“We’re excited to cover a broad range of topics with the overall goal of food security and long-term agricultural transformation for Micronesia,” said Kuan-Ju Chen, an agricultural economist with UOG Extension and project director of UOG Farmer Focus. “We hope to inspire ideas and solutions, foster dialog to better support our farming community, and facilitate connections here locally as well as with partner institutions abroad.”

Agricultural producers, researchers, stakeholders, and policymakers throughout the region are invited to attend. In addition to local experts and UOG faculty, presenters will be on island from several of UOG’s partner universities in Taiwan as well as from Northern Marianas College, Tennessee State University, University of Hawai`i at Mānoa, and Washington State University.
The first day will focus on topics in food security, agritourism, and sustainability, while the second day will highlight agribusiness, smart technology, and health and wellness. The optional third day involves a field trip to Valley of the Latte and UOG’s Triton Farm.

Presentations will be delivered over five breakout sessions as well as three panel discussions on the following topics:

• Building an Island Agritourism Economy: Lessons from Guam, Taiwan, the United States, and the NMI
• Island Agriculture Today: Challenges and Opportunities in Guam
  Featuring leaders from each of Guam’s primary agricultural organizations
• From Farm to Menu: Exploring a Local-First Culinary Model
  Featuring leading farm-to-table chefs in Guam and tourism industry experts and businesses.
  
  

The full conference agenda will be available in early October. A link will be posted at the top of the registration form.

Call for abstracts

Agencies, industry professionals, and researchers with expertise pertinent to agriculture and the farming community are invited to submit an abstract to present in one of the conference’s breakout sessions. Abstracts may be submitted at https://url.uog.edu/farmer-focus-abstracts. The deadline to submit is Sunday, Oct. 5.

Registration

Registration is open through Monday, Oct. 20, at https://bit.ly/islandrootsglobalgrowthconference.
Farmers can avail of 30 scholarships to attend the conference free of charge if they can provide either proof of membership with the Farmers’ Cooperative Association of Guam or their bonafide farmer certification from the Guam Department of Agriculture. The scholarships are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

For industry professionals, the registration fee is $100 for one day of the conference, $200 for both days, and $300 for both days and the field trip. A hotel group rate is available for those coming from off-island and can be found on the registration form.
For more information, email uogfarmerfocus@triton.uog.edu.

This event is supported by the Western Region Agricultural Stress Assistance Program, the Asia Pacific Studies Center at the University of Guam, Honhui Group, King Car Group, Hyatt Regency Guam, and the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).  

About UOG Farmer Focus
Farmer Focus is a program of the University of Guam Land Grant Extension Service that researches the lives of farmers in the Pacific region and coordinates outreach and education efforts to alleviate their stress and enhance their well-being. The program is a sub-grantee of the USDA-funded Western Region Agricultural Stress Assistance Program at Washington State University.