Extending Biologically Integrated Farming Practices within the San Joaquin Valley's West Side

Abstract

The West Side On-Farm Demonstration Project is a large-scale extension program consisting of farmers, researchers, extension advisors from the Univ. of California, and other private and public agency consultants who are evaluating biologically integrated soil-building and pest management practices within a participatory and on-farm demonstration context. Modeled after the Biologically Integrated Orchard Systems (BIOS) Projects that were originally sponsored by the Community Alliance with Family Farmers, the goals of this project are to facilitate information exchange among West Side farmers, consultants and researchers on soil-building practices and options for reduced reliance on agrichemical inputs, to monitor and evaluate on-farm demonstrations of soil-building practices, including cover cropping and organic soil amendments, and to determine the extent to which IPM practices are utilized in row crops on the West Side and identify constraints preventing further adoption of biologially intensive pest management practices. The Project has generated several adjunct research activities and considerable regional attention. A summary of ongoing impact assessment efforts will be presented.