CNMI Climate Smart Agriculture

rain garden
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Sign labeled Rain Gardens
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Ships at sunset
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pumpkins sold at CNMI farmers market
Pumpkins sold at the CNMI Farmer's Market.
NASA Observatory Typhoon
View of the Island of Saipan, CNMI.
View of the Island of Saipan, CNMI.

Climate Smart Agriculture
in CNMI

Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) is an integrative approach developed by the FAO aimed at helping guide actions to reorient agricultural systems to ensure food security and effectively support sustainable communities and livelihoods in a changing climate. It is not a new technique, it is an approached used to identify food production systems and strategies.

CSA is based on three main objectives:

  • Sustaining and increasing agricultural productivity to support equitable increases in food security, farm incomes, and sustainable communities and livelihoods;
  • Adapting and building resilience of agriculture and food security systems to climate change at multiple levels;
  • Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture (including crops, livestock and fisheries).
Tropical storms damaging crops pose the greatest risk in CNMI. 

Preparing Your Crops For Tropical Storms

Prune Fruit Trees

Remove crossed and unproductive branches, remove branches and trees that could fall on a house.

Grow Traditional Root Crops

(i.e. taro, giant swamp taro, arrowroot) - traditional root crops are typically more resilient to extreme weather.

Plant Salt Tolerant Coastal Shrubs and Trees

This will reduce and prevent coastal erosion and damage to crops and agroforests.

Project Spotlight: Michael Ogo

Michael Ogo

Climate Smart Aquaculture

Michael M. Ogo Aquaculture Extension Agent and Program Lead for the Aquaculture and Natural Resource program at Northern Marianas College CREES

As climate change increases sea level rise which causes saltwater to inundate the freshwater lens, Mike uses climate-smart aquaculture strategies to experiment with fish that can survive in brackish water in order to help sustain food sources in the CNMI, Northern Marianas.

Clay Trauernicht and Jensen Uyeda visited Mike at the lab on ______. 

Background of Mike and steps he uses with fish to be explained here……

Contact Info:

NMC-CREES Aquaculture extension agent Mike Ogo and UH Manoa Extension faculty Clay Trauernicht and Jensen Uyeda visit NMC-CREES aquaculture facility.
NMC-CREES Aquaculture extension agent Mike Ogo and UH Manoa Extension faculty Clay Trauernicht and Jensen Uyeda visit NMC-CREES aquaculture facility.
beakers on a shelf
Beakers with yellow liquid on shelves.
Aquaculture tank set up at NMC-CREES facility.
Aquaculture tank set up at NMC-CREES facility.
Aquaculture tank growing Forktail Rabbitfish.
Aquaculture tank growing Forktail Rabbitfish.
Aquaculture tank system for growing native species of Forktail Rabbitfish.
Aquaculture tank system for growing native species of Forktail Rabbitfish.

On-Going Projects at BECQ Coral Reef Initiative

Plant rain gardens, save our lagoon!

“A rain garden is planted in a depression or a dip and works to collect rainwater draining of roads and walkways. As rainwater flows downhill, the rain garden catches pollutants and sediment that might otherwise end up in our oceans."
rain garden
Jihan Buniag
BECQ Coral Reef Initiative Education and Outreach Coordinator

On-Going Projects at Northern Marianas College

Vetiver grass

Rows of vetiver grass growing at the Northern Marianas College CREES at Perdido Farm. Vetiver grass can be used as a barrier on sloping landscapes to reduce soil erosion in times of intense and increased rainfall due to climate change.

Contact Us!

Do you know of an on-going project or anyone in your community who is fighting climate change by incorporating climate smart agriculture into their farm or research? Contact Clay ([email protected]) or Patricia ([email protected]) about it!