The Savanna Institute and its partners have launched a Tree Crop Improvement Program to develop varieties of key nut, fruit and timber crops for Midwestern farmers.
The $12.7 million in grant funding supports the first three years of an expansion in Savanna Institute’s efforts. The efforts aim to equip farmers with the tree crops needed to increase the number of farms practicing agroforestry. Agroforestry is the integration of trees, crops, and livestock. Grants come from two partners: Grantham Environmental Trust and the Matthew Zell Family Foundation.
“We’re working to make tree crops more climate resilient and market viable for farmers who want to adopt agroforestry,” says Executive Director Keefe Keeley. “Our partnership with these visionary foundations begins to level the playing field for farmers who want to grow tree crops for the betterment of their farms, of our communities, and of the climate.”
The funding allows the Savanna Institute to establish one-of-a-kind breeding populations for key nut, fruit and timber crops. Seven perennial crops were selected based on their ecological resilience, economic viability, and scalability for U.S. markets. These are: chestnuts, hazelnuts, elderberry, black currants, black locust, persimmon and mulberry.
Chestnuts and hazelnuts are high-value nut crops with growing demand that outstrips current domestic supply. Elderberry and black currants are nutritious small fruit crops that mature relatively quickly, allowing for faster returns on investment. Black locust, persimmon and mulberry are all trees that grow calorie-dense livestock feed. This makes them ideal for pastures.
Farmers use agroforestry to diversify their operations in multiple ways. This includes: planting trees and shrubs along field edges as windbreaks, integrating trees in managed pastures for shade, or planting trees in widely spaced rows between alleys of annual crops. This allows farms to benefit from both annual and perennial crop production.
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