Building a multi-institutional network to disseminate stormwater management and agroforestry education for resilient mountainous farms in Puerto Rico

Commodities

Practices

Plenitud PR, in partnership with the UPR Agricultural Extension Service (1862 Land Grant), NRCS, educational nonprofits, and mentor farmers, will establish a multi-institutional network to produce a standardized, Spanish-language guidance framework for resilient farm solutions, ready for dissemination across Puerto Rico. Participating educators will deepen their technical knowledge through hands-on education and will be equipped with high-quality resources including videos and handouts that can be integrated into "First-Visit" strategies - better positioning these professionals to deliver effective farm visits and accelerate farmer adoption of practices.

The target audience includes 30-40 agricultural educators (Extensionists, NRCS agents, NGO staff, mentor farmers). Plenitud PR will provide a 3-Tier training series (virtual/in-person hybrid format) and a Digital Toolkit (Spanish/English subtitles). Activities follow a 7-step process: 1)Project Steering Committee (PSC) formation; 2)Creation of digital manuals/videos; 3)Peer review of educational content; 4) Tier-1 Introductory workshop; 5)2 Tier-2 intensive trainings (1) on stormwater management earthworks and (1) on agroforestry; 6)Tier-3 mentorship; and 7)Final evaluations.

Long-term impacts include: 1)Unified technical language between institutions to increase farmer trust and knowledge retention; 2)Permanent Digital Toolkit of high-shelf-life resources; 3)Formalized Multi-Institutional Network; and 4)Strengthened curricula refined by multisectoral input. Ultimately, farmers will gain knowledge and guidance to reduce topsoil loss, mitigate drought and heat, and increase both profitability and quality of life.

Success will be measured by a pre/post-training competency framework and tracking the adoption rate of "First-Visit" practices and other earthworks and agroforestry practices.

Primary Goal:

To establish a multi-institutional network of 30-40 agricultural professionals and mentor farmers in Puerto Rico proficient in a standardized, Spanish-language framework for water management and agroforestry. By equipping them with a Digital Toolkit and hands-on mastery, we aim to eliminate the delay between farmer needs and implementation through immediate "First-Visit Solutions."

Deep Impact Over Broad Reach

This project prioritizes deep technical mastery over broad reach - ensuring that "nature-based ag-engineering" techniques, still undervalued in Puerto Rico's agricultural landscape, are taught accurately and effectively.

Techniques and Methodology:

We focus on two core areas mastered at Plenitud PR since 2010 in collaboration with seasoned farmers, researchers and agronomists to address steep slopes and extreme tropical weather challenges (dry season versus heavy rain/hurricane season):

1. Water management and retention earthworks: swales, berms, diversion ditches, ponds and terraces.
2. Regenerative agroforestry: alley cropping, forest farming/multi-story cropping, nitrogen fixing support species guilds, successional agroforestry and perennial systems for soil stability and fertility on slopes.

Objective 1: Participatory Co-Creation & Institutional Coherence

Formalize a collaborative Project Steering Committee (PSC) including UPR Extension - 1862 Land Grant, NRCS, NGOs, and mentor farmers) to co-design the 3-Tier curriculum (Introductory, Intensive and Mentorship levels) and foster cross-institutional partnerships.

• Desired Behavioral Change: Educators shift from institutional silos to a collaborative network model, ensuring the workshop schedules respects professional workloads and avoids training fatigue.

Objective 2: Technical Literacy and Spanish-Language "Digital Toolkit" To produce Spanish-language (English subtitles) educational tools - including instructional videos and infographics - verified by an Ag-Biosystems consultant and peer reviewers.

• Desired Behavioral Change: Educators gain knowledge of both core topic areas and become equipped to provide "First-Visit Solutions" to clients - sharing specific digital modules and low-risk mitigation strategies during initial farmer consultations.

Objective 3: Implement 3-Tier Training Series Train a cohort of 30-40 participants in the design and implementation of site-specific water management structures and agroforestry techniques. Participants may join all or some of the following opportunities, available in hybrid virtual/in-person format to accommodate busy professionals: Note: Details and exact format for the workshops listed below are subject to input from the PSC.

Tier 1 Training: 1 Introductory Workshop - 8-10 hours of virtual/remote education including videos, workshops and Q&A sessions via Zoom, designed to be completed at your own pace.

• Desired Behavioral Change: Participants shift from limited or inconsistent exposure to water management and agroforestry to a confident foundational understanding of both - building a shared technical vocabulary and familiarity with the Digital Toolkit that improves the quality of farmer recommendations.
• Action Outcome: Participants with sufficient prior field experience will be immediately equipped to make informed, resource-backed recommendations - sharing Digital Toolkit materials during farm visits to accelerate farmer learning and adoption of new practices.

Tier 2 Trainings: 2 Intensive Workshops- 4 hours of virtual/remote education plus 2 8-hour in-person, hands-on training days (20 hours). The first workshop focuses on earthworks and the second on agroforestry.

• Desired Behavioral Change: Participants shift from conceptual understanding to physical mastery - learning to read landscapes actively, interpreting topography, water flow, and vegetation as a design system they can confidently intervene in. They move from knowing about earthworks and agroforestry to surveying, designing, and implementing them on real terrain.
• Action Outcome: Participants build earthworks to mitigate extreme runoff and seasonal drought, and apply advanced agroforestry techniques to protect crops from heat and wind, produce green manure, and maximize productivity. They leave each training day with hands-on experience in at least one technique (staking a swale contour, or laying out an alley cropping system) building a practical repertoire for independent field work.

Tier 3 Training: Advanced Trainer-Level Mentorship - 2 virtual/remote sessions and 2 in-person, hands-on practice days (20 hours). For participants who have completed previous trainings and want to move from skilled practitioner to confident leader, this mentorship guides a select cohort of 5-10 professionals through site-specific design consultations under expert supervision.

• Desired Behavioral Change: Participants shift from conveying general guidance to commanding deep, site-specific expertise, becoming regional resources their peers and farmers turn to when conventional approaches fall short. They develop the competency to facilitate trainings, lead design consultations, and adapt technical knowledge to diverse farm contexts across Puerto Rico.
• Action Outcome: At least 3 site-specific designs will be created and implemented across partner mentor farms. Mentors lead the design process for specific zones or farm sections, integrating water management with productive agroforestry. These Master Trainers become the institutional backbone of a self-sustaining, practitioner-led knowledge network, equipped to train farmers and peers long after the grant period ends.