Geared toward farms with three or more years of production experience, the series helps farmers assess climate risks, identify opportunities for resilience, and develop strategies to mitigate or recover from extreme weather. This training incorporates models for risk assessment currently being used in other regions (Upper Midwest & New England). It adapts them for use based on expected climatic trends in the Southern Appalachia region.

Background

In 2025, OGS began developing Climate Smart Trainings for farmers to complement our existing farmer programs. The bedrock of farmer programs has been designed to foster sustainable growth and innovative, holistically oriented practices, so that farmers can successfully navigate an unstable economy, natural disasters, personal or community distress, and increasing weather instability. Our goal is to create well-connected farmers who are supported and have achievable, well-informed goals so that the agricultural community and local food system can thrive and adapt to whatever comes its way.

Following the devastation due to Hurricane Helene in Western NC (WNC), much of OGS programming has shifted its focus to help farm businesses recover from loss, gain access to needed information, resources, and funds, review business strategies, and adapt to the current changing economy, climate, market, and ecosystem landscape. We aim to help farmers build resilience into their farm businesses by addressing diverse needs and challenges across production, distribution, marketing, enterprise, and financial systems. Our goal is to support farmers as they understand, prioritize, and integrate climate-smart agriculture practices to increase their likelihood of long-term risk mitigation and resilience when the next disaster inevitably strikes.

This six-part online pilot training series, Climate Resilience Training, is being developed in collaboration with partners at NOFA-VT, Working Landscapes (NC), and the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (NC/SC). Starting in the Fall of 2025, this series will focus on adapting the Climate Adaptation Mitigation Fellowship (CAMF) Planning Tool to the needs of farmers in Southern Appalachia. The CAMF Planning tool was developed and has been successfully implemented in the Northeast and Midwest. OGS will supplement this tool with additional planning tools from Holistic Crop Management and learnings from other Climate Resilience Trainings, such as the “Risk to Resilience Training” designed by the Land Stewardship Project (MN) and Laura Lengnick's work in Resilient Agriculture: Cultivating Food Systems for Changing Climates.

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Training Agenda:

Farmers will begin by introducing their operations and sharing current concerns about climate impacts. Peer-to-peer discussion takes center stage, alongside an introduction to holistic planning as the guiding framework for the series.
Participants will gain an overview of projected climate impacts in the region, presented by the Southeast Regional Climate Hub and grounded with farmer testimonials. The CAMF tool will also be introduced to set the stage for future sessions.
Attention shifts to the farm level, where participants explore tools and methods for identifying which climate risks are most pressing for their own operations.
The focus turns to the challenges of heavy rainfall and severe storms. Through the “Protect, Adapt, Transform” framework, farmers will evaluate strategies for addressing risks and planning for recovery.

If you cannot attend for any reason, you may reserve your spot in next year's Farm Beginnings® course. We are happy to send you documentation so that your tuition fee can be recorded as a tax-deductible contribution to the ongoing work of the OGS.
Farmers will discuss how shifting seasonal patterns—hotter summers, milder winters, and erratic precipitation—are already affecting operations. Facilitators will connect these experiences with projected trends and introduce the remaining steps of the CAMF planning process.
The series concludes with farmer presentations of their CAMF plans, supported by peer feedback and technical assistance. The session wraps up with a review of federal, state, and private resources for implementing resilience strategies.

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Climate Resiliency Training

Adapting farms to a changing climate

What is Climate Resiliency Training?

Background

Training Agenda:

October 27 – Session 1: Course Introduction and Holistic Management

November 3 – Session 2: Understanding Climate Risk in Southern Appalachia

November 17 – Session 3: Assessing Climate Risk on Your Farm

December 1 – Session 4: Extreme Precipitation Events & Storms

December 15 – Session 5: Warmer Summers & Less Cold Winters

Session 6: Technical Assistance, CAMF Tool, & Additional Resources

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Organic Growers School © 2024 Contact Us • (828) 214-7833

Organic Growers School © 2024
Contact Us • (828) 214-7833