Oregon Agroforestry Demonstration and Education Inititative

Commodities

Practices

• Crop Production: agroforestry, intercropping, silvopasture

Agroforestry is poised to emerge as a significant regional solution to Oregon’s priorities for climate, food security, and ecological restoration on working farms and forestlands. In spite of its potential, the awareness by farmers and service providers of applicable regional agroforestry systems remains limited by the lack of working regional examples.  Through this project, Center for Rural Livelihoods (CRL) will establish an agroforestry demonstration site; showcasing regionally relevant approaches to the integration of livestock and perennial crops into agricultural systems. The CRL demonstration site will highlight real-world examples implemented with proven techniques to equip farmers with knowledge and resources necessary to adopt sustainable practices that improve production levels, increase revenue, reduce labor, and benefit the environment. Agricultural service providers and restoration practitioners will become familiar with agroforestry practices that meet both regional conservation and production goals.

The project will utilize CRL's established demonstration and event hosting site to highlight species and systems relevant to Oregon. By modeling both mature and newly established systems in a wide variety of contexts from intensive orchards to oak woodlands and conifer groves, learners will experience a suite of examples that apply to most Western Oregon site contexts. A series of educational workshops will occur utilizing the demonstration site, and farm field days will take place. A series of educational pamphlets will also be produced.  The project outcomes will include: 

1. Establish a demonstration garden designed to showcase both individual species and their functions in various agroforestry systems; 
2. Host in-person educational gatherings at CRL and at local farms to showcase agroforestry systems; 
3. Develop 5 agroforestry pamphlets relevant to Oregon’s agricultural and conservation needs. 

After the project's completion, CRL will continue to host quarterly open houses where individuals can observe real-world examples of agroforestry methods and techniques in action, ensuring ongoing access to practical demonstrations. 

Project objectives will lower barriers to regional adoption by expanding long term demonstration and education capacity. Three overarching project objectives are listed below. Related activities are listed below each objective. 

1. Increase the knowledge of producers and resource professionals by showcasing regionally appropriate agroforestry systems.
   1. Host two in-person field days to visit agroforestry farms; train a minimum of 40  farmers and resource professionals in 2026 and 2027.
   2. Host two agroforestry practicums, over the course of 4 weekends per year, to train practitioners; train a minimum of 20 individuals in 2026 and 2027
   3. Host 12 open houses to tour agroforestry systems on Center for Rural Livelihoods campus; train a minimum of 100 individuals between 2025 and 2027
   4. Host 3 full day agroforestry workshops (one per year) on the CRL campus; train a minimum of 20 individuals between 2025 and 2027.
2. Increase the availability of regionally specific agroforestry resources for use by farmers and resource professionals.
   1. Develop five agroforestry system brochures; Achieve 200 downloads of brochures by 2027.
3. Establish a permanent agroforestry demonstration site at The Center for Rural Livelihoods.
   1. Install systems in the demonstration gardens by 2026 
   2. Utilize donations from Nelson Irrigation to install permanent irrigation infrastructure across the gardens by 2026
   3. Collaborate with Lucas Nebert to install dry farm forage alley crops between tree rows in the garden plots by 2026
   4. Incorporate the establishment and management of these systems as part of the agroforestry practicum program by 2026
   5. Utilize the demonstration gardens as a permanent demonstration site by 2026.