CICSS and the Climate Smart Farming Extension Team developed a new factsheet and guide for farmers, educators and agriculture stakeholders in the Northeastern US, Climate Smart Farming in the Northeast: Six Key Strategies for Farmers (November 2018).
Climate-related risks such as extreme rainfall, drought, heat stress, changing disease and pest pressure, and unpredictable weather patterns pose serious threats to farmers’ livelihoods. The new factsheet provides actions that farmers can take to reduce risks and improve the sustainability of their farm. Many of these priority best management practices may not be new to farmers, but taken together they can help increase resiliency on the farm over the short and long-term. The priority actions include a call for farmers to:
- Focus on Soil Health
- Efficiently Manage Water Resources and Risks
- Utilize Integrated Pest Management
- Diversify Farm Enterprises, Species, Crop Varieties, and Breeds
- Reduce Livestock Stress from Extreme Temperatures
- Engage in Farm Planning and Adaptive Management.
For more information, refer to the Cornell Climate Smart Farming Program.