NAAC_3-5A Panel

Society’s understanding of the potential benefits of agroforestry for diversifying farm income, increasing resilience to weather extremes, and providing ecosystem services has broadened dramatically over the years. To optimize these benefits, we need to build upon the existing scientific knowledge base and address key research needs to guide agroforestry planning and implementation. During the first part of this organized session, members of the USDA Interagency Agroforestry Team (IAT) will provide a short overview of agroforestry research needs identified by their home agency through conversations with stakeholders. Participants will then share their perspectives on their research needs through group discussion. The research needs identified during this session will by synthesized by the IAT and shared broadly to help inform future research. Panelists will include Susan Stein (USDA Forest Service), Eric Norland (USDA NIFA), and Sarah Beebout (USDA ARS).