Agroforestry Project at UBC

Posted by Sara Dent on December 29, 2012

Call for collaborators- UBC Farm Agroforestry Project 

UBC Farm, in consultation with industry partners, and UBC Faculties of Forestry and Land and Food Systems will develop an Agroforestry Production Development (APD) Tool to aid farmers/land managers in assessing the viability of specific agroforestry ventures. The tool will help determine what ventures are likely to be economically (and ecologically) feasible, given each producer’s unique circumstances. The tool will be scalable and replicable throughout BC. There is space for one to two more rural and / or peri-urban farms to participate.

The project will take place May –December 2013. UBC Farm will use the tool to assess which agroforestry venture they will pursue on the 24 ha farm/forest land base.

Please contact Kate Menzies at kate.menzies@ubc.ca if you are interested in;

  • Participating in a short survey which will help inform the development of the tool.

And/or

  • Partnering on this project as a case study; submitting a letter of support by Jan. 4th, and piloting the tool to assess potential new revenue streams/ agroforestry product development on your farm. Contact Kate Menzies for more details.

Benefits to you:

  • First use of the APD Tool and the opportunity to help enhance and improve its development
  • Assistance in applying and working with the APD Tool
  • Promotion of your farm/business through communications of this project (on UBC Farm Agroforestry website, AIDI website and communications, social media, ongoing dialogue with other agroforestry stakeholders)

Benefits to UBC Farm:

  • Additional feedback from farmers/producers ‘on-the-ground’ to ensure relevance and applicability
  • Increased collaboration with farming community of the Lower Mainland/Fraser Valley

Expectations:

  • Letter of support submitted to Kate Menzies by January, 4th, 2013.
  • Periodic telephone conversations/interviews (approx. bi-monthly)
  • Commitment to using the APD Tool for assessment purposes once it is developed