NMC CREES, agroforestry team launch guide to regenerative growth 

09/30/2025 – The Northern Marianas College’s Cooperative Research, Extension, and Education Services, together with its Agroforestry Team, launched its newest publication, Regenerative Agroforestry in Action in the Northern Marianas: A Guide to Creating Abundant Food Forests, last Thursday at the NMC campus in As Terlaje.

The book published by the college, is designed as a workbook and guide, offering a step-by-step approach to creating and maintaining agroforests in the Marianas and beyond, integrating traditional regenerative farming practices from earlier generations in the Marianas. The project was a collaborative effort by authors Patricia Coleman, Jesse Deleon Guerrero, Winnie Lee, Samson Palacios, Bill Joseph, Tom Pangelinan, Keoni Tudela, Deron Mendiola, Peter Ayuyu, and Dr. Craig R. Elevitch.

The book presents agroforestry as a regenerative system that integrates trees, crops, and animals to improve soil health, biodiversity, and water capacity while delivering environmental, economic, and social benefits. In their preface, co-authors Jesse Deleon Guerrero and Patricia Coleman reflect on the CNMI’s reliance on imported foods and the rise in diet-related diseases, questioning whether such challenges would exist if traditional food practices had been preserved. They emphasize that agriculture must go beyond production, urging a return to nourishing communities with chemical-free, locally grown food that restores the natural environment. 

NMC president Gavin Deleon Guerrero, in his remarks at the book launch, praised the effort as a practical tool for the community, and a way that one can become a better steward of the CNMI. “That’s what it’s all about,” he said. “And what makes this such a good sharpener is that it’s practical. It’s not purely academic. It’s meant to be used, it’s not meant to be read and studied. It’s meant to be used. And that’s what really CREES is all about. That’s what NMC is all about. It’s about giving our community the tools to become better stewards.”

He added, “When we say our mission is to cultivate stewardship through scholarship, it’s about taking the best that higher education has to offer in training, for sure, in research, for sure, but most importantly, I think, in extension and outreach. This book will help us become better. We’ll sharpen our machetes, better stewards of our land, because it gives us very practical tips.”

He reminded the crowd, “At the end of the day, no matter what’s happening around the world, it’s up to us to take care of our land. It’s up to us to take care of our island. It’s up to us to take care of our Commonwealth. And that’s why we’re here today, because we are all here to become better stewards.”

Following the ceremony, attendees received free copies of the workbook, and enjoyed snacks and drinks prepared from plants included in the guide. Students and community members shared their excitement to begin exploring the publication. NMC student Julian Taitano, who was in attendance told Marianas Press “[It’s] Very innovative and I think it's very good for our the future of our island Considering like they said all of our most of our food is like imported. So I think it's good….its really reassuring.”

Lt. Gov. David Mendiola, who was present at the launch, welcomed the resource, as well “...this is something that we need to actually learn---on how to regenerate our crops, our plots, and hopefully continue to sustain our ecosystem and also sustain our own food. It’s really great,” he said. “I really appreciate this program. I do plant a lot and I tend to find myself trying to figure out how to actually improve my plantations. So this is really good.”

Co-author Jesse Deleon Guerrero shared with the gathered crowd his appreciation “Our vision has always been to strengthen food and nutrition security, to protect and regenerate our islands, and to honor the cultural practices that have sustained us and our people for millennia. This book is the wind to our proa as we sail together on a regenerative journey weaving scientific knowledge and traditional wisdom.”

He added “We are deeply grateful to our partners, all of our mentors, especially to the farmers and to the family and Man’amko who have joined our agroforestry program, from our mama food forest, to our commercial farmer workshops, to our ongoing agroacademy, and all of our regenerative agricultural workshops that's been held at Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. You continue to inspire our work every day. Without your support, this book would not exist. I'm also very excited to share that we've already are working on the next version of the book which will include your input and recommendations as stakeholders and participants. We hope this publication serves not just as a resource but as a catalyst, encouraging more of us to plant, to teach, and to carry forward our culture and our identity. Because how we grow our food and what we choose to consume is not only a cultural act, it is also a political one.”

Report by Chrystal Marino