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Agricultural Extension Service

$769,027

Total funding

4

Grants

Funding over time

peak $300K · FY2013–24

$500K$375K$250K$125K$0

'13

'14

'15

'16

'17

'18

'19

'20

'21

'22

'23

'24

Funding mix

By agency

USDA$769,027 · 4

By mechanism

—$769,027 · 4

Investigators at Agricultural Extension Service

Investigator-initiated All funding

Investigatorsi

Rising Stars

First grant in the last 5 yrs

Not enough data

Emerging Leaders

6–10 yrs in

Not enough data

All-Time

Most funded here, all years

Not enough data

Largest grants

**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** HURRICANE FIONA HAD A DEVASTATING EFFECT ON PUERTO RICAN COMMUNITIES. HURRICANES CAN CAUSE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN INTERRUPTIONS AFFECTING FOOD SECURITY DAYS AND WEEKS AFTER THE EVENT. PUERTO RICAN URBAN COMMUNITIES WERE PARTICULARLY SUSCEPTIBLE FOR FOOD SHORTAGES DUE TO THEIR RELIANCE ON NON-LOCAL OR INTERNATIONAL FOOD SOURCES. URBAN AGRICULTURE (HOME GARDENS, COMMUNITY GARDENS, SMALL-SCALE AGRICULTURE, ETC.) CAN REPRESENT AN IMPORTANT PARTNER FOR BOLSTERING COMMUNITY RESILIENCE TO THESE NATURAL DISASTERS.ONE OF THE MAJOR CONCERNS FOR URBAN AGRICULTURE IS SOIL CONTAMINATION WITH HEAVY METALS AND ORGANIC CONTAMINANTS THAT ARE KNOWN TO BE PERSISTENT IN SOILS AND CAN BIOACCUMULATE. THERE IS LIMITED DATA AVAILABLE ON THE EXTENT AND DISTRIBUTION OF URBAN SOIL CONTAMINATION IN PUERTO RICO. IN ADDITION, URBAN FARMERS HAVE LIMITED INFORMATION AND RESOURCES FOR ASSESSING LEVELS OF CONTAMINANTS IN URBAN SOILS AND MITIGATING THESE TOXIC CHEMICALS IN THEIR GARDENS.OUR GOAL IS TO PROVIDE STRATEGIES ANDFILL INFORMATION GAPS TO PROTECT THE URBAN PUERTO RICAN COMMUNITIES FROM FOOD SHORTAGE DURING AND AFTER HURRICANES THROUGH THE FACILITATION OF URBAN GARDEN DEVELOPMENT. WE AIM TO PROMOTE URBAN AGRICULTURE THROUGH EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES ON STRATEGIES TO MITIGATE EXPOSURE TO SOIL CONTAMINATION AND CONDUCT RESEARCH TO DETERMINE SOIL CONTAMINATION IN URBAN SOILS IN PUERTO RICO. REVITALIZING URBAN FARMING IN PUERTO RICO BY REHABILITATING CONTAMINATED SOILS IS A CRUCIAL FIRST STEP ON THE PATH TOWARD INCREASING FOOD SECURITY IN COUNTRIES WITH HIGH DENSITY POPULATIONS AND NEGATIVE NET IMPORTS LIKE PUERTO RICO.THE AIM OF THE PROJECT IS TO IMPROVE FOOD SECURITY AFTER EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS IN PUERTO RICO BY PROMOTING URBAN AGRICULTURE THROUGH EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES AND CONDUCTING RESEARCH TO MITIGATE EXPOSURE TO SOIL CONTAMINANTS IN URBAN SOILS. THREE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES WILL BE ADDRESSED IN THE PRESENTED STUDY:OBJECTIVE 1: PROMOTE HOME/COMMUNITY GARDENS AND SMALL SCALE AGRICULTURE IN URBAN SETTINGS THROUGH CREATION OF INFORMATION HUB AND TRAININGSOBJECTIVE 2: DEVELOP SAFE FARMING PRACTICES BASED ON CONTAMINANT MITIGATION STUDIESOBJECTIVE 3: RATE THE CAPACITY OF BIOCHAR FOR CONTAMINATED SOIL REHABILITATIONTHE OBJECTIVES WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH VARIOUS INPUTS AND ACTIVITIES. FIRST, DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATIONAL TOOLS AND RESOURCES WILL BE USED TO PROMOTE URBAN AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES. AVAILABLE EXTENSION INFORMATION ON HOME AND COMMUNITY GARDENS AND SMALL SCALE AGRICULTURE IN URBAN SETTINGS WILL BE ORGANIZED IN A USER-FRIENDLY FORM THAT IS EASILY ACCESSIBLE AND UTILIZABLE FOR URBAN GARDENERS. INFORMATION GAPS WILL BE IDENTIFIED AND TECHNICAL NOTES WILL BE PRODUCED TO ADDRESS THESE TOPICS.SECOND, URBAN GARDEN TRAININGS WILL BE PROVIDED THE AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SERVICE THROUGHOUT PUERTO RICO. TO REACH THE GREATEST NUMBER OF FAMILIES IN THE SHORTEST AMOUNT OF TIME WE WILL WORK WITH THE MASTER GARDENERS AND 4-H PROGRAMS IN PUERTO RICO TO ASSIST IN THE TEACHING AND THE IMPLEMEN,TATION OFURBAN GARDENS. THE MASTER GARDENER PROGRAM IN PUERTO RICO COMPLETED ITS FIRST YEAR IN EARLY 2020. TO INCREASE VOLUNTEER HELP IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF URBAN HOME GARDENS, THE SECOND MASTERS GARDENERS TRAINING WILL BE HELD EARLY IN THE PROJECT YEAR. AS FAMILIES WITH YOUNG CHILDREN AND SENIORS ARE AT GREATEST RISK FOR LACK OF FOOD AFTER A HURRICANE, HOME GARDEN INSTRUCTION WILL BE FOCUSED ON 4-H GROUPS ACROSS THE ISLAND. 4-H MEMBERS WILL BE ENCOURAGED TO INVITE THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS TO THE TRAINING IN THEIR AREA. LESSONS AND LESSON MATERIAL WILL BE TAILORED TO THE AUDIENCE AND WILL PROVIDE VARIOUS GARDENING OPTIONS APPROPRIATE FOR DISTINCT LIVING SITUATIONS. PARTICIPANTS OF THE URBAN GARDEN TRAINING WILL BE PROVIDED WITH A STARTER GARDENING KIT WITH SELECTED MATERIALS TO ENCOURAGE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE HOME GARDEN. SUBSEQUENT VISITS WILL HELP DETERMINE ROADBLOCKS THAT FAMILIES HAVE ENCOUNTERED IN ESTABLISHING THEIR HOME GARDENS AND WHAT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND SUPPORT IS NEEDED.THIRD, FIELD PLOT DEMONSTRATIONS AND FIELD DAY TOURS WILL BE PROVIDED TO ENSURE HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE AND ADOPTION OF BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (BMP) WITH THE USE OF BIOCHAR. FIELD DAY TOURS WILL BE COORDINATED BY EXTENSION SPECIALISTS AND EDUCATORS INCLUDING GUIDED SAMPLING ACTIVITIES, AND APPLICATION DEMONSTRATIONS.LASTLY, LAB AND FIELD EXPERIMENTS WILL BE CONDUCTED TO ASSESS THE CAPACITY OF BIOCHAR FOR THE ATTENUATION OF CONTAMINANTS FROM SOIL AND EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF BIOCHAR ON SOIL HEALTH AND CROP PRODUCTION, RESPECTIVELY. BIOCHAR LOCALLY PRODUCED FROM A RANGE OF FEEDSTOCKS INCLUDING COFFEE SHRUBS, COCONUT, AND OTHER WOOD BIOMASS USING A KILN WILL BE RATED BASED ON THEIR CAPACITY TO MITIGATE ORGANIC CONTAMINANTS LIKE PFAS (PFOS AND PFOA) AND INORGANIC CONTAMINANTS (CU, CD, PB, LI, NI, SB) IN SOILS USING BATCH SOIL SORPTION EXPERIMENTS. FIELD PLOT DEMONSTRATION TRIALS WILL BE CARRIED OUT AT TWO SITES (AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENTAL STATION GURABO AND JUANA DIAZ) TO DEVELOP REGION SPECIFIC FARMING PRACTICES AND BIOCHAR APPLICATION RATES THAT CAN BE IMPLEMENTED BY URBAN GROWERS. SPECIALTY VEGETABLES SUCH AS LETTUCE, TOMATO, SWEET CHILI PEPPERS WILL BE GROWN. PLANTS WILL BE EVALUATED FOR A RANGE OF PROPERTIES TO REFLECT THE EFFECT OF BIOCHAR ON PLANT HEALTH AND CROP PERFORMANCE.THIS PROJECT WILL IMPROVE FOOD SECURITY IN PUERTO RICO BY INCREASING THE SKILLS IN URBAN AGRICULTURE IN THE LOCAL UNDERSERVED POPULATION. IT WILL PROVIDE A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE FOR FAMILIES IN URBAN SETTINGS AND WILL PROVIDE NEW FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE ON THE USE AND APPLICATION OF BIOCHAR IN URBAN AGRICULTURE.$300,000

· FY2023 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture

ENABLING CLIMATE SMART DECISIONS FOR AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY IN THE UNITED STATES CARIBBEAN$287,358

· FY2024 · Forest Service

DEVELOPMENT OF CULTURALLY-SENSITIVE-AGE-APPROPRIATE NUTRITION EDUCATION MATERIALS FOR CHILDHOOD OBESITY PREVENTION IN PUERTO RICO$150,000

· FY2016 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture

PUERTO RICO PEPPER WEEVIL (ANTHONOMUS EUGENII) EDUCATION PROGRAM$31,669

· FY2013 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture