IMPROVING SOIL QUALITY FOR SUSTAINABLE URBAN AGRICULTURE

We will be focusing on soil management techniques that can be widely adopted by urban farmers from diverse backgrounds. We will expand the reach of extension efforts by developing a virtual reality (VR) digital map of the urban farms, facilitating the delivery of soil management techniques and enabling effective decision-making on issues impacting crops. The VR program will be compatible with mobile devices to provide users with the flexibility of information delivery options, and will integrate with social networking platforms to allow farmers and extension educators to interact and share knowledge via innovative digital spaces.We propose the following three objectives:Conduct the first comprehensive urban agricultural soil survey of more than 20 New York City (NYC)commercial farms, generating a city-wide assessment of soil biological, chemical, and physical parameters linked to crop production, plant health, and pest management;Develop on-farm trials with four NYC urban farms featuring the use of the beneficial microorganisms arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and phosphorus solubilizing bacteria for the enhancement of soil health and plant production in an urban agricultural setting; andDevelop a virtual reality (VR) digital map of the urban farms to facilitate the delivery of evidence-based information and enable effective decision-making and diagnostics impacting crop management.