We are recruiting now for the 2024 Academy starting in January. The priority deadline for applications is December 1st, 2023. For more information and application, visit the Climate Analog Academy webpage.
If you run in any of the same circles as me, biochar is a hot topic of conversation as of late. There is potential for biochar to serve as a solution to issues in soil health, climate change, and the reduction of biomass in waste streams, all while contributing to rural economies and reducing fire risk through forest thinning. In all of these instances, however, biochar must be utilized to have the intended effects. Agricultural application of biochar as a waste treatment and as a soil amendment allows for the reduction of one waste stream to become a net benefit for farms, the climate, and society.
In the spirit of “what gets measured gets managed”, there has been recent attention directed to how we can quantify potential benefits of compost as an agricultural soil amendment, and its potential to sequester carbon. Accounting for benefits in a defensible way is one key to creating channels for the most impactful action. The beauty of CSANR often lies in its ability to meet challenges like this where they are, to bring science to bear, and provide pathways forward to sustainable solutions.
It’s that time of the year- the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and CSANR’s Annual Report is released! We believe our success as a Center lies not only in the numbers, but also in the people, relationships, and project expertise coalesced to create actionable solutions throughout sustainable agriculture and natural resource management.
When it comes to climate change resilience in agriculture, the question is generally not why agricultural operations should be prepared, but which preparations will be effective? Through this $1.5 million grant funded by AFRI’s Foundational and Applied Science Program, a national team led by WSU’s Center for Sustaining Agriculture & Natural Resources aims to build Extension and USDA Climate Hub professionals’ capacity to answer the “which” within specialty crop systems, and move the bar forward in climate change resilience.
One of the clearest examples of CSANR impact is through BIOAg, a competitive grant program designed to promote research, education, and Extension work in biologically intensive, organic, and sustainable agriculture systems. In the last five years alone, BIOAg projects have leveraged over $24 million through federally funded grants, state initiatives, and university projects based on an initial Center investment of $2 million.
Okay, okay- while baby kangaroos singlehandedly solving climate change is out of the question, the potential for baby kangaroo droppings to help decrease methane emissions is an exciting prospect!
In the whirlwind of 2022, we are happy to announce the release of our 2021 Annual Report. If you’ve ever wondered about specific projects that CSANR undertakes, our annual reports are a repository of the Center’s lofty goals and accomplishments.
The Biologically Intensive Agriculture and Organic Farming (BIOAg) Program is an integral part of CSANR’s mission to promote innovative and applicable research into sustainable agriculture.
