Food Amongst the Trees: Growing UNH’s Agroforestry Program
New England is known for its mountains and forests, and the region’s farmers and landowners must adapt to the challenges of its rugged terrain and cool climate. At UNH, however, the Adaptive Agroforestry Principles and Teaching (ADAPT) program is developing research and education that will turn these challenges into innovation opportunities, supporting the economic and environmental vitality of the region’s agricultural community.
“Agroforestry can increase crop diversity and sustainability, providing farmers and growers with more resilience in changing conditions,” says New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station (NHAES) scientist Heidi Asbjornsen and ADAPT’s lead. “But agroforestry systems are complex to manage, and education and Cooperative Extension are critical parts of ADAPT so that we can share research-based insights with the community.”
