National Agroforestry Center

The USDA National Agroforestry Center (NAC) accelerates the application of agroforestry through a national network of partners. Together, we conduct research, develop technologies and tools, coordinate demonstrations and training, and provide useful information to natural resource professionals. Read more about the National Agroforestry Center…

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A Food Forest Grows in Atlanta

Posted May 11, 2018

The USDA Forest Service Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program (CFP) partners with local governments, Indian tribes, and qualified nonprofit organizations to acquire and protect forestlands that are important for people and the places they call home.

In 2016 the Atlanta, Georgia mayor’s office requested CFP funding to establish an urban food forest on seven acres in southeast Atlanta. This project was conceived as part of a larger strategy to address food deserts, or low-income areas that lack fresh whole foods due to the absence of grocery stores. According to data from USDA's Economic Research Service...

Read the full article on the USDA Blog.

Community Food Forests: Fruitful and Fire-smart

Posted April 2, 2018

Community food forests may be best known as a source of fresh healthy food to local residents, but they also offer expanded social connections, reduced food costs, enhanced physical activity, hands-on outdoor learning experiences for children, and much more. Catherine Bukowski will present a webinar on research on community food forests across the United States, highlighting factors that contribute to success and suggesting approaches for dealing with challenges that may arise. Ann Audrey will describe best practices and principles for designing community food forests that are well-adapted to local site conditions and micro-climates. She will also share recommendations for reducing fire hazards and risk in community food forests based on lessons learned during recent fires in the southwestern U.S.

This webinar is open to all. Check out the Urban Forest Connections Webinar Series web page for updates and to watch recordings of previous webinars.

Agroforestry: Enhancing Resiliency in U.S. Agricultural Landscapes Under Changing Conditions

Posted March 8, 2018

The USDA Forest Service has published a new report Agroforestry: Enhancing Resiliency in U.S. Agricultural Landscapes Under Changing Conditions that presents the first-ever synthesis on agroforestry as a mechanism to provide mitigation and adaptation services in the face of a changing climate. With contributions from more than 50 experts from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, this report draws upon recent science and shows how tree-based management strategies can improve agricultural production and resiliency, especially under increasingly fluctuating environmental conditions.

National Agroforestry Center 2017 Highlights Report Now Available!

Posted March 5, 2018

In FY2017, the USDA National Agroforestry Center (NAC) updated AgBufferBuilder, a tool that helps natural resource professionals design cost-effective buffers to improve water quality, worked with Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) to inventory trees outside forests for ecosystem services accounting, promoted food security through pollinator conservation, worked with partners to provide opportunities through increased land access, and increased information access through new online resources. These are just some of the highlights found in the National Agroforestry Center: 2017 Highlights report.

To read all of the FY2017 highlights, download your copy of the report today!

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