Western U.S. Leafy Greens Industry Research Priorities Survey

The arid and semi-arid leafy greens production industry in the western U.S. has expressed an urgent need for research towards safe and sustained productivity in the face of a changing climate and resource limitations. This project seeks to identify and rank key research topics addressing this challenge and to facilitate research development. Ranking of research topics will inform funding organizations for the development of funding priorities and researchers in the development of research objectives.

In part one of this project, a survey was developed and distributed to gather information from the industry on the impact of production challenges, perceived knowledge gaps, and priorities for future research. Survey results and a summary of feedback are now available.

In part two, we will gather key researchers for team building, a tour of an agricultural production area, a research symposium, a brainstorming session, and grant development. It is important to provide opportunities for the agriculture industry and researchers to interact to discuss how best to address the needs of the industry. This is especially important for introducing new researchers to agricultural research.