Type to search

In-Brief

USDA invests $1.5M in partnerships to address climate change in Caribbean

The US Department of Agriculture announced a $9 million investment in new Cooperative Extension and USDA Climate Hubs partnerships to bolster climate research and connect and share climate-smart solutions directly with the agricultural community.

The USDA Caribbean Climate Hub, which will receive $1.5 million, is partnering with minority-serving universities, including the University of Puerto Rico and the University of the Virgin Islands Extension, and nonprofits to help historically underserved communities throughout the US Caribbean and other coastal areas adapt to a rapidly changing climate and extreme weather events.

They will develop education and extension programs aimed at increasing climate literacy as well as helping land managers employ climate-smart agriculture and forestry techniques. Educational materials will be created in Spanish and English.

This is one of the first six funded projects, along with the University of California, Montana State University, Ohio State University, the Desert Research Institute Native Climate.

“The Cooperative Extension system and the USDA Climate Hubs have unmatched capacity to reach agricultural, Tribal and underserved communities, as well as educators and students, and our nation’s farmers directly,” said US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

“This partnership will strengthen climate research efforts and accelerate the development, adoption and application of science-based, climate-smart practices that benefit everyone,” he said.

This investment is part of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, a competitive grants program for agricultural sciences.

Author Details
Author Details
This story was written by our staff based on a press release.
Tags:

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *