Project Overview
Commodities
- Agronomic: corn, cotton, hay, triticale, wheat
- Fruits: apples, citrus, grapes
- Nuts: pecans, pistachios
- Vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, greens (leafy), greens (lettuces)
- Animals: bovine, equine, poultry, swine
Practices
- Animal Production: feed/forage, grazing management
- Crop Production: conservation tillage, cover crops, crop improvement and selection, fertilizers, irrigation, no-till, varieties and cultivars, water management, water storage
- Education and Training: decision support system, extension, farmer to farmer, on-farm/ranch research, participatory research, technical assistance, workshop
- Pest Management: cultural control, field monitoring/scouting, integrated pest management
- Soil Management: green manures, soil analysis, soil microbiology, soil quality/health
- Sustainable Communities: community development, partnerships, quality of life, urban agriculture
Proposal abstract:
The opportunity to educate stakeholders in the state of Arizona regarding the principles and practices developed through the Sustainable Agriculture Research Education program within USDA has never been greater and more needed. As we continue to face pressure on our most precious resource, water, we must implement sustainable agricultural techniques to conserve and preserve this resource. Opportunities through statewide meetings, professional development activities for Extension personnel, and educational materials such as videos will all work together to inform our stakeholders about the principles and practices of sustainable agriculture that will prove most viable for implementation in their production systems whether they be small landowner systems or large commercial production systems.
Project objectives from proposal:
The principal objectives of our Arizona SARE PDP program are to educate our target audiences of Extension faculty, NRCS personnel, NGOs, and other agricultural professionals in the concepts of principles of sustainable agriculture as they relate to specific conditions experienced by agricultural producers in the varied climate regions of Arizona. These educational objectives will be accomplished through the utilization of SARE resources to sponsor attendance at nationally recognized SARE events while also developing local and regional PDP opportunities related to sustainable agricultural production specific to Arizona conditions. We will also use SARE resources to sponsor small research and extension grants (mini-grants) to further exploration into sustainable techniques specific to local conditions. Local Extension professionals will be encouraged to apply for SARE grant opportunities. All these activities will be carried out beginning in 2020.