(Photo courtesy of University of Guam)
This October, Guam and the Micronesian region will be introduced to “AgrAbility” — a USDA initiative to help farmers, ranchers, and agricultural workers succeed by overcoming limitations and disabilities. The Farmer Focus Project at University of Guam Cooperative Extension & Outreach, in alignment with the National AgrAbility Project, will be hosting the first-ever Guam AgrAbility Regional Workshop from Oct. 29–30 at the Hyatt Regency Guam.
“The biggest factor in food security and self-sustainability is farms and farmers, and we need to make sure they’re supported in every way,” said Dr. Rachael Leon Guerrero, dean of the UOG College of Natural & Applied Sciences and director of UOG Cooperative Extension. “We’re excited to bring AgrAbility and various experts for the first time to Guam to show our producers that certain limitations are not necessarily deal-breakers with today’s technology and support services.”
Don McMoran, director of the Western Regional Agricultural Stress Assistance Program, presents at Micronesia’s first Farmer Focus Conference in June 2022. McMoran will be back on island for another first-time event: the Guam AgrAbility Regional Workshop, to be held Oct. 29–30 at the Hyatt Regency Guam. (Photo courtesy of University of Guam)
The workshop will merge the topics of sustainable agriculture with assistive technology and behavioral health, with a special series of presentations on Taiwanese indigenous agricultural foundations and cultural wellness practices. The content will benefit farmers as well as industry professionals, who will gain insight on farmer limitations and needed services and network with other organizations.
Opening the conference each day will be Don McMoran and Bill Field, the project directors for the Western Regional Agricultural Stress Assistance Program and the National AgrAbility Project, respectively, sharing the critical nation-wide need for these farmer-support efforts.
Agricultural producers and professionals listen to a presenter at the Farmer Focus Conference in June 2022 in Guam. This October, the Farmer Focus Project – an initiative under University of Guam Cooperative Extension & Outreach – will host the first-ever Guam AgrAbility Regional Workshop from Oct. 29–30 at the Hyatt Regency Guam. AgrAbility is a USDA initiative to help farmers, ranchers, and agricultural workers succeed by overcoming limitations and disabilities. (Photo courtesy of University of Guam)
Attendees will also hear from AgrAbility program leaders at universities across the United States as well as experts from Guam Behavioral Health & Wellness Center, College of Micronesia, the University of Hawai`i at Mānoa, and several science, technology, and agriculture colleges and universities in Taiwan.
Presentations will include:
· Assistive Technology for Farming with a Disability
· Horticultural Therapy and Its Application
· Take Charge of Chronic Health Conditions
· Recognizing and Responding to Behavioral Distress
· The Promising Practice of Agritourism
· Mitigating Risk-Taking Among Adolescents in Farming Communities
· Caring for the Mental Health of Caregivers in Agricultural Communities
· Tea Tasting Experience: Mindfulness and Enjoyment
To see the full agenda, please visit: https://sites.google.com/view/uogfarmerfocus/events.
Registration
Registration is open through Friday, Oct. 18. Farmers may register for the conference free of charge through Farm-to-Table Guam Corp. at (671) 647-0100, Guåhan Sustainable Culture at (671) 734-4721, the Farmers’ Cooperative Association of Guam at fcaguam@gmail.com, or the Northern Soil & Water Conservation District at (671) 735-2014.
Agricultural professionals, agencies, and organizations may register at
https://url.uog.edu/agrability for a fee of $200 for the two-day conference or $250 for the conference plus a tour of farms on Oct. 31. Hotel booking information is also available on the site.
For more information, contact Harley Edeluchel Jr. at (671) 735-2020 or edeluchelh@triton.uog.edu.
The Guam AgrAbility Regional Workshop is supported by the National AgrAbility Project, the Western Regional Agricultural Stress Assistance Program (WRASAP), the Guam Behavioral Health & Wellness Center, the Northern Guam Soil & Water Conservation District, the UOG Endowment Foundation, the Hyatt Regency Guam, and Honhui Guam.
