Sustainable Agriculture Professional Development for Agricultural Professionals of Northern Mariana Islands

View the project final report

Commodities

• Agronomic: corn, grass (misc. perennial)
• Fruits: avocados, bananas, melons, papaya, pineapples, mango, breadfruit, starfruit, soursop, banana
• Vegetables: beans, eggplant, greens (lettuces), okra, peppers, radishes (culinary), sweet corn, sweet potatoes, taro, tomatoes
• Additional Plants: ginger, herbs, ornamentals, trees
• Animals: bees, bovine, fish, poultry, shellfish, swine
• Animal Products: eggs, honey, meat
• Miscellaneous: mushrooms

Practices

• Animal Production: animal protection and health, grazing management, grazing - multispecies, grazing - rotational, manure management, rangeland/pasture management, stocking rate, watering systems
• Crop Production: agroforestry, alley cropping, biological inoculants, conservation tillage, cover crops, crop improvement and selection, cropping systems, crop rotation, fertilizers, food processing, food product quality/safety, forest/woodlot management, grafting, high tunnels or hoop houses, intercropping, irrigation, low tunnels, multiple cropping, no-till, nurseries, nutrient cycling, nutrient management, plant breeding and genetics, pollination, pollinator habitat, relay cropping, row covers (for season extension), silvopasture, strip tillage, varieties and cultivars
• Education and Training: demonstration, farmer to farmer, focus group, mentoring, networking, on-farm/ranch research, participatory research, technical assistance, workshop, youth education
• Farm Business Management: community-supported agriculture, farmers' markets/farm stands, grant making, labor/employment, marketing management
• Natural Resources/Environment: afforestation, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, habitat enhancement, hedgerows, soil stabilization, strip cropping
• Pest Management: biological control, biorational pesticides, cultural control, integrated pest management, mulches - general, mulches - killed, mulches - living, mulching - vegetative, mulching - plastic, weed ecology
• Production Systems: agroecosystems, organic agriculture, permaculture
• Soil Management: composting, earthworms, green manures, organic matter, soil analysis, soil chemistry, soil quality/health
• Sustainable Communities: community development, community planning, community services, food access and security, food sovereignty, partnerships, quality of life, sustainability measures, urban agriculture, values-based supply chains

The Western Region Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (Western SARE) program in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) works collaboratively with extension professionals, farmers, ranchers, government agency personnel, and other stakeholders to promote sustainable agricultural technologies and programs in CNMI. The Western SARE program encourages participation of the members of local communities in activities that could inspire them to adopt and integrate sustainable agriculture technologies and practices into their agriculture, agroforestry, and livestock systems. Overall, greater productive capacity for local agricultural can be achieved by strengthening local food systems and by promoting concepts of sustainability and environmental stewardship, which will ultimately contribute to improved health, and economic income of local communities.

• Identify, evaluate and promote locally appropriate sustainable agricultural technologies
• Organize outreach activities for stakeholders to disseminate knowledge and increase visibility of the SARE programs and grants
• Assist stakeholders to develop SARE grant proposals
• Implement farmer-to-farmer trainings and workshops in the islands of Rota, Saipan, and Tinian
• Provide group and individual assistance to farmers, ranchers, and other stakeholders
• Generate a large data base of soil chemical and physical characteristics to diagnose soil limitations and provide recommendations to increase crop yields. improve soil conditions and reduce adverse impacts