2022-23 Chesapeake Bay Agriculture Network Forum and Listening Sessions

Brought to you by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund 

Registration is free but space is limited. You must register for each session separately to attend. 

Sign up here for general Forum updates as session details become available.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation invites you to join us for the 2022-23 watershed-wide “Chesapeake-Bay Agriculture Networking Forum and Listening Sessions.” The Forum brings together NFWF grantees, partners, and practitioners in agricultural conservation from across the region to discuss emerging trends and topics, network and share ideas, and inform what’s next in our collective efforts towards greater agricultural sustainability.

This year’s Forum will be delivered virtually through a series of focused, crowd sourced sessions. We’ve identified eight important, emerging topics related to our shared work, framed around key questions that we’re seeking your help in answering. For each session, NFWF will host series of 5–15-minute flash talks that help answer, at least in part, each key question. After hearing from selected presentations, participants will then have the opportunity for loosely structured networking and discussion on each topic, with the goal of leaving each session with new understanding, ideas, and partners to help tackle these shared challenges. While typically an invite-only event, the virtual format of the 2022-23 Forum allows us to extend the invitation to all those interested! Please feel free to share with your colleagues.

Forum Sessions

Registration is free but space is limited. You must register for each session separately to attend. 

Sign up here for general Forum updates to be sent as session details become available.

Advancing Priority WIP Strategies for the Agricultural Sector

Tuesday, November 8, 2022 10am-12pm

Key Question: How can NFWF and its current and future grantees best support jurisdictions’ priority WIP strategies for the agricultural sector as we advance towards 2025? 

Advancing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice in Agricultural Sustainability Efforts

Tuesday, November 15, 2022 10am-12pm

Key Question: How can we better engage and support underserved, marginalized, and socially disadvantaged producers and communities in realizing goals and growing demand for sustainable agriculture and food systems? 

Coordinating with Federal Infrastructure Funding for Agricultural Conservation

Thursday, November 17, 2022 1pm-3pm

Key Question: How can we unlock unprecedented federal infrastructure funding to advance on-farm conservation and sustainability efforts? 

Enhancing Agricultural Conservation Through Collaboration and Partnerships

Tuesday, December 13,  2022 10am-12pm

Key Question: What can we learn from, re-evaluate, and replicate regarding our efforts to support collaborative models as key drivers of accelerated agricultural conservation in the region? 

Advancing Partnerships with Cooperatives, Aggregators, and Supply Chain Stakeholders

Thursday, December 15, 2022 1pm-3pm

Key Question: How can we better identify, engage, and support supply chain stakeholders as critical emerging drivers of and partners in achieving shared goals for agricultural sustainability? 

Advancing Regenerative and Climate-Smart Agriculture

Tuesday, January 10, 2023    10am-12pm

Key Question: How can we leverage our collective knowledge and experience supporting agricultural water quality improvement towards achieving a more holistic approach to regenerative and climate-smart agriculture, farm-scale greenhouse gas reduction, and agricultural carbon sequestration? 

Integrating Wetlands in Agricultural Landscapes

Thursday, January 12, 2023     1pm-3pm

Key Question: What will it take to accelerate wetlands restoration, creation, and enhancement in the region’s varied agricultural landscapes?

Advancing Agricultural Conservation through a Social Science Lens

Tuesday, January 24,  2023   10am-12pm

Key Question: What recommendations and insights from the Chesapeake Bay Program Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee’s 2021 workshop on social science in agricultural conservation (Overcoming the Hurdle) hold the most promise for advancing ag conservation beyond the region’s early adopters?

We hope you can join us for the 2022-2023 Agriculture Network Forum and Listening Sessions and look forward to when we can safely gather in person! 

For questions, contact Joe Toolan, Manager of Chesapeake Bay Programs (joe.toolan@nfwf.org)

Banner photo from Cottingham Farm by Keith Rutowski, Chesapeake Bay Program. Bellevue farm tour photo by NFWF.