Community Development Archives

Showing 1-14 of 14 results

Learning How Bison Grazing Impacts Rangelands and Invasive Grasses

The 19,000-acre Bison Range on the Flathead Indian Reservation is the traditional homeland of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Here, the Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d’Oreilles tribes have focused on land restoration, soil health improvement, and invasive species containment in response to climate change. Invasive annual grasses, particularly Ventenata dubia, pose significant threats to […]

Training for the Future of Arizona’s Small-Scale Agriculture

When supply chains collapsed and grocery shelves sat empty in the first years of the COVID pandemic, many people got interested in growing their own food. Most of those didn’t have access to dozens or hundreds of acres of land. What land they could find were small urban plots, or suburban backyards, or maybe a […]

Training Ag Leaders in the Bering Strait

A large nonprofit with a long history in Alaska, the Rural Alaska Community Action Program (CAP) is well-known for its work addressing housing, workforce development, and health challenges. When COVID hit, the organization added food security work to their priorities. With the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding, they initiated ten food […]

From Vertical Farms to Outer Space

Research projects can at times lead to unanticipated results. While working to identify an alternative and sustainable source of carbon dioxide (CO2) generation for enriching plant chambers within the growing vertical farming industry as a graduate student at the University of Arizona, Justin Chung discovered the potential benefits for sustaining astronauts in long duration missions. […]

Exploring Montana Agriculture

The SARE Fellows trip to Montana was amazing. I enjoyed seeing the collaborative efforts among the various farms and organizations to share their knowledge, expertise, and resources to help each other thrive while meeting the needs of the community. This experience has shown me how people working together is what truly makes programs sustainable. – […]

Building Bridges Across the Pacific

Collaboration, education, and community empowerment hold potential for driving positive change. Accordingly, Regional Food Business Centers in Hawaiian, Pacific Island, and Alaskan communities are harnessing their skills and resources to reach their shared vision of resilient, sustainable, and self-reliant local food systems. Geographic isolation, food transit logistics, large Indigenous populations, underdeveloped infrastructure, extreme climate change […]

Growing Vegetables in Non-Circulating Hydroponic Beds

Growing vegetables hydroponically, such as bok choy or lettuce, can improve access to fresh produce in remote communities dependent on imported food. Additionally, the quality of locally grown produce can be higher than imported produce that can wilt during shipping. Download PDF

Photosynthesis & Hydroponics Lesson & Demonstration

Mt. Lata Farm in America Samoa created a Teachers' Resource Tool Kit with lesson plans on growing vegetables using hydroponics. This is one sample. For more information, contact the Project Leader .

Nutrient Management Plans: Idaho

This is a collaborative project to build the capacity of conservation professionals to assist organic and transitional farmers in planning and implementing conservation practices through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program Organic Initiative. This guide is part of a series of guides created by Oregon Tilth for use by NRCS staff in the Western Region. This document is […]