Agroforestry is a set of practices (windbreaks riparian buffers alley cropping silvopasture and forest farming) involving the integration of tree/shrub crops and non-timber forest products into…

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Central State University $598,042 on February 1, 2026, under the 1890 Institution Capacity Building Grants Program (CFDA 10.216) to establish agroforestry demonstration and research farm plots on its Wilberforce, Ohio campus through January 31, 2029.

CSU will design and develop farm plots featuring agroforestry practices—including windbreaks, riparian buffers, alley cropping, silvopasture, and forest farming—integrated with non-timber forest products to expand farm income, promote biodiversity, improve livestock health, and reduce agricultural runoff. The project addresses a significant adoption bottleneck in Ohio: the lack of regional agroforestry demonstration sites and resources. CSU will focus crop plantings on commercial and research value aligned with existing research gaps and market opportunities, guided by designated principal investigators and a funded technician position. Farm plot designs, cropping plans, equipment needs, and operational factors will position CSU as a leader and destination within the growing agroforestry community of practice.

CSU is partnering with Rural Action and Propagate, alongside existing collaborations with the University of Missouri, to execute the work. The award is a project grant, the assistance type for competitive capacity-building funding to 1890 land-grant institutions and Tuskegee University.

Agroforestry is a set of practices (windbreaks riparian buffers alley cropping silvopasture and forest farming) involving the integration of tree/shrub crops and non-timber forest products into other types of agricultural production to expand farm income streams, promote biodiversity, improve livestock health, and reduce agricultural runoff among other benefits. Interest in agroforestry from growers, investors, governments and researchers has been growing rapidly because of the ability to integrate its benefits into farms of almost any scale. CSU has been building connections within the agroforestry community of practice through existing ongoing collaborations with local and regional partners such as rural action, propagate, and the university of missouri. One of the biggest bottlenecks in the adoption of agroforestry by farmers in ohio, seen through these collaborations is the lack of regional resources and demonstration sites. We propose using the CBG grant to create a set of demonstration and research farm plots on CSU's campus that will help CSU to become a leader in new innovative practices exemplified by agroforestry crops and techniques. We will focus on crop plantings of commercial and research value based on existing research gaps in farmer interest and market opportunities. The listed PIS as well as a technician position written into the grant proposal would develop farm plot designs cropping plans equipment needs and other factors needed to ensure that CSU can become a destination and major contributor to the growing community of practice in agroforestry.