Inside Agroforestry | Spring 1997 Marketing Agroforestry Establishing a Good Demonstration Demonstration plantings can be one of your most valuable technology transfer tools. They create living examples for people to see and touch, making it easier to understand and accept a particular technology. They're cost-effective approaches to increasing public awareness of agroforestry and developing mechanisms to promote adoption by landowners. If you've identified a problem, need or opportunity and are thinking about establishing an agroforestry demonstration site, the next step is to ask yourself a few important questions. A high quality agroforestry demonstration project requires a lot of preplanning, financial resources, a multi-disciplinary planning team, and a commitment to monitor and perform periodic maintenance after the site is established. Here are the questions. Once you have answered the first question, the remaining will be much easier to complete. 1. What are the objectives for this demonstration site? (protection, conservation, education, etc.) 2. Which agroforestry practice is best suited to the situations? (windbreaks, alley cropping, riparian forest buffers, forest farming, etc.) 3. Who will provide the technical expertise? (diagnosis, design, installation, monitoring, maintenance, etc.) 4. Who should be involved, directly or indirectly? (local offices of federal/state agencies, associations, local residents, etc.). The success of a demonstration project depends on gaining local interest and support. As budgets tighten and work loads increase, agencies and organizations are more likely to participate in a demonstration project that involves multiple and diverse partnerships. Well-defined and orchestrated partnerships spread the financial and technical responsibilities among individuals, groups, and agencies. Be sure to keep the planning committee to a managable number and choose members who have the drive and desire to finish the project. After selecting the appropriate agroforestry technology to demonstrate, establishing partnerships, and inviting others to be involved, you can begin planning your project. The three most common phases include: 1. site assessment; 2. design and maintenance plan; and 3. technology transfer plan. When beginning site assesment, thorough knowledge of the project site is fundamental to assure project quality and success. Consider soil characteristics, existing vegetation, current land use, future land-use conflicts, and accessibility and visibility of site. Location is a key factor for locating a demonstration, just as it is for a business - it must be visible and accessible. Planning initial design concepts should include input from all project partners. The plan should indicate and address the following: maximum and minimum requirements for length and width of the planting, orientation of the planting, selection of tree species, source of planting stock, cost-share programs utilized, and maintenance plan set forth. To be successful, a demonstration site must not only be properly installed but it must be periodically monitored and properly maintained. The greatest pitfall of any demonstration is a lack of commitment for maintenance. The same groups involved in planting should commit to returning to maintain the site. This needs to be agreed upon before the demonstration is established. Remember that these follow-up monitoring and maintenance visits can be turned into wonderful educational/informational opportunities. Finally, the technology transfer (TT) plan is the cornerstone to any demonstration project. When developing the TT plan, ask yourself these questions: Who will coordinate and administer the TT effort? And, what delivery mechanisms currently exist and what needs to be developed? Field trips, workshops, interpretive signs, handouts and brochures, and media coverage are effective methods of delivering technical information. In-field agroforestry demonstration projects are excellent teaching tools that: promote the use of appropriate technology to address a problem; show proper design, installation, and maintenance techniques; are located on a highly visible site and are easily accessible; are maintained and utilized as an outdoor classroom; have an adequate supply of printed educational materials available for distribution; and have signs installed to describe the project, mentioning partners involved. Watch for Agroforestry Note #6, Guide to a Successful Agroforestry Demonstration Project, which will be published soon. Marketing Agroforestry Marketing is defined as a set of activities aimed at facilitating exchanges with target clientele. Successful exchange requires an understanding of clientele needs and providing products or services that meet those needs. Marketing is especially appropriate for natural resource and agricultural leaders, as we depend on the voluntary actions of private landowners to achieve most agroforestry goals. There is a process to follow to achieve effective outreach. By following this pathway, you can prepare targeted outreach materials to satisfy the goals and objectives of your program. There are six essential steps: 1. Define your objective. First, you must decide what you want to accomplish. Your objective should be specific and results-oriented. The more specific you make your objective, the easier it will be to develop your message, identify your target audience, and evaluate the success of your outreach efforts. 2. Identify your target audience. You must decide who you are trying to reach. Chances are you will identify several different target audiences for each objective. The more specific you make your audiences, the easier it will be to develop a targeted message for that audience. Once you have identified your audience, you need to collect information about the members of that audience - their demographic make-up, knowledge of the message, attitudes about/perceptions of the message, and the various communication channels they use. 3. Develop your message. Now that you are armed with background information on your target audience, you're ready to develop the message. Be specific. Show a benefit to your audience and be action-oriented. Put yourself in the position of your target audience and ask yourself the questions they will ask: "Why should I care about this?" "What's in it for me?" Specific benefits for your audience might include: it's free, it's convenient, it saves time, it saves money, or it improves the environment. 4. Prepare your formats. How are you going to display your message? To achieve maximum impact, several different formats should be used. Formats include printed materials such as fact sheets, newsletters, flyers, and posters; promotional items such as magnets, bumper stickers, rulers and tote bags; and media outlets such as radio and TV public service announcements; and news stories. 5. Identify distribution mechanisms. Often the flyer or fact sheet has been printed before anyone asks, "How are we going to get this to our target audience?" It is important to know the distribution mechanism for your message before you develop any outreach materials. This mechanism will affect your budget planning (postage costs add up), the design of your format, and the methods in which you choose to disseminate the message. Possible distribution mechanisms include mail, trade associations, community organizations, door-to-door dissemination, phone calls, events, mass transit, billboards and media outlets. 6. Evaluate your impact. How do you know if your outreach effort worked or, more importantly, didn't work? It is critical to assess your efforts and to evaluate specific components to improve or modify your future outreach efforts. Review your objective and turn it into a question. Phone surveys and questionnaires are commonly used to solicit information from the target audience. Remember that reach x frequency = results. For example, you can't just tell your audience once that riparian buffers are a good thing, just as soda pop companies don't ask you only once to buy their products. Promoting clean water, or any agroforestry practice, is an ongoing affair. Adapted from "Getting in Step - A Pathway to Effective Outreach in Your Watershed" by Charlie MacPherson and Barry Tonnins Message from the Manager A commentary on the status of agroforestry, as reported by Program Manager Bill Rietveld Demystifying Agroforestry About a year and a half ago, Jerry Vap, then president-elect of the National Association of Conservation Districts, visited the Agroforestry Center. Jerry wanted to know more about agroforestry. After we finished our enthusiastic presentations, Jerry remarked: "There's a lot of good information here, but it's not being picked up by the people who need it. You guys have a marketing problem!" Jerry was right. We are now in our sixth year of agroforestry development. The impacts from our efforts depend on your perspective. If you see the glass as half full, you would note the expanding interest in agroforestry in universities, agencies and conservation organizations. If you see the glass as half empty, you would note the slow increase in adoption of agroforestry practices in the CRP and other programs. We now have a Continuous CRP Signup that provides the best incentives ever to adopt certain agroforestry practices (riparian buffers, shelterbelts, living snowfences, field windbreaks). We're hoping that adoption will increase, then we will have applications on the ground to stimulate more adoption. But, are b incentives all that it takes? I believe that it requires a combination of marketing, technology transfer, and incentive programs to get adoption. If people don't understand something, they won't accept it, and if they don't accept it, they won't adopt it. Evidence that we still have a marketing problem (and technology transfer deficit) comes from a recent survey we conducted on agroforestry technical assistance. Overall, we found that we have made progress from where we were a few years ago. But a lot of misunderstanding about agroforestry exists out there. Forest farming was frequently misunderstood to be farm forestry - plantations of Christmas trees, walnut or pecan, hybrid poplar, or traditional woodlot forestry. Silvopasture was often misinterpreted to be woodland grazing with minimal management. And riparian buffer strips were often misunderstood to be streamside management zones retained after forest harvesting. Bottomline, we have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go. In the continuum of agroforestry development, we are finally completing the definition phase. As with other emerging subject areas, it has taken some time to adequately define the concepts and practices. Now we need to communicate them so they are clear, understandable, and useful. The primary goal of our new book Agroforestry: an Integrated Science and Practice, due out later this year, is to make agroforestry clear and understandable. The book will be used as a basis for a new agroforestry training course currently under development. The training course is targeted to NRCS field professionals and their conservation partners. Hopefully these developments will make progress to demystify agroforestry, so that people understand and accept it, and we see more of it on the ground. Can the EPA's "319" Program Help Launch Your Agroforestry Project? Wondering how to fund that agroforestry project? Maybe the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) "319" Program can help. Section 319 of the federal Clean Water Act provides funds through states and tribes for the prevention and abatement of nonpoint source (NPS) water pollution and restoration of watershed resources. The "319" Program is administered by the US EPA through its regional offices and a counterpart agency in each state or tribe. This program is a potential source for 60 percent funding of agroforestry projects which improve or protect surface or ground water quality. What agroforestry practices might qualify? Any agroforestry practice which has high potential to improve and protect clean water and aquatic habitat may be appropriate for funding under the "319" Program. Such practices might include: bioengineering using plantings for stream bank and shoreline stabilization; alley-cropping and bio-terracing on highly erodible soils; riparian buffers used for restoring aquatic habitat or for filtering out sediment, nutrients and/or pesticides from runoff, including urban storm-water runoff. What types of projects are funded through "319"? Each state and tribe is given latitude in how it wishes to allocate the "319" fund allotment it receives from the EPA. Most, however, limit eligibility to projects of one to three years duration and activities which promote landowner and public acceptance of best-management-practices (BMPs). Such activities include: education about BMPs, field demonstrations, resource restoration, technical assistance, and assessments related to NPS pollution and aquatic habitat restoration. Projects that make information available about qualifying agroforestry practices or demonstrations of them may be equally eligible for funding as projects where such practices are actually installed. What are "319" funds not for? The "319" Program is not intended to accomplish widespread implementation of BMPs to improve water quality. For this purpose, there are other cost-share incentive programs provided by federal, state, and non-governmental agencies. Activities such as research generally will not be funded through the "319" Program, although assessment of existing technologies or adaptations may be appropriate. Finally, "319" funds should not be envisioned as funding to maintain a project or program indefinitely. Who is eligible to receive "319" funds? All state and local units of government, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations are eligible to receive a grant from the "319" Program. For project locations within the boundaries of tribe reservations, check with the tribal government. Federal government agencies are not eligible to receive a "319" grant, although they may still be an active partner in a "319" project. Project sponsors regularly subcontract with federal partners for the cost of project work. How do you apply for "319" funds and get your project going? Usually, project proposals are annually solicited by, and submitted to, the state or tribal agency responsible for the "319" Program. Some states and tribes also offer mini-grants that are available on shorter notice. The "319" Program normally requires that 40 percent of the total costs of a funded project be borne by other non-federal contributions, called "matching" funds. Matching funds can be in the form of cash or, in general, the cash value of materials, equipment, and services used in conducting a project. The award of "319" funds is competitive within the state or reservation. The state or tribal agency evaluates and ranks all of the proposals according to how well they address priority needs. For a successful proposal, a grant is made by the state or tribal agency to the project's primary sponsor. Tips for increasing your chances for funding: Design your project to address high priority needs in your state or tribe. Priority needs may include projects emphasizing certain types of activities (e.g., information and education), addressing specific problems or technologies (e.g., sediment control), or conducting your project in certain locations (e.g., high-risk watersheds or water bodies). Each state and tribe sets these priorities, which can be found in the solicitation notice (often called a "Request for Proposals," or RFP) and the state/tribe NPS Management Program Plan. Involving partners in your project, especially local partners, including landowners, state and local government agencies, conservation districts, private enterprises, non-profit organizations, or others, improves your chances for funding. Partnerships imply broad-based interest, skills, and support for your project, and improve the chances that it will be conducted successfully. It is important to pay close attention to special eligibility and conditions that apply in your state or reservation. For more information, contact your state, tribe, or regional "319" Program Coordinator. Good luck! Benefits of Riparian Forest Buffers Riparian buffers play many important roles in the ecosystem. They can be natural or planted and can offer a landowner generous benefits in return for minimal expense and care. Functions of riparian buffers are: Filtering Runoff: Rain and sediment that runs off the land can be slowed and filtered in the buffer settling out sediment, nutrients, and pesticides before they reach streams. Infiltration rates 10-15 times higher than grass turf and 40 times higher than a plowed field are common. Leaf Food: Leaves fall into a stream and are trapped on woody debris (fallen trees and limbs) and rocks where they provide food and habitat for small bottom dwelling creatures (such as insects, amphibians, crustaceans, and small fish) which are critical to the aquatic food chain. Canopy and Shade: The leaf canopy provides shade that keeps the water cool, retains more dissolved oxygen, and encourages the growth of beneficial algae and aquatic insects. The canopy improves air quality by filtering dust from wind erosion, construction, or farm machinery. Fish/Wildlife Habitat: Wooded stream corridors provide the most diverse habitats for fish and other wildlife. Woody debris provides cover for fish while preserving stream habitat over time. Forest diversity is also valuable for birds. Nutrient Uptake: Fertilizers and other pollutants that originate on land are taken up by tree roots. Nutrients are stored in leaves, limbs, and roots instead of running off into the stream. Through a process called "denitrification," bacteria in the forest floor convert harmful nitrate to nitrogen gas, which is then released into the air. Adapted from Riparian Forest Buffers White Paper. Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. January 1996. Spotlight on Success: Idaho Raft River Valley Dust and Snow Control Project "We had a kick-off party," Julie Thomas, Mid-Snake RC&D Coordinator, explained. "We invited people from the coordinating organizations, landowners - about 60 people. We took them to the site and gave a presentation on what we wanted to accomplish and how we were going to do it . Then we had a picnic. It was one of the highlights of the entire project." Thomas is speaking of one of the most extraordinary agroforestry demonstration projects ever. The Raft River Valley Blowing Dust and Snow Control Demonstration Project was conceived out of a basic need for safety along a nine mile stretch of Interstate Highway 84 in Cassia County, Idaho. b winds cross this highway blowing winter snows and dry summer dust, causing poor visibility. A total of 199 injury and fatal accidents were reported from 1988 to 1991 on this stretch of road, once called "The Most Dangerous Freeway in America" by USA Today. The East Cassia SCD, Mid-Snake RC&D, Cassia County Commission, Idaho Transportation Department (ITD), and other organizations and individuals identified the persistent problems in the Valley, which is essentially treeless. Conservation organizations, landowners, and concerned individuals realized that agroforestry held a possible answer to their problem. With the help of partners and funds totaling $107,000, over 50 square miles was designated as prime land for the project that would include living snowfences along the highway and field windbreaks on adjacent cropland. Understanding the enormity of the need, the partners decided to address only a 2 1/2 mile section as the demonstration project. The ideal demonstration should serve many purposes and provide multiple benefits. The project coordinators kept four main objectives in mind as they planned the demonstration: Protection: The planting of a living snowfence would reduce wind erosion, improve irrigation efficiency, improve public safety, provide wildlife habitat, and improve aesthetic value. Economic Enhancement: The 1989-1993 ITD maintenance records show that damages relating to blowing dust and snow have an adverse impact on emergency maintenance, plowing and applying chemicals, storm patrol, and snow and ice control. Damages for the five year period total approximately $179,800 on I-84 and nearby State Highway 81. Other economic impacts included damage to irrigation equipment on farmland near the roads, as well as lost time and added mileage during weather-related road closings. New Technology: Living snowfences are not common to the Raft River Valley. Before this project, there were no examples of living snowfences in the area and it was felt that after the landowners saw the benefits, the project would "snowball" and living snowfences would become common practice in the Valley. Improved Design: There were also no examples of complete cropland windbreaks being applied in the Valley. Benefits of windbreaks are much the same as a living snowfence, but applied in a different design. Most importantly, this demonstration location provided an opportunity to display and monitor treatment practices needed to solve the complex resource problems within the Raft River Valley. The technical aspects of the project were designed by NRCS Forester Gary Kuhn, Seattle, Washington, and NRCS representatives from the East Cassia SCD, Steve Schuyler and Dave Steube. They designed the living snowfence as two twin rows of high density shrubs and trees. The field windbreaks were a single twin row of shrubs and junipers. Species were chosen for their tolerance to harsh, dry climates and soil conditions of the region as well as their effectiveness in controlling snow and dust. To help protect the young seedlings, a fabric mulch was laid to guard against weeds. A drip irrigation system was installed and a fence constructed to protect the plantings from animals. A demonstration doesn't do much good unless it teaches something. Making people aware of the project and its benefits is essential. According to Thomas, marketing the demonstration project began before the first tree was planted. The kick-off party promoted the project at a grass-roots level. Other marketing tools have included a booklet, interpretive signs on site, and several tours, including one for the president of the National RC&D Council. "We've only completed the first phase of the project," Thomas said. "We have a ten mile stretch and only two and a half miles is planted. We need help from the landowners. Everyone wants to know how to do it. We will be happy to help plan and develop the project further, but more funding is going to have to be provided." This project has not only been successful in reaching its conservation objectives, but has also taught the public of Cassia County, Idaho how agroforestry technologies can work for them. The cost of installing a windbreak is about $3.00 per foot, including soil preparation, trees/shrubs, irrigation, mulch, planting, fencing and miscellaneous costs. What NAC Has Learned About Demonstrations Have you ever tried to encourage a skeptic to adopt some new technology that he/she just couldn't understand? Has inability to convince them of the worth of your recommendations left you frustrated and wishing you could just show them what you mean? Very few of us who have tried to convince landowners to adopt our conservation forestry practices have not faced this aggravation. The National Agroforestry Center (NAC) has long been a believer in the power of quality demonstrations. They are exceptional teaching tools when executed properly. Over the last five years the Center has cost-shared nearly fifty demonstrations throughout fifteen states. The "demo's" introduce new or unused technology including: snow management, stream bank stabilization, wind control, wildlife habitat enhancement, outdoor living barns, and alley cropping. When we cost-share a demonstration project we insist that it: promote appropriate technology to address a problem or opportunity; is located in a highly-visible easily-accessible site, is well maintained; and has a technology transfer plan to utilize it. During the last five years of cooperating with partners on cost-shared demonstrations we've learned some very valuable lessons: 1. Develop a plan. There is no future in developing a demonstration that doesn't begin with a well-thought-out plan. The plan must, at a minimum, contain proper design specifications, appropriate maintenance, and an adequate technology transfer agenda. 2. Involve partners.The more partners involved and have ownership in the project, the greater the chance of success. 3. Choose the right site. Where you put the demonstration is as important as what is demonstrated. If people can't readily get to it and see it, it's a waste of time and money. 4. Do it right. There is no need to demonstrate how not to do something. There are plenty of mistakes out there already! 5. Reach out. In order for the demonstration to be effective, there must be a suitable technology transfer process defined and applied. And, 6. Keep it maintained. If the demonstration doesn't have a well defined, scheduled, aggressive maintenance program, you might as well not do the demonstration. Otherwise, you'll be demonstrating "how not to do something" (see number 3 above). NAC is planning a future publication that lists existing agroforestry demonstrations. If you or your agency have quality demonstrations of agroforestry technology that you would like to have included in this publication, please drop us a letter with the name of the demonstration, the location, directions, and purpose. We'll be glad to include your site in our publication. Eye-Catching Outreach Materials Once you've chosen how to get your message out, the use of design, graphics, text, and color helps to easily and cost-effectively enhance your materials to grab peoples attention. Design: When desgning outreach materials, use restraint. There are lots of creative ideas out there, but select only two or three elements to use on a piece. The use of white space will greatly enhance the overall look. Fonts are increasingly used as design elements in addition to text. Fonts can be stretched, wrapped, reversed, enlarged, turned sideways, or repeated to create visually appealing materials. Graphics: Graphics should be used whenever possible to highlight concepts, break up blocks of text, and create areas of white space. Make your graphics large enough to have impact. When using graphics be sure that they photocopy well. Line drawings work best. Be careful about using several different graphics of the same size on a page, this diminishes the overall impact of all of the graphics on the page. Photographs can be incorporated into outreach materials, but make sure that each photograph will reproduce well and is relevant to the piece. Text: Many people spend a great deal of time preparing graphics and producing an award-winning layout only to plop in text that is wordy and uninteresting. Spend time making your text come alive to your readers. Once the text is written, take the time to shorten it. Avoid the use of acronyms and highly technical words. Color: Use color. At the very least use colored paper for your fact sheets and flyers. You are competing with lots of printed information out there and color gets you noticed. Be sure to choose paper that photocopies well. Agroforestry Satellite Broadcast a Success To address the growing interest in agroforestry, a 2 1/2-hour USDA satellite broadcast on March 20 provided information on the purpose, concepts, opportunites, and benefits of agroforestry. The program, targeted to field professionals, provided information on: 1) what agroforestry is, 2) the different types of agroforestry practices, (alley cropping, forest farming, riparian forest buffers, silvopasture, and windbreaks), and 3) how agroforestry links to other USDA programs. The broadcast began with messages from Forest Service Chief Mike Dombeck (represented by Ann Bartuska) and NRCS Chief Paul Johnson. Both emphasized that agriculture and forestry need to be brought together, rather than separated on the land, and partnerships are necessary to get the job done. The body of the broadcast was a combination of speaker's presentations, live discussions, video segments of agroforestry applications in different situations, and phone-in question and answer sessions with the viewers. The broadcast ended with presentations on how agroforestry links to the bigger picture. Fee Busby, new NRCS Deputy Chief for Science & Technology, discussed the relevance of agroforestry to NRCS's new National Conservation Buffers initiative and the current Continuous CRP Signup. Adela Backiel, USDA Director of Sustainable Development Programs described the role of agroforestry very eloquently: "Agroforestry provides one of the best concrete examples of how we can implement the principles of sustainable development. It is integrated cross-cutting science and practices. It helps create farms and forests that balance productivity and profitability with environmental stewardship. It's collaborative stewardship. It's conservation. It's partnerships between public and private sectors. It's integrated science and research. It's public participation and involvement. It's vital rural communities. And, it's diversity in opportunities, markets, and landscapes." The broadcast will provide a much-needed agroforestry video to help inform people about what agroforestry is and how it relates to sustainable development. Watch future issues of IA for more information. If you were unable to watch the broadcast, a videotape is available for your use. Call our information hotline at 402-437-5178 ext. 41 and leave a message.