Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Forest farming practices refer to cultivating high-value specialty crops in the forest understory with the specific management of the canopy and forest overstory to promote the growth and establishment of the desired nontimber forest products (NTFPs). Through this project, we will use a grass-roots approach to build a localized network of farmers, landowners, and researchers interested in forest farming, which will complement ongoing research at Lincoln University on agroforestry and forest farming. The proposed activities will allow for the establishment of a forest farming network modeled after such a coalition in the Appalachian and Northeast US and will result in forest farming adoption in Missouri and the Midwest. This proposal will take advantage of demonstration sites established at the Lincoln University Busby Farm along with a field visit to Ozark Mountain Ginseng and other mentor farmer sites. The project will conduct educational workshops, hands-on activities, and farm tours for TSPs, agency workers, and producers to establish the forest farming network. The project has integrated education and outreach components with graduate and undergraduate student training, citizen science projects, and statewide network development. This proposed project builds Lincoln University's teaching, research, and extension capabilities and is aligned with USDA's strategic goal. An active forest farming network of farmers, students, researchers, and professionals is a key product of the project. Socially disadvantaged and limited-resource farmers will benefit from the adoption of forest farming systems which can improve their income generation and quality of life.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The primary goal of this project is to build a forest farming network that will support better forest management, income generation for rural populations, a steady supply of non-timber forest products, and biodiversity conservation. Therefore, the following objectives are proposed:Specific Goals and Objectives are as follows:Assess current landowner needs for forest management and forest farming practices through statewide surveys and focus groups (Bardhan. Kronenberg, Massengale).Use machine learning methods to enhance the participant survey evaluation data (Chakraborty, consultant).Conduct economic analysis and market surveys to better understand forest farming demand and customer preferences (Su).Create a forest farming network to disseminate the knowledge and technology gained to stakeholders to facilitate increased adoption of forest farming practices (Bardhan, Hemmelgarn, Kronenberg, Munsell, Massengale).Train graduate and undergraduate students to support traditional knowledge dissemination strategies and increase forest farming knowledge networks (Bardhan, Massengale, Chakraborty).To increase farmer and community knowledge and interest in forest farming through citizen science projects (Bardhan, Kronenberg).
Project Methods
We will use a grass-roots approach to build a localized network of farmers, landowners, and researchers interested in forest farming. Currently, both Lincoln University and the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry (UMCA) have connections with small and marginal producers of specialty crops, many of whom have expressed interest in forest farming. The UMCA hosts the annual Agroforestry Academy, an intensive educational training series on the fundamentals of agroforestry designed for the natural resource professional and farmer to gain an in-depth look at agroforestry practices, design concepts, species selection and management, economics, and marketing. The UMCA also organizes the Agroforestry Symposium, a full-day event with a revolving theme related to agroforestry, sustainable agriculture, and environmental equity. Lincoln University recently hosted the first session of forest farming workshops this spring (2023) with great success. Several participants who attended this workshop expressed interest in further collaborating with Lincoln on forest farming research and outreach. These three events will serve as the primary recruitment mechanism for the additional participation of farmers and landowners and later for the dissemination of the results of this project.We will also establish an integrated educational and extension program with publications and field days based on the application of lessons learned during the formation of the network using the well-established and highly successful Appalachian Forest Farming Coalition as a model to guide outreach efforts and build landowner capacity for successful forest farming.