Public Issues Natural Resource-based Economic Development
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Sustainable Small Fruit Production and MarketingProject Leader: Sonia Schloemann Participating Extension Staff and Faculty:
Project Year: 2009 Brief DescriptionFruit farms and vineyards add significantly to the quality of life in Massachusetts and New England. The most obvious contribution is to open space through their scenic and historic vistas, but it is also well known that regular consumption of fruits leads to better human health. In addition, lands surrounding agricultural production provide buffer zones for ecosystem management, often providing important open space for native species of plants and animals and corridors for their movement or expansion. To remain a vital part of the Massachusetts' economy, both new and established growers must learn to produce crops sustainably and to adapt production systems to new market opportunities. The Sustainable Small Fruit Production and Marketing project provides farmers with ready access to current research information on new and alternative species and varieties, advanced horticultural management techniques, marketing and business management strategies, pest-ecology, and pest-management procedures. In addition, important studies of pest ecology and control techniques provide approaches to pest management that optimize pest control, reduce chemical use, and increase fruit quality. These tools will forge a successful partnership between Massachusetts’s fruit producers and UMass Extension that will in turn help foster a more secure, diverse and healthful food supply for the Commonwealth. A diversity of fresh, high-quality fruits available to the consumer results in higher levels of consumption and will help fruit farmers to remain competitive economically. New varieties also give fruit farmers the means for enhancing production, quality, sales and consumption. Activities
Inputs: Time and Effort
Outcomes:
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