Guam Report

SARE Professional Development Program Annual Report for Guam
January 1 to December 31, 2010

SARE Coordinator:

4. Summary of 2010 PDP Activities and Results

 In 2010 the Guam Western SARE PDP’s three key focus areas were:

1. Organic Crop Inspector training for Agricultural Professionals. Key assumption, “the best way to master something is to teach it.” The advisory group met in February 2010 and agreed to collaborate on a series of four public workshops on key organic concepts based on ATTRA materials.  Through a USDA Organic Conference grant, two one-week trainings were conducted by Florida Organic Growers and International Organic Inspectors Association.
2. Agricultural professionals from UOG CES, NRCS, FSA, DoAG, agricultural consultants, SWDCs, Co-Op, Guam EPA, Guam Public Health and faculty from SBDC cooperated in the development of New Farmer curriculum for public workshops targeted to the needs of the non-compliant Chamorro Land Trust Commission Agriculture Lease holders. These included Realistic Farm Planning (10 hours), Fruit Trees as Windbreaks (5 hours), Livestock Waste Management and Permits (4 hours) and the above mentioned four organic workshops (each 3-4 hours).
3. Presentations on Western SARE grants.

Context and Overview:

The Guam Sustainable Agriculture Professional Development Program (PDP) is a part of the Guam New Farmer Plan of Work, which in 2011 will be combined with the Sustainable Animal Production Plan of Work to become Guam Food Security and Global Hunger Plan of Work. This plan of work is driven by needs assessments of local and regional farmers and agricultural professionals. The core issues were identified in the 2007 Western SARE subregional conference and further refined by annual needs assessments though advisory meetings and focus groups.

The Western SARE and locally funded PDP component develops curriculum and educational materials, conducts workshops and capacity building meetings, and facilitates multi-agency project planning and grant writing to support agricultural professionals in addressing the identified local and regional needs. Guam PDP focuses on leveraging these professionals’ outreach activities through collaboration. The agricultural professionals supported include: University of Guam and other regional land grants (CES & AES), CLTC, Guam DoAG, FSA, NRCS, SWDCs and local agricultural consultants. The program maintains a web site.

Current topics include but are not limited to: organic agriculture, New Farmer Curriculum, CLTC program compliance, agroforestry, sustainable agriculture programs, soil and water conservation, animal waste management, backyard aquaculture, production monitoring, direct marketing and needs assessment techniques.

Activities and Methods

A.   The advisory group met in February 2010 and agreed to collaborate on a series of four public workshops on key organic concepts based on ATTRA materials.  A one week (four day) training on organic crop inspection conducted by Florida Organic Growers (FOG) for Island agricultural professionals in June was followed by one-on-one support of DoAG staff to prepare an organic system plan. That plan was used in a one week Organic Crop Inspector Training from November 30 to December 3, conducted by International Organic Inspectors Association (IOIA).  Planning and locally produced workshops were partially supported by Western SARE PDP funds leveraged with an USDA Organic Conference Grant, and the two one-week workshops primarily by a USDA Organic Conference Grant. 

The Organic Workshops included:

• Introduction to Organic Agriculture – April 2010
• The Role of Inspection in Organic Agriculture – May 2010
• Soil Fertility Management in Organic Agriculture May 2010
• Introduction to the Organic Inspection Process (4 days) June 2010
• IOIA Organic Crop Inspectors Training (1 week) November -  December, 2010

B.  The Western SARE Guam PDP program assisted a team of UOG CES, NRCS and local agriculture consultants to pilot a New Farmer Training program targeted to the Chamorro Land Trust Commissions Agriculture Lease holders. Materials and speakers from several agencies and local consultants were utilized. This effort was leveraged with funds from the Chamorro Land Trust Commission. The workshop topics included:

• Guam Labor Law for Farmers (evening -- 3 hours) December 2009
• Realistic Farm Planning (4 nights -- 3 hours each night) March-April 2010
• Livestock Waste Management and Guam Permits (1 night at UOG for 3 hours and one Sat. Morning at Demo Farm) April 2010
• Two of the above organic workshops were used for these clients also (Intro and Soil Fertility management)
• Fruit Trees as Windbreaks and Nitrogen Fixing Hedgerows (3 nights -- 2.5 hours each night, UOG)
• Westerm SARE Producer and Professional Producer Grants Workshops I and II (2 hours each evening) in October and November 2010
• Value Added Processing: Frozen Soursop Puree (4 hours on Saturday morning) November 2010

PDP-funded Publications/Educational Materials and Products

Extension Publications & Curriculum (partial Westerm SARE funding): Fruit Trees as Windbreaks (updated publication and PowerPoint), Portable Dry Litter Waste Management Systems (updated publication and PowerPoint), Sheet Mulching (new draft pub and PowerPoint), Farm Planning and Introduction to Organic Agriculture powerpoints. All eventually will be posted onto our website.

Change in Knowledge of Agriculture Professionals

The Guam Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Development Staff (DoAg ADS), who have been running a demonstration “Transition to Organic Agriculture” farm for many years, learned of the critical role record keeping and an organic system plan play in their plan to have the farm certified organic.

Change in Behavior and Action

The Guam DoAg ADS (4) staff developed an Organic System Plan (OSP) for the organic demonstration and assembled three years of records. This OSP and record set was used for the field mock inspection of the December Organic Crop Inspectors training. 

The DoAg ADS staff is using several of the power points on intro to organics and soil and water conservation in their education programs with public schools.

Guam PDP Coordinator attended and passed an IOIA Organic Crop Inspector Training in May in Kentucky. He is currently awaiting the grades from the December training to see how many Guam and region agricultural professionals passed.

Unintended Outcomes

From the Organic Trainings several local clients have expressed a desire to form an organization to assist DoAG’s demonstration farm in its efforts to become certified. They discussed the possibility of forming a local Organic Agriculture interest group.

From the New Farmer Trainings several members of the team want to develop a standard curriculum that can be utilized by many agencies. This group is applying for grants to support and leverage this effort.

In terms of past projects, the 2007 Pacific Islands Sub-regional Conference continues to generate spinoff impact. For example, in response to one survey sent out by Western SARE, one island respondent answered the following question, “Did you change anything in your agricultural work because of your experience at the conference or information you obtained? If yes, can you provide examples of the changes?”, as follows:

“Yes, I applied practices learned at the conference from the following projects: 12 Trees Project, SW03-055, e.g. fruit tree cultural practices; Increasing Marketable Production of Exotic Tropical Fruit with Protective Covering,  FW02-008, e.g. bagging papaya; Strengthening through Education the Sustainability of Solanaceous Crop Production in the Western Pacific Region, SW99-047, e.g. tomato growing practices; Greenhouse Water Barrier, FW04-302, e.g. growing tomatoes under a shade cloth barrier; Evaluation and implementation of nitrogen fixing species in hedgerow intercropping in Marianas, SW99-048, e.g. species evaluation; Choosing the Best Figs for Hawaii, FW07-034, e.g. plant materials; Multi-Crops on Plant Beds on Guam, FW06-026, e.g. deep pit cultivation; Research and Demonstration on Banana Production Technologies in Micronesia, SW05-053, e.g. plant materials; and  Orchard Alley Cropping in the Subhumid Tropics, AW95-103, e.g. orchard lay-out.”

On Guam, collaborations, projects and grants continue to be developed to address and further explore the issues identified in the 2007 subregional conference.

Involvement of others in state PDP planning and implementation

Guam PDP program advisory committee met in February of 2010 and focused on activities that would train agricultural professionals in organic crop inspection. The committee included representatives from UOG CES & AES, NRCS, Guam DoAG, Sanctuary Inc., Farmers Cooperative Association of Guam (Co-Op), Soil and Water Conservation Districts, local ag consultants and RC&D. Each member committed to participate in developing curriculum or demonstration sites for public workshops and to participate in the trainings for ag professionals. 

Additionally the members all serve together on many boards and projects and met in various combinations -- Soil and Water Conservation District meetings, CLTC working group meetings, Guam Farmers Cooperative Association meetings and New Farmer program development meetings and others -- during the year to discuss Western SARE and other joint projects and efforts. These meetings provided guidance to the Western SARE PDP program, as they involve ag professionals, farmers and other program clients.  A formal meeting of the Guam SARE advisory committee is planned for March 2011 to review 2010 efforts and plan 2011’s efforts.