Project Overview
Commodities
- Fruits: bananas, citrus, melons, papaya, pineapples
- Vegetables: eggplant, greens (leafy), okra, onions, peppers, radishes (culinary), sweet corn, sweet potatoes, taro, tomatoes
- Additional Plants: coffee, trees
Practices
- Crop Production: application rate management, cover crops, crop improvement and selection, crop rotation, fertilizers, multiple cropping, nutrient management, organic fertilizers, plant breeding and genetics, pollination, postharvest treatment, varieties and cultivars, water management
- Education and Training: demonstration, display, extension, on-farm/ranch research, technical assistance, workshop
- Pest Management: botanical pesticides, chemical control, field monitoring/scouting, mulching - plastic, prevention, soil solarization
- Soil Management: composting, green manures, organic matter
- Sustainable Communities: quality of life
Abstract:
The Western Region Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) program of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) will work collaboratively with stakeholders and growers to develop an outreach educational campaign to promote sustainable agricultural technologies and programs in CNMI. The SARE program of CNMI will work with all stakeholders to engage and encourage participation of members of local communities in program activities so that they could be inspired to adopt and integrate sustainable agriculture technologies and practices into their local production systems. Overall, greater productive capacity for local agricultural produce will 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 status of local communities.
Project objectives:
Objectives of this study are: 1) Identify, evaluate, and promote locally appropriate sustainable agricultural technologies; 2) Develop outreach and educational materials and organize seminars to promote sustainable agriculture for multispecies and multipurpose crops; 3) Organize seminars for stakeholders and local growers to increase visibility of the SARE programs and grants; 4) Provide assistance and technical advice to local growers to develop SARE farmer and rancher grant proposals; and 5) Develop a multi-year collaborative educational and professional development program.