Puerto Rico 2024-2025 MSP - Program Assistant

Commodities

Practices

The Puerto Rico Agricultural Extension Service (PRAES) will use SARE definitions on Sustainable Agriculture to describe sustainable farming activities similar in spirit and practice. This project will unite Sustainable Agriculture definitions with Extension faculty previous knowledge to establish the framework of extension on sustainability practices. We will translate, edit, and adapt SARE’s existing manual (“SARE Sampler of Sustainable Practices: What is Sustainable Agriculture?”) to be used by Extension faculty, farmers, and ranchers. This project intends to build knowledge and skills (train the trainers) on participants through virtual and field capacity building activities. Basic concepts are important in understanding the importance of those who want to perform farming as nontraditional agriculture. Is important for Extension faculty to recognize the benefits of those practices and how to implement them in different ecosystems. Participant Extension faculty will develop four sustainable farming practices in different ecosystems around the Island as a learning experience and a teaching tool to other Extension faculty, farmers, ranchers, and other agriculture professionals. This train the trainer’s capacity building strategy will help to pass knowledge to other Extension faculty, farmers, ranchers, and other agriculture professionals.

The principal objective is to combine some definitions on what is Sustainable Agriculture? Participants includes Thirty (30) Extension faculty.  The main objective will be to translate a publication from SARE, SARE Sampler of Sustainable Practices, What is Sustainable Agriculture? Using the translated manual, we are going to create eight (8) educational modules based on sustainable practices. These modules will consist of eight (8) main topics, and they are going to be created by Extension Specialists. The eight (8) topics include Climate Resilience, Soil Health, Livestock Health and Husbandry, Community Vitality, Health and Wellbeing of People, Ecological Pest Management, Biological Diversity and Innovative Technologies, and Enterprises. The modules are going to be uploaded to UPRM’s Moodle platform and will be taught asynchronously.  Each topic will have a component of evaluation that consists in a pre and posttest, to measure gained knowledge.  A translated publication and the capacity building activities for Extension faculty are important for create a homogeneous definition and concepts of Sustainable Agriculture. The outcome of the project objectives will benefit farmers and ranchers, which are the end users of the passed knowledge and educational material through Extension activities.  Capacity building activities to Extension faculty (train the trainers) will improve the sustainable agriculture information provided to farmers and ranchers on sustainable agriculture.

Once the manual is completed in the Spanish language, two workshops for farmers, ranchers and stakeholders will take place to share the publication and other SARE materials and let them know about the opportunity to become SARE grantees. Workshops are going to take place in the Southwest and Southeast PRAES regions and if be necessary in the other regions of Puerto Rico. Participant Extension faculty will develop four sustainable farming practices in different ecosystems around the Island as a learning experience and a teaching tool to other Extension faculty, farmers, ranchers, and other agriculture professionals. This train the trainer’s capacity building strategy will help to pass knowledge to other Extension faculty, farmers, ranchers, and other agriculture professionals. All work in the practice’s implementation will be documented with pictures and videos. This train the trainer’s capacity building strategy will help to pass knowledge to other Extension faculty, farmers, ranchers, and other agriculture professionals during four field days.

Two (2) meetings will take place with the Sustainable Agriculture Advisory Committee members to evaluate whether it is necessary to update the SARE’s strategic plan. Other outreach activities include visiting some agriculture festivals or activities related to the agriculture sector to reach farmers about the opportunity to become grantees.