Urban Ecosystems and USDA

Dr. Ann M Bartuska

United States Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics

Arbor Day Foundation’s Partners in Community Forestry ConferenceNovember 16, 2015

Urban Opportunities at USDA

Urban Activities at USDAFOREST

INVENTORY AND MANAGEMENT

ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

HUMAN HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

URBAN SUSTAINABILITY

GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE

WATER AND WATERSHEDS

URBAN LONG-TERM RESEARCH

Green Space Social Space

STEW-MAP: How do we understand the social and spatial interactions among actors working on urban stewardship?

Baltimore LTER

Stewardship Networks

Urban Science at USDAFOREST

INVENTORY AND MANAGEMENT

ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

HUMAN HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

URBAN SUSTAINABILITY

GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE

WATER AND WATERSHEDS

URBAN LONG-TERM RESEARCH

URBAN AGRICULTURE

Urban Ag Toolkit • Created through the USDA Urban

Agriculture Working Group (UAWG)• Agencies and offices from across the

Department including the Forest Service, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Farm Service Agency, and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture

• Includes information on funding opportunities, technical assistance, and informational resources from federal, state, and local partners

Summary of Key Resources

• Business Planning

• Land Access

• Soil Quality

• Water Access/Use

• Capital and Financing

• Infrastructure

• Market Development

USDA Urban Agriculture Toolkit

Best Practices through Urban Research

Nutrition Interventions Crop production

Social science research on human interaction with natural resources

Vertical farming technology

Census of Agriculture – What is urban production?