Kathleen Liang works with plasticulture during a field day recently. She will use a $20,000 grant to study new, specialty crops that are known to have medicinal benefits, and teach growers how to work with them.
Kathleen Liang, Ph.D., W.K. Kellogg Distinguished Professor of Sustainable Agriculture, has received a $20,000 grant from a division of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to study the growth, use and marketability of medicinal crops.
“The overall objective is to test different varieties of popular specialty crops that have been used to improve health outcomes, especially for those dealing with chronic illness, diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol,” Liang said. “This program is really unique in that it will expand the varieties of crops people know how to grow beyond the traditional. In North Carolina, we know about sweet potatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and so on. But through this program, my colleagues and I can help farmers look into new opportunities that have not been explored or promoted in the past.”
The one-year project, funded by the agency’s New and Emerging Crops Program, will allow Liang to conduct field trials, using organic and conservation practices, for such specialty crops as bitter melon, specialty gourds and specialty radishes. Then, she will establish a guide for their production, including market assessments; and hold workshops, field days and tours at the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) Small Farms Unit in Goldsboro. Cooking demonstrations are also a part of her plan.
“North Carolina A&T is an important cog in the wheel of higher agricultural education in our state,” said Sam Brake, agricultural program specialist in the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. “We are the third most diverse agricultural state in the nation, and it’s our state’s number one industry. More and more people are moving to the state because they like our agriculture, and as that diversity continues to grow, it opens the window for small-scale and niche farmers to serve that clientele.
“If you’re growing niche crops, you don’t have to spend billions of dollars on equipment and you can still make a profit.”
Since 2018, the New and Emerging Crops Program has offered grants to identify new potential crops, value-added products and agricultural enterprises, and provide the agricultural research, marketing support and education necessary to make these crops commercially viable and profitable.
Including Liang’s project, the department has awarded $1 million to 13 projects this year.
“These grants are smart investments, and this research is forward-focused on expanding opportunities for N.C. farmers and agribusinesses,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Agriculture and agribusiness remain North Carolina’s largest industry, and agricultural research has been the foundation of the new advances, improved plant varieties and the latest production techniques that have increased the efficiency, yields and competitiveness of the industry.”
