BY THE END OF THIS ARTICLE, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO…
Identify at least one crop variety suited to your specific climate, water, and soil conditions, and name one step toward trialing or sourcing it this season.
It is important to understand what crops are adapted to your local conditions and extremes, especially when water is limited or irrigation is unavailable. A great starting point is to connect with local seedkeepers, seed libraries, and seed companies to identify some varieties that might be suitable in your context.
After identifying multiple varieties of a particular crop that may be well suited to your farm context, conducting a variety trial on your farm could be a great next step. Multiple resources below offer guidance on conducting your own trials. After you identify a variety that does well in your specific ‘climate – water – soil’ conditions, you could consider making selections and saving seed from the healthiest plants. Extreme weather events offer a selection opportunity. What varieties rebounded and recovered after the extreme event? That answer might be different each year, which is why diversity is key to bolstering on-farm resiliency.
Lucas Nebert with the Oregon State University Extension Service led a 2024 Western Water Resilience demonstration in Corvallis, OR featuring variety trials of multiple crops including cucumbers, melons, flowers, and summer cover crops. To learn more read the OSU Dry Farming Program Western Water Resilience Case Study. Photo by: Amy Garrett
RESOURCES
Grower’s Guide for On-Farm Variety Trials (link opens a PDF) — — Organic Seed Alliance. Guide for growers and programs conducting on-farm trials.
How to Conduct Research on Your Farm or Ranch — — Western SARE. Technical bulletin on on-farm research and variety trials.
On-Farm Plant Breeding for Resilient Organic Systems — — Organic Seed Alliance online course on growing and selecting locally-adapted varieties.
Dry Farming Seed Directory — — Dry Farming Institute. Varieties demonstrated to perform well under dry farmed conditions in the maritime Pacific Northwest.
High Desert Seed — — Small Colorado based company using regenerative practices to grow and provide drought-tolerant seed adapted to high elevation and desert bioregions.
Native Seeds SEARCH — — Native Seeds/SEARCH conserves and shares the seeds of the people of the desert Southwest and Mexico so that these arid-adapted crops may benefit communities.
DFI × OSU CRAFS · Water Resilience Toolkit · Grower Pathway