AFSI Newsletter - February 2022
Webinar Series: US Fruit & Vegetable Supply Chains - Climate Adaptation & Mitigation Opportunities
A webinar series is being organized on March 8, 15, and 22, 2022 to discuss the outcomes of a collaborative research study that seeks to identify and test climate adaptation and mitigation strategies in fruit and vegetable supply chains. The project is jointly managed by investigators at the University of Florida and Agriculture & Food Systems Institute, in close collaboration with researchers at the University of Arkansas, University of Illinois, International Food Policy Research Institute, World Agricultural Economic and Environmental Services, and Washington State University. The event aims to present the project’s findings in a way that is immediately actionable for the many stakeholders who are involved, both directly and indirectly, in the supply chains for these essential foods. Through a single registration, participants will be able to attend any of the three sessions in the series, and all registrants will have exclusive access to recordings of the webinars after the event ends.
Recent Updates from the Project Team
Concluding Advisory Committee Meeting
On February 1, 2022, the project team convened a concluding Advisory Committee meeting to fine-tune extension and outreach activities during the project’s remaining six months, such as the webinar series detailed above. Meeting participants included scientists and extension specialists from the project team and Advisory Committee members representing government, academia, non-profit organizations, and the private sector.
Extension Workshop on Climate Change and Analogs of US Specialty Crop Production
As part of the project, the concept of "growing condition analogs" is being explored, along with the potential creation of a network of locations for information exchange related to climate change implications for specialty crops. The team has identified analogs for specialty-crop producing counties and an online tool is in development to help stakeholders with visualization. As part of this effort, a by-invitation-only workshop is planned for March 1, 2022, which will pair extension professionals with knowledge about specialty crop production practices in the target and analog counties and encourage them to discuss the utility of analogs as a climate change communication tool.
Preparatory Webinars for the Extension Workshop
In anticipation of this extension workshop, preparatory webinars were organized on January 14 and 21, 2022 to introduce the analog concept, give a sense of what to expect at the workshop, and help participants self-select into breakout groups. The preparatory webinars were focused on stakeholders in the following states: Washington, Oregon, California, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Florida, and Georgia. Through these webinars and next month's workshop on climate analogs, the team hopes to create an opportunity for initiating partnerships for a nationwide Specialty Crop Extension Network for climate adaptation.
We hope that you will join us for the publicly accessible webinar series on March 8, 15, and 22, 2022, which will present the outcomes of “Fruit and Vegetable Supply Chains: Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Opportunities,” a five-year research project funded by a $3 million, five-year grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. During the three sessions, you will learn about the remarkable resilience in these supply chains, surprising opportunities for certain food preparation methods to significantly reduce carbon footprints, and the massive role consumer waste plays in overall environmental impact. Speakers will also present how the project’s unique, integrated approach has helped the team tackle a broad range of other fundamental questions about future food supply chains. More information about the speakers and the full agenda is available here.