June 15, 2011
USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan unveiled a plan that will help farmers, ranchers, and woodland owners enhance productivity, profitability, and environmental stewardship by using the practice of agroforestry.
Merrigan unveiled the USDA Agroforestry Strategic Framework during the North American Agroforestry Conference in Athens, Ga.
The framework is the USDA guide to advance agroforestry knowledge, practices, and assistance. It lays the roadmap to influence the long-term health and sustainability of all lands for future generations.
Forest Service Research and Development and State and Private Forestry were active participants on the Interagency Agroforestry Team that developed the framework over the past year with input from over 90 diverse stakeholders at a two-day roundtable workshop in May 2010 in Washington, DC.
The Forest Service and the National Resources Conservation Service, through the National Agroforestry Center, provided significant support to the Interagency Agroforestry Team throughout the framework development process.