"New Agroforestry Project Studies Integration of Farming and Forests"

"How can New England, one of the nation’s most forested regions, produce more local, sustainable food while maintaining those forests’ many benefits?

That’s the question UNH researchers aim to answer with a new project that studies integrating crop and animal farming in forested areas for enhanced food production, carbon sequestration and climate resilience. The five-year project, called Promoting Climate-Smart Sustainable Agriculture in New England through Regionally Adapted Agroforestry Systems (ADAPT), is funded with a $10 million grant from the United States Department of Agriculture.

'Approximately 75% of New England is made up of forests, which can be challenging when trying to expand farming opportunities to meet the growing need for more sustainable ways to produce locally grown food,” says Heidi Asbjornsen, professor of natural resources and the environment and principal investigator for the project. “But those forests also need to be preserved because they are a globally important carbon sink that absorbs and stores about 4.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide each year, so we’re looking to develop ways to expand agriculture opportunities while also preserving that carbon storage which is crucial when addressing climate change.' " Read more