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Catalyzing Agroforestry as Natural Climate Solution in the Hudson Valley
Stone Ridge, NY - On June 9th, more than 50 farmers, agricultural professionals, and land stewards gathered at Stone Ridge Orchard for Catalyzing Agroforestry in the Hudson Valley & Beyond. The event was hosted by Propagate, Epic Institute, and Berkshire Agricultural Ventures at Stone Ridge Orchard in Stone Ridge, New York.
June 20, 2023
Photo: Stone Ridge Farm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Stone Ridge, NY - On June 9th, more than 50 farmers, agricultural professionals, and land stewards gathered at Stone Ridge Orchard for Catalyzing Agroforestry in the Hudson Valley & Beyond. The event was hosted by Propagate, Epic Institute, and Berkshire Agricultural Ventures at Stone Ridge Orchard in Stone Ridge, New York.
The event aimed to raise awareness about the potential of agroforestry as a natural climate solution for New York State and specifically the Hudson Valley. Part of a two year grant to scale agroforestry funded by Edwards Mother Earth Foundation, the event’s goal was to convene agroforestry stakeholders, including farmers, land stewards, agricultural professionals, climate leaders, and policy makers, to connect and grow support & awareness for agroforestry in the Hudson Valley and the larger northeast.
Agroforestry is the intentional integration of trees with crops & livestock and is recognized as a key agricultural climate change solution by Project Drawdown. Agroforestry and tree crops such as apples, chestnuts, and hazelnuts can also improve farm profitability & grow rural economies, increase biodiversity and water quality, and increase beauty on farms while improving farmer mental health.
"Agroforestry has a rich tradition in the Hudson Valley, where historically fruit growers were known to intercrop apples with shrub fruit like black currants to maximize yield & income” shared event host Elizabeth Ryan of Stone Ridge Orchard. “We are excited for the future of agroforestry in the Hudson Valley and grateful to see it increasingly recognized as a climate solution that can also benefit the agricultural economy.”
Propagate, a software, development and financing ecosystem that makes it easy for farms to transition acreage to agroforestry, co-organized the event along with Epic Institute and Berkshire Agriculture Ventures. Epic Institute’s mission is to identify, accelerate and monitor the most promising climate solutions globally. Berkshire Agricultural Ventures is a Great Barrington, MA based non-profit that provides grants, loans, and technical assistance to farmers and food businesses.
“Agroforestry can play a meaningful role in addressing climate change by mitigating up to 10% of US emissions through the carbon sequestration potential of trees,” said Ethan Steinberg, CEO and Co-Founder of Propagate. “Our role at Propagate is to make it easy for farmers to adopt agroforestry through technical assistance, project development, and financing services. We were pleased to host this event to convene regional stakeholders in our industry and grow support for this important natural climate solution.”
Propagate and Epic are also part of a $60 Million Federal Award to Advance Agroforestry as a Profitable, Climate-Smart Solution for Farmers in 38 States as part of the USDA’s Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities program. As part of this funding, there will be cost sharing available to farms in the Northeast to implement agroforestry on their farms. Propagate is also seeking land-owner partners in the Hudson Valley to expand production of key perennial crops like black currants, elderberry, and chestnut through an innovative long-term leasing program.
The event featured presentations from host Elizabeth Ryan of Stone Ridge Orchard and Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider, Jenna Walczak, Ag Climate Resiliency Specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Harvest New York team, Graham Savio and Gabe Smith of Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County, and Shannon Smith and Ben Crockett of Berkshire Agricultural Ventures.
“State and federal agricultural organizations have recognized the important role that agroforestry, a suite of systems originally fostered by Indigenous communities, can play in climate change mitigation and adaptation,” said Jenna Walczak, Ag Climate Resiliency Specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Harvest New York team. “As a result, these organizations have included agroforestry practices as eligible under climate-related grant programs that currently are or soon will be available to fund tens of millions of dollars’ worth of implementation projects in New York State.”
The event was made possible with the generous support of the Edwards Mother Earth Foundation.
Media Contact:
Mark Phillips
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Propagate is a software, development and financing ecosystem that makes it easy for farms to transition acreage to agroforestry. Their platform provides access to agronomic insights, technical assistance, and financing so that farms can reduce risk while integrating fruit, nut and timber trees with animal or crop farming systems. To learn more, visit www.propagateag.com.
