About 

Approximately $3.1 billion was made available for the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities projects which intends to build markets and invest in America’s climate-smart farmers, ranchers, and forest owners to strengthen U.S. rural and agricultural communities. The University of Guam was awarded $5 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service to work with forestry managers and farmers to produce commodities using more environmentally friendly and sustainable practices. UOG will provide voluntary incentives and technical support to producers to facilitate the adoption of climate-smart practices. The initial pilot projects will include one conservation area managed by the Guam Department of Agriculture, seven private farms, and one agricultural experiment station on Guam.  A team of researchers, soil experts, agricultural specialists, and economists at UOG and GovGuam will support the farmers in implementing climate-smart practices and monitoring greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the project will also develop solutions to make local commodities more marketable and affordable for island communities. 

Our Mission: To address greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions in Pacific Island agriculture and forestry systems and seek to improve affordable food and nutrition security. Potential outcomes include a reduction of GHG emissions, improved soil health, and increased agricultural yield of climate-smart commodities demanded by the current island markets. This project aims to:  

• Develop a better understanding of the impact of local agricultural and forestry systems and trade on GHG emissions in Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI) within the context of global impacts; 
• Advance Guam and the CNMI toward United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 2 (“End Hunger”) (United Nations 2015) with place-based, affordable solutions by developing local agriculture and analyzing market demand; 
• Build local capacity in the Western Pacific region to efficiently measure GHG emissions in agriculture and forestry systems; and 
• Evaluate the costs and benefits of climate-smart agricultural commodities and practices for effective GHG emission reduction, more fertile soil, increased agricultural yield, and improved food quality and affordability.