Urban and peri-urban farm enterprises are very diverse in their marketing and management strategies, and I am interested in providing research support for small-scale farm and food enterprises serving regional markets, and community gardens focused on food security. I welcome input on research priorities and ideas for projects. If you are interested in participating in research or education projects, please contact me!
Potential research topics include:
- Early-season extension methods and late-season value-added processing
- Options for more diversified products and a more balanced seasonal workload
- Scale-appropriate equipment and technology
- High-value rotation crops and cover crops for small acreage
- Local varieties for small-acreage farms and gardens: traits such as flavor, nutrition and quality
- Crop and variety characteristics for small spaces or shallow soils
- Use of genetic diversity to improve product quality and agronomic performance, beneficial associated biodiversity, especially in fragmented habitats