CAMF programs are underway! June 2024 update.
A field day at Bumbleroot Organic Farm, CAF pilot participant
From January to March 2024, 105 farmers and agricultural advisors launched their two-year journey with the Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Fellowship (CAMF). The focus of the first nine weeks of their experience was an intensive opening workshop series. Over the next two years, these Fellows will develop climate adaptation and mitigation plans as they continue to engage in learning, network-building, and outreach.
“Over the last couple of seasons, it has become increasingly evident that climate change is not a future concern but the present reality. We can no longer count on historical norms for rainfall patterns, frosts or thaws. We are more and more likely to have 80-degree days in February and 20 degrees in May. In order to be a viable enterprise, I want to have as many tools as possible in my toolbox and build the most resilient farm operation possible for today and for my children.” – Farmer Fellow, 2024-2026 cohort
Farmers are faced with the daily reality of adapting to climate change. While researchers study changing weather patterns and innovate solutions for agriculture, farmers are on the frontlines, implementing new practices in real time. Agricultural advisors are being asked to provide support to farmers, but need guidance as they encounter new challenges as well as new opportunities (such as increases in funding available for climate adaptation and mitigation strategies in agriculture). Along with the critical information provided by researchers, these farmers and advisors need robust networks of trusted peers to share information, learn from each other, and build collective knowledge.
The current version of CAMF has roots dating to 2019, when a team of multi-disciplinary collaborators developed a climate-based curricula, grounded in the concept of peer-to-peer learning. Supported by a grant from USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, the program was piloted in 2021 as the Climate Adaptation Fellowship (CAF). Thirty-six farmers and advisors in small fruit and vegetable production in the Northeast were recruited as the first cohort. Over the course of one year, the Fellows participated in group workshops, created and implemented adaptation plans for their farms, and shared their experiences through outreach. Outreach activities included 6 farm workshop field days, 22 newsletter articles (such as this article for NOFA/Mass by CAF advisor Fellow and current CAMF Educator Caro Roszell), 34 presentations, and more. An ongoing research study out of the University of Maine is following up with CAF participants to learn from the long-term effects of the program. Of 16 farmers who responded to a survey one year after completing the program, all said they had continued or started CAF-inspired strategies on their farms. So far, data shows that Fellows gained the confidence to experiment and innovate based on what they learned, and they also learned to communicate more clearly and confidently about climate change.
Built on the successes and lessons of the pilot, CAMF has returned as a two-year program. This time it has expanded to four cohorts of Fellows: Dairy in the Northeast, Diversified Agriculture and Agroforestry in the Northeast, Women and Non-binary producers in Vegetable and Small Fruit in the Northeast and Midwest, and Row Crops in the Midwest. Each cohort is made up of pairs, with one farmer Fellow and one advisor Fellow. In this way, the CAMF program builds varying levels of relationships among participants– close collaboration with a partner, community-building within each cohort, and connection with the larger CAMF-wide network.
“I am craving connections with my peers... I find myself often feeling very isolated and overwhelmed by the amount of information out there. Sometimes I feel so inspired by the information and sometimes I feel overwhelmed and it feels impossible. I hope to gain confidence and strength in my goals as a farmer and farm management, while making friends with colleagues in this work. With the confidence I hope to gain I would likely speak louder about why I am doing what I am doing and feel more empowered to share my story…To be able to engage with other farmers who have similar goals or approaches to farming is an invaluable resource…Perhaps I don’t know yet how it might change my approach, but I hope it does.” - Farmer Fellow, 2024 - 2026 cohort
In the current iteration of the program, partners will work together to generate a climate adaptation and mitigation plan for the farmer Fellow’s farm. The planning process, which the Fellows will complete by next winter, involves a risk assessment, identifying options for adaptation/mitigation practices, a tradeoff assessment, and an implementation and monitoring plan. The second year of the fellowship will focus on implementing new practices, monitoring and assessing results, and sharing the experience of climate planning through outreach activities. Fellows are supported through the entire process by teams of “educators” who can offer expertise, help seek out key resources, and provide program and process support.
“This is new to all of us… the more knowledge we can gain and share, the more we can be ready to mitigate and adapt to what is going to happen as the climate continues to change.”
- Farmer Fellow, 2024 - 2026 cohort
To launch the program this winter, CAMF leadership from the University of Maine, the USDA Northeast and Midwest Climate Hubs, American Farmland Trust, and other regional partners, welcomed the Fellows with the opening workshop. Over nine sessions, each cohort had the opportunity to meet their peers, learn from experts on a variety of topics, and begin the climate adaptation and mitigation planning process. The Fellows attended sessions on a range of topics including climate science, climate communication, disaster preparedness, and adaptation and mitigation strategies. Presentations were tailored to each cohort, so the information presented was relevant to their region and production methods. For example, for the Diversified Agriculture and Agroforestry cohort, Maine State Climatologist Sean Birkel and the Northeast Climate Hub’s Deputy Director Erin Lane joined a session to provide context on climate impacts in the Northeast. This was followed by interactive presentations from Caleb Goossen of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardner’s Association and Katherine Favor of USDA’s National Agroforestry Center, discussing how these impacts are affecting diversified farming and agroforestry, specifically.
Other sessions focused on the how-to of reacting to climate impacts as a farmer or advisor. Dr. Hailey Schneider, a climate communication specialist from the University of Maine, facilitated a conversation focused on how to talk to a wide range of audiences about agriculture and climate change. Representatives from USDA Rural Development and Natural Resources Conservation Service joined to discuss funding for implementing adaptation and mitigation practices, and a funding resource library was created to help Fellows find and access funding for their projects. Specialists from the Northeast Climate Hub (ORISE Fellow Sara Kelemen and Co-Director Michael Cavigelli of the Agricultural Research Service) presented on the opportunities and challenges of on-farm mitigation. A panel of CAF pilot program alumni shared their experiences with the adaptation and mitigation planning process, as well as the results of the new practices they had implemented. Each workshop included activities and breakout sessions where Fellows could interact, share experiences, and ask questions of the presenters.
Next, Fellows will take their learning from the opening workshop, begin the planning process, and prepare to implement new strategies. Alongside that work, the CAMF leadership team will continue to provide learning and community-building opportunities through optional supplemental workshops focused on a range of topics, from agroforestry practices to farmer mental and physical health.