Incubator Land Management and Teaching Ecological Land Use

Presented by NIFTI and the Agriculture and Land Based Training Association (ALBA)

This Webinar will feature:

Nathan Harkleroad, Outreach and Education Program Manager at ALBA, who will share how ALBA defines sustainable land management, and how this informs farmer policies and plays out in farmer practices. Nathan will discuss the challenges and lessons learned while implementing a sustainable land management plan with 40 farmers on 150 acres. He will also cover how sustainable land use is incorporated into ALBA's farmer education curriculum.

Dr. Peter Walker, Dean of the Falk School of Sustainability at Chatham University, who will focus on how Chatham incorporates farm and woodland into the campus and educational agenda at Eden Hall, Chatham University's brand new, 388 acre fully sustainable campus. His presentation will describe just what it means to be a sustainable campus, how Chatham is trying to integrate the farm into the teaching, research, innovation and entrepreneurial agenda, and what Chatham hopes to do in the future.

Eero Ruuttila, Technical Assistance and Incubator Farm Manager at New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, who will present on fertility management on the incubator site, including specific strategies that he has developed over his 35 year career as an organic farmer and organic food advocate. He will also discuss approaches and challenges related to planning for and teaching long-term soil/fertility management with multiple farmers that have finite time on the farm site.