Location: Natural Resources and Sustainable Agricultural Systems
Project Number: 0500-00094-001-002-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jul 19, 2021
End Date: Jul 18, 2025
Objective:
The Archbold-UF LTAR will contribution to the overall goal of the LTAR Network, to develop scientifically-based information, technologies, and management practices that achieve simultaneously the following agricultural sustainable intensification goals:
a) Increase the amount, efficiency, and resilience of agricultural production.
b) Enhance ecosystem services such as biodiversity, water quality, greenhouse gas mitigation, among others.
c) Promote rural prosperity (e.g., quality of life, community and economic resilience).
As an LTAR Network site the objectives of the Archbold-UF LTAR will be to:
a) Conduct coordinated experiments and observations at the Network level, representing region-specific Southeastern grazinglands, including measurement of multiple agricultural, environmental, and socio-economic indicators leading to datasets, publications, outreach, and technology adoption.
b) Participate in LTAR working groups and initiatives, including a leadership role in some working groups, to contribute towards network-level products (experiments, development and collection of indicator data, publications, datasets, technologies, adoption).
c) Create and provide publically-available, high quality datasets and metadata.
d) Engage stakeholders in research and technology development.
Approach:
The Archbold-University of Florida Long-Term Agroecosystem Research Site (Archbold-UF LTAR) is one of the current network of eighteen LTAR sites across the United States, representing subtropical humid grazinglands in the sensitive Greater Everglades Ecosystem. The Archbold-UF LTAR site is managed by a partnership between Archbold Biological Station (Venus, FL) and University of Florida (Range Cattle Research and Extension Center, Ona, FL).
The primary focus of the Archbold-UF LTAR site is to develop sustainable agricultural production systems that will integrate environmental and socio-economic needs from the local and regional Southeastern US, to national scales. The Archbold- UF LTAR site approach will be to perform coordinated, stakeholder engaged research to accelerate the sustainable intensification of US agriculture by:
• Participate in cross-site research and co-production with stakeholders.
• Promote transdisciplinary research by working with crop and animal scientists, hydrologists, ecologists, economists, social scientists at the Archbold-UF site and across the LTAR network.
• Accelerate the adoption of improved management systems.
To implement this approach, Archbold Biological Station, as the key partner for the Archbold-UF LTAR site, will execute LTAR network activities primarily on its working cattle ranch, Buck Island Ranch, though other properties on pristine scrublands or restoration landscapes may also be utilized to fulfill Network goals. Specifically Archbold will conduct the LTAR Common Experiment and be an active participate in working groups including but not limited to:data management, regionalization, stocks and flows, water use efficiency, grazinglands, biology, to name a few. Archbold will participate in cross-site analyses, syntheses and modeling, and other network iniatives. Archbold will engage with local and regional stakeholders through educational events, workshops, and frequent meetings. This approach will be implemented in tight collaboration with the Archbold's partner, the University of Florida.
