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Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment

Integrating research and outreach education from UMass Amherst

  • About
    • Overview of CAFE
    • Be Ambitious!
    • History
    • Strategic Directions
    • Research & Outreach Interest Areas
    • UMass Extension Board of Public Overseers (BoPO)
    • Partners
    • Locations
    • Faculty & Staff Directory
    • Contact Information
    • Civil Rights Information
    • Employment Opportunities
  • Extension
    • Extension Outreach Overview
    • UMass Extension In Your Community
    • CAFE Extension Faculty
    • Extension Outreach Projects
    • Extension Initiative Reports
  • Programs
    • Extension Programs Overview
    • 4-H Youth Development
    • Clean Energy Extension
    • Climate Change
    • Cranberry Station
    • Crops, Dairy, Livestock and Equine
    • Food Science Extension
    • Fruit
    • Greenhouse Crops and Floriculture
    • Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry
    • Nutrition Education
    • Turf
    • Value-Added Food
    • Vegetable
  • Research
    • Mass Agricultural Experiment Station
    • Information About Accessing Research Funds
    • Research Projects
    • NIFA Integrated Research and Outreach Initiatives
    • Civil Rights Information & Resources
    • Summer Scholars Program
    • REEU Internship Program
  • Resources
    • Resources Overview
    • Interest Areas
    • Extension Sales Portal
    • Agriculture & Commercial Horticulture
    • Community & Economic Vitality
    • Disaster Preparedness
    • Food Safety
    • Home Lawn & Garden
    • Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
    • Land Conservation Tools
    • Pollinators
    • Tick Testing Resources
    • Urban Agriculture
  • Services
    • Services Overview
    • Pesticide Education
    • Plant Diagnostics Laboratory
    • Soil and Plant Nutrient Testing Laboratory
    • Hot Water Seed Treatment
    • Environmental Analysis Laboratory
  • Farms
    • Farms and Facilities Overview
    • Cold Spring Orchard Research and Education Center
    • Cranberry Station
    • Crop and Animal Research and Education Farm
    • Equine and Livestock Research and Education Farm in Hadley
    • Joseph Troll Turf Research Center
  • News & Events
    • Center News
    • Upcoming Events
    • News from the Media
    • Faculty/Staff Brief Bios
    • Spotlight Stories
    • Video Gallery

Strategic Directions

Areas We Address

The Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment addresses five linked challenges and research needs. These are:

  • Community well-being: Healthy environment, strong clean energy sector, resilient youth, adequate and safe water supply, preparedness for natural disasters and climate change, preservation of community character, open space, agriculture, working forests.
  • Farming and food systems: Sustainable diversified farms, integrated pest management, pest and disease resistance, season extension, post-harvest processing, food safety.
  • Health and resiliency: Obesity mitigation and prevention, access to and understanding of affordable and healthy foods, positive youth development, functional foods for health.
  • Economic strength: Workforce and professional development, strong clean energy sector, pipeline to college, entrepreneurial growth.
  • Environmental stewardship: biodiversity, resource and wildlife conservation, fluvial geomorphology, preparedness for climate change.

As the Massachusetts partner in national networks linked by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Center works within frameworks supported by NIFA. These include: agricultural systems; animal agriculture; agricultural education; natural resources and environment; families, youth and community; food, nutrition and health; pest management; plant science; technology and engineering. The Center’s Water Resources Research Center is part of a national network linked through the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

How Do We Work?

The UMass Amherst Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment advances environmental quality, agricultural sustainability, sustainability of water resources, efficiency of energy utilization, community viability, positive youth development, and the viability of food systems from production to consumption. The Center brings together the work of staff, faculty in academic departments, and external partners and stakeholders to create programs of integrated research and educational outreach that address high-priority public concerns. In addition, the Center provides focused educational services to targeted individuals and groups in ways that advance the Center’s vision and goals. The Center facilitates mutually beneficial exchange between citizens and the university and supports community access to academic resources.

 

About

  • Overview of CAFE
  • Be Ambitious!
  • History
  • Strategic Directions
  • Research & Outreach Interest Areas
  • UMass Extension Board of Public Overseers (BoPO)
  • Partners
  • Locations
  • Faculty & Staff Directory
  • Contact Information
  • Civil Rights Information
  • Employment Opportunities

Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment

 

Stockbridge Hall,
80 Campus Center Way
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, MA 01003-9246
Phone: (413) 545-4800
Fax: (413) 545-6555
ag [at] cns [dot] umass [dot] edu (ag[at]cns[dot]umass[dot]edu)

 

Civil Rights and Non-Discrimination Information

College of Natural Sciences

Login for faculty and staff

CAFE Units

Mass. Agricultural Experiment Station

UMass Extension

UMass Research and Education Center Farms

UMass Cranberry Station

Water Resources Research Center

Interest Areas

Agriculture

Commercial Horticulture

Energy

Environmental Conservation

Food Science

Nutrition

Water

Youth Development & 4-H

Services

Pesticide Education

Plant Diagnostics Laboratory

Soil and Plant Nutrient Testing Laboratory

Hot Water Seed Treatment

Water Testing / Environmental Analysis Laboratory

Projects

Conservation Assessment Prioritization System (CAPS)

Extension Risk Management/Crop Insurance Education

Mass. Envirothon

Mass. Herp Atlas

Mass. Keystone

MassWoods

North American Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative

RiverSmart

UMass Design Center in Springfield

Resources

Extension Sales Portal

Agriculture & Commercial Horticulture Resources

Community & Economic Vitality

Disaster Preparedness

Food Safety

Home Lawn & Garden

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Land Conservation Tools

Pollinators

Tick testing

Resources for Faculty and Staff

Extension Programs

4-H Youth Development

Agriculture

Crops, Dairy, Livestock and Equine

Fruit

Greenhouse Crops and Floriculture

Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry

Pesticide Education

Turf

Vegetable

Clean Energy

Climate Change

Food Science

Nutrition Education

Value-Added Food

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