist including limited awareness and knowledge, economic uncertainty, and regulatory challenges. These barriers and challenges are further compounded by historic and contemporary injustices that shape food and agriculture systems, leaving the role of agroforestry in contributing to social transformation an area where more applied research is required. Ensuring that transitions to agroforestry in the Northeast benefit Socially Disadvantaged Farmer and Rancher (SDFR) groups —whose knowledge systems underpin most agroforestry practices—requires exploration of collaborative, participatory models that consider production, conservation, and biocultural related goals. To address this, our research seeks to: 1) understand the factors that encourage more equitable transition processes to agroforestry in the Northeast, and 2) support SDFRs in filling knowledge gaps and reestablishing traditional agroforestry management practices through a demonstration site and workshop series. Findings will used to highlight the connections between traditional management systems and contemporary agroforestry practices, enhance visibility and inclusion of SDFRs in agroforestry initiatives, and develop clear guidelines and recommendations to scale agroforestry across the region in a manner that centers equity and social sustainability.

The objectives of this research are as follows:

1. To gather relevant background information on SDFRs in the Northeast around perceptions, priorities, and motivations for engagement with or interest in agroforestry to increase their visibility and inclusion
2. Analyze economic, production-related, and informational barriers SDFRs experience in integrating agroforestry into their suite of agricultural practices to better understand their knowledge and resource needs
3. Deepen understanding of service providers' perspectives who support, or wish to deepen support, for SDFRs interested in agroforestry to identify leverage points, areas of intervention, and clear recommendations for deepening social sustainability in agroforestry transitions
4. Collaborate with Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust and to plan, design, and install an agroforestry demonstration site and conduct 3 workshops in Westport, MA