Researchers at Washington State University will help professionals supporting fruits, vegetables, seeds, and other specialty crops vulnerable to climate change build resiliency through forward-thinking conversations.
Funded by a $1.5 million Climate Hub grant from the USDA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s Foundational and Applied Science Program, a team led by scientists at WSU’s Center for Sustaining Agriculture & Natural Resources (CSANR) is establishing the Specialty Crop Climate Change Extension Academy to improve Extension and USDA professionals’ capacity to support climate preparedness.
“This new academy is about finding peers in specialty crop agriculture and making connections across regions,” said Chad Kruger, CSANR Director and lead investigator of the training project, titled “Analogs for Dialogs.”
This fall, team members will recruit a cohort of 20 Extension and USDA Climate Hub professionals in major centers of U.S. fruit and vegetable production to the academy. Recruits will learn about climate change factors and communication strategies, developing their ability to support grower preparedness.
A major focus of the project is fostering cross-regional connections through climate analogs: for each target region, an “analog” site will be chosen with a current climate that matches the target’s expected future. Participants from paired sites will engage virtually and through site visits.
“Conversations that help growers get to know their counterparts, and what they’re dealing with, will empower them more than us simply giving them information,” said project manager Teal Potter, a postdoctoral researcher with CSANR. “We’re looking for people who know there’s a need to prepare for a changing climate, but don’t really know what to do about it.”
Source: wsu.edu
Photo Credit: gettyimages-amphawan-chanunpha
Categories: Minnesota, Crops, Education