Progress 04/01/24 to 03/31/25

Outputs
Target Audience: The project followed the USDA (2022) Get Started guide while recruiting project participants, all of whom were producers, including small-scale farmers and ranchers, women, veterans, beginning producers, and resource-constrained producers. According to NASS (2017),1 46.8% of the producers in the project counties (Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester) sell less than $10,000/year. Following the guidelines and data available, the project recruited nine farmers who were willing to dedicate some land (0.5-1.0 acres) to adopt agroforestry--alley cropping of fruits and vegetables to sustain extreme weather variability. 1: NASS (National Agricultural Statistics Service) (2017). Census of Agriculture. County Profile. www.nass.usda/AgCensus The project put a priority on recruiting women, veterans, and beginning producers. The project followed the following steps to reach out and recruit the target audience. First, the project team prepared recruitment rubrics based on several criteria: the producers' willingness to adopt alley cropping for fruits, vegetables, and medicinal plants that could sustain extreme weather variability; ownership of the land; suitability of the land for the practice; and willingness to dedicate an acre for a minimum of a decade. Alley cropping creates 'alleys' where the production from companion crops (also known as alley crops) maintains operational cash flow, while the fruit trees or shrubs planted in the rows grow and provide long-term socio-economic and environmental benefits. The piece of land under this system will provide three streams of income: vegetables, herbs, and pollinator crops; fruits; and carbon credits. The project then developed an intent form, briefly introducing the project objectives, and called for submissions of completed applications (online or hard copy) from those interested in joining the project. Next, the intent form was distributed and disseminated through various channels, such as in-person interactions, workshops, emails, listservs, word of mouth, local and state-level workshops, meetings, and conferences, county officials, farmers' associations, and the farmer-to-farmer (F2F) network using a snowball approach. The project team reviewed the submitted applications and visited the potential farms based on the reviews. Finally, 10 producers from three counties (Somerset, Caroline, and Wicomico) with suitable land were recruited for the project. Additionally, the project team reached out to three high schools in the respective counties through community liaisons. The intent is to educate high school students about climate-smart agriculture and forestry activities (CSAF) by engaging them in experiential learning and classroom presentations on the socio-economic and environmental benefits of CSAF. Furthermore, the project will educate them on how climate-smart alley cropping contributes to fresh production, household food accessibility, carbon sequestration, and reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and fluxes. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project provided participants with comprehensive training and professional development, including orientation on climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices and hands-on sessions on the socio-economic and environmental benefits of CSA. Participants received guidance on establishing alley cropping orchards with fruits and vegetables to boost production, income, and environmental resilience. The project distributed fact sheets and educational materials on specific crops and practices (e.g., composting, rainwater harvesting, and marketing climate-resilient produce) and recognized exemplary farmers through awards. These efforts collectively enhanced participants' technical knowledge, skills, and capacity to adopt innovative, climate-smart agricultural solutions. The following services were provided to the project participants: Informed participants about the project and its planned activities Provided orientation training on the scope of the climate-smart agriculture (CSA) project interventions Presented information about the socio-economic and environmental benefits of CSA Offered the opportunity to adopt an alley cropping orchard with selected fruits and vegetables to increase fresh production, enhance household income, sequester more carbon, and lower GHG emissions. Organized project support activities and best farmer awards Developed fact sheets and flyers on the following commodities identified for planting and growing at the alley cropping demonstration sites: Pawpaw, Fig, Persimmon, Chestnut, Pecans Blueberry, Mulberry Stinging nettle Compost making Rainwater harvesting Alley cropping Developed and distributed educational brochures on the following topics Alley cropping for extreme weather variability Marketing of climate-resilient fruits and vegetables How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The concepts, objectives, expected benefits, and project activities have been disseminated through various channels as outlined under Target Audience, including conferences, workshops, consultations, counseling sessions, word of mouth, listservs, and in-person interactions. These efforts continue to educate people across Maryland and Alabama. The results of the project interventions are not yet available for dissemination, as the project is still in the establishment phase. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The following are some of the major project activities to be performed during the next reporting period. Establish 10 alley cropping demonstration sites Publish 3-5 extension educational materials (brochure/flyer/factsheet) Conduct 2-3 field days Organize one peer interaction meeting Conduct 2-3 workshops/training programs Form a producers' coalition Farm data recording of the adopted commodities Soil health report Baseline data of soil carbon and greenhouse gas fluxes (CO2, CH4, and N2O) 1-2 peer-reviewed publications 3-5 conference presentations

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1: To evaluate the fruit-vegetable alley cropping system for its climatic and economic benefits, we have successfully recruited 10 small-scale producers and identified 10 on-farm sites to establish climate-smart alley cropping demonstrations in late spring and early summer. Vendors for saplings, seedlings, compost, and hardwood mulch are in place, and soil samples from each site have been collected and sent for nutrient and carbon analyses. In collaboration with our cooperators, we finalized a diverse planting palette, including pecan, fig, persimmon, chestnut, and pawpaw; bell pepper, okra, eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, asparagus, pumpkin, and sweet potato; plus, lavender, mint, moringa, and stinging nettle, with crimson clover and hairy vetch as cover crops. One graduate student has been recruited to assist with implementation and monitoring. Our team's early findings and outreach efforts related four papers [1)Assessing the Impact of Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices on Soil Greenhouse Gas Emissions, 2) Engaging Local Communities in Mitigating Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Demonstration Sites, 3) How Extension Educates Smallholder Farmers about Climate-Resilient Agriculture, and 4) On-Farm Demonstration: Showcasing Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices] have been accepted for presentation at the 14th Annual Regional Research Symposium (UMES School of Graduate Studies, April 18, 2025), underscoring the project's immediate impact on soil greenhouse-gas assessment and community engagement. Objective 2: To evaluate the role of silvopasture in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from small ruminants and enhancing carbon sequestration, we prepared paired research plots at a 6-acre silvopasture site and a 5-acre open-pasture site. Annual ryegrass and crimson clover seeds were procured and no-till drilled across both sites to establish comparable forage stands. A graduate student was recruited and started in January 2025 to support flux measurements and carbon stock analyses. All necessary supplies and equipment purchases have been processed, ensuring we're fully equipped to begin monitoring GHG emissions and soil carbon dynamics. The following activities were carried out under this objective. Prepared the research plots at both the silvopasture and open-pasture sites Procured forage seeds (annual ryegrass and crimson clover) were planted using a no-till drill in the open-pasture (no tree present) (5 acres) and silvopasture plots (6 acres). Identified and recruited a graduate student to join the program beginning January 2025 to assist in the research. Processed paperwork to purchase needed supplies and other items. Objective 3: To educate small and minority farmers and landowners on climate-smart agricultural practices and evaluate factors influencing adoption, we organized a series of capacity-building events culminating in a day-long hands-on workshop on March 31, 2025, titled "Alley Cropping for Extreme Weather Variability." In addition to our ten recruited producer cooperators, the workshop drew 48 participants, including entrepreneurs, faculty, students, and staff, who engaged in interactive demonstrations, plenary presentations, and breakout discussions covering system design, crop-tree interactions, soil health benefits, and economic considerations. Follow-up farm visits, one-on-one consultations, and counseling sessions are now underway to assess attendees' perceived barriers, resource needs, and willingness to implement these practices on their own land. Below is a list of training session titles: Nurture to nature: Vital steps for successful planting of fruit trees Scope and opportunities of on-farm climate-resilient extension projects Alley cropping for extreme weather variability: An extension model for community education On-Farm Composting: Generating soil amendments on-farm using food scraps and other organic materials for nutrient stabilization and carbon sequestration Soil fertility and health in vegetable and fruit production systems Soil health: Its importance and ways to maintain it Price variation of fruit saplings (trees) by supply sources Timing for growing vegetables in the alleys Creating markets and marketing of climate-resilient fruits and vegetables Demonstration of the LI-COR Gas Analyzer for measuring greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions Collecting composite soil samples for soil carbon and nutrient analyses

Publications