BUILDING CAPACITY IN CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION PRACTICES
Sustainable Agriculture
Ellen Mallory
Extension Specialist and Professor
University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Orono
Abstract
Current and projected changes in Maine’s climate present new opportunities and risks for agriculture, such as a longer growing season and increased risks of spring frosts, summer droughts, wetter springs, and more frequent and intense rainfall. In many cases, climate adaptation practices identified as helpful by farmers and agricultural advisors (e.g. irrigation and weather-based decision support tools) require new knowledge and skills, not just for the farmer but also for their agricultural advisors. We conducted a comprehensive needs assessment of agricultural advisors who work directly with farmers to identify their knowledge gaps and training needs as related to helping farmers adapt to climate change. Sixty-one advisors in Maine from Extension, Natural Resources Conservation Service, conservation districts, state agencies, private crop services, and non-profit organizations completed an online survey during the spring of 2021. Drought, extreme precipitation events, and changes in water availability were rated as severe or major climate change risks by 70% of respondents. Eighty percent of the respondents said they are interested in helping farmers address climate change, and the same portion said they would be likely or extremely likely to participate in professional development opportunities to improve their ability to do so. Survey respondents reported being least confident in providing recommendations to farmers about the following climate adaptation practices: 1. irrigation and water source development; 2. drainage, water diversion, and other ways to address too much water; and 3. using weather-based decision tools. Survey results were used to develop a three-year professional development program that was launched in October 2022. In each year of the program, a cohort of 16-24 trainees will focus on one of the three climate adaptation practices enumerated above. The educational approach combines expert presentations with on-farm, peer-to-peer, individual, and hands-on experiential learning. The program does not aim to create topic experts, but rather to help trainees become well-informed advisors who, in the context of their current positions, will help farmers frame the right questions, address relevant considerations, evaluate options, and connect with the most appropriate resources and experts. Results from the first year of the program will be presented.
Authors: Rachel Schattman, Thomas Molloy, Ellen Mallory
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Rachel Schattman Assistant Professor of Sustainable Agriculture, University of Maine, Maine, 04469
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Thomas Molloy Research Associate, University of Maine, Maine, 04473
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Ellen Mallory Extension Specialist and Professor of Sustainable Agriculture, University of Maine, Maine, 04473