With funding provided by the Highland Council, NOFA NJ is working to highlight the fundamentals of agroforestry, soil health, and pasture management on farms in New Jersey’s Highlands Region.
The primary objective of this project is to bring together existing agroforestry practitioners with interested farmers and Technical Assistance Providers (TAPs) to share knowledge and increase the adoption of innovative farm management practices.
We aim to provide interested TAPs with a well-rounded overview of how on-farm Technical Assistance (TA) is delivered while connecting producers with industry stakeholders in agriculture and land stewardship, prompting conversations on best practices, improved resource conservation, and more.
Increasing Producer Knowledge and Technical Assistance Capacity for Agroforestry in NJ’s Highlands
This project hopes to bring together existing agroforestry practitioners with interested farmers and Technical Assistance Providers (TAPs) to share knowledge and increase the adoption of agroforestry practices. These practices can be used to enhance a farm’s resiliency to intense weather events and a changing climate, to improve soil health and reduce erosion, and to provide ecosystem services (such as improving wildlife habitat and increasing carbon sequestration), all while improving an operation’s profitability.
These agroforestry practices include NRCS conservation practices as well as innovative farm management practices not yet embraced by the broader agricultural community in NJ. These practices include (but are not limited to) alley cropping, silvopasture, windbreak establishment, riparian buffers, forest farming, contour farming, coppice agroforestry, and silvohorticulture.
Objectives include:
- Increase Technical Assistance Capacity in New Jersey through On-Farm Technical Assistance Provider Training Intensives and Collaboration with Existing Technical Service Providers
- Increase Producer Knowledge and Familiarity of Agroforestry Practices through Educational Workshops, Webinars, and Multimedia
- Increase Producer Adoption/Implementation of Conservation and Agroforestry Practices in NJ Highlands
