Agroforestry Regional Knowledge Exchange Network (ARKx)
Demonstration Site Profile
Demonstration Site Name
Lunasi Forest Farms
Demonstration Site Area
Columbia Cross Roads, PA
Demonstration Site Contact Information
Ryan Smith
Agroforestry Practices Demonstrated
Alley Cropping, Forest Farming, Food Forest
General Information
Agroforestry Profile
Size of each agroforestry practice
6
Geographic context
Rural
Open to contact regarding Agroforestry?
Yes
Land Tenure
Own
What species & products are being grown or produced in the agroforestry demo?
Hay, Cider Apples, Chestnuts
What is the scale of production?
small
Do you use other non-agroforestry conservation practices?
Yeah, hardwood tree establishment. Sorry, I cant remember the code.
Total Site Size (acres)
5
Years in operation
6
Did you work with a Technical Service Provider or consultant for your design?
Year agroforestry systems established
2016
Visitors?
By appointment only
Demonstration Site Address
2179 oldroyd rd
Did you receive any technical assistance for implementing your agroforestry demonstration?
Have you used grants or other financial assistance (cost share, etc.) to fund agroforestry?
NRCS's EQIP - establishing chestnut trees
Are you doing any marketing?
not yet
Who are you selling to? How are you selling? (CSA, farmers markets, distributors, etc.)
Not yet selling
Does your farm offer educational programs? If Yes, what type(s)?
not yet
How did you get involved in agroforestry?
I first learned about agroforestry while volunteering on a permaculture farm in Costa Rica. I wanted to learn how agroforestry can be applied to temperate regions so my partners and I began planting fruit and nut crops on our land. Later, I went on to earn my Master of Forestry degree and specialized in agroforestry.
What are your future plans?
Develop a small agroforestry demonstration site. Run a simple and profitable chestnut operation. Expand forest farming of understory herbs. Establish hazelnut orchard trialing cultivars suitable for our region. Establish nut orchard of locally adapted grafted cultivars of pecan, walnut, and other nut crops. Expand nursery operations to include more nut trees.
Can you describe any of the barriers or obstacles that you've overcome in establishing and maintaining your agroforestry demonstration site? (ex. land access, financial challenges, labor, operation costs, etc. )
Maintenance, weed control, labor, operation costs
Anything additional you want to share (i.e. economics, environmental, social impacts, etc.)
Our farm is small and humble. We have been moving very slowly and steadily, learning about working with tree crops.