About Us

  • Across the country, farmers, ranchers and forest landowners are seeing an increase in risks to their operations due to fires, increases in invasive pests, droughts, and floods.
  • These events threaten our food supply and are costly for producers and rural economies. Drought alone was estimated to cost the U.S. $50 billion from 2011 to 2013. Such risks have implications not only for agricultural producers, but for all Americans.
  • USDA is launching seven Regional Hubs for Risk Adaptation and Mitigation to Climate Change. These “Climate Hubs” will address increasing risks such as fires, invasive pests, devastating floods, and crippling droughts on a regional basis, aiming to translate science and research into action and extension to farmers, ranchers and forest landowners on ways to adapt and adjust their resource management.

 

  
  • The Hubs were chosen through a competitive process among USDA facilities. In addition to the seven Hubs, USDA is designating three Subsidiary Hubs (“Sub Hubs”) that will function within the Southeast, Midwest, and Southwest. The Sub Hubs will support the hub within their region and focus on a narrow and unique set of issues relative to what will be going on in the rest of the Hub. The Southwest Sub Hub, located in Davis, California, will focus on specialty crops and Southwest forests.
  • The Hubs will build upon existing capacity and coordinate efforts within USDA to deliver information and guidance on technologies and risk management practices at regional and local scales.
  • USDA’s Hubs will work with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), universities, extension, and the private sector to create and deliver regional and local information, tools and other products.
  • USDA Regional Hubs will provide: •Technical Support   •Assessments and Forecasts   •Outreach and Education

 

The USDA Southwest Climate Hub: developing and delivering climate-smart information and technologies

Albert Rango and Emile Elias,  USDA/ARS Jornada Experimental Range, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM