Encore - Sustainable Agriculture Projects in Zimbabwe

*Audio level issue, so suggested that you turn down your volume after introduction.*

Recorded on 02/09/2021 at the East Brunswick Public Library.

“Sustainable Agriculture Projects in Zimbabwe”

with Tait Chirenje, Professor of Environmental Science & Sustainability, Stockton University

Climate change is wreaking havoc in the lives of rural farmers in  Zimbabwe, often leading to poor or no harvests in back to back seasons.  This talk will focus on results from a four-year effort to help rural  farmers transition from vulnerable large-scale field based agricultural  practices like corn/soybean growing to small-scale controlled  environment system like shed-grown mushroom and hydroponics. The talk  will cover how the development of a demonstration center helped provide  incentives for local farmers and international experiences for Dr.  Chirenje’s university students.

Tait Chirenje holds a PhD in Trace Metal Biogeochemistry from the  University of Florida (Florida), an MS in Earth Science from the  University of Guelph (Ontario, Canada) and a BS from the University of  Zimbabwe (Harare, Zimbabwe).

Dr. Chirenje works in the area of aquatic chemistry, brownfields  assessment and redevelopment and the urban geochemistry of trace  elements. He has worked on baseline studies of trace elements in both  urban and rural areas of Florida and performed geochemical  characterization of water bodies including Hammonton Lake, the Delaware  River, Crosswicks Creek and the Great Egg harbor River.  Dr. Chirenje  currently runs the Stockton University Environmental Internship Program (SUEIP)  and he and his team of 10 students and four scientists help the New  Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (NJDMAVA)’s  Environmental Monitoring Bureau (EMB) meet environmental compliance at  their 27 sites in the state of New Jersey. He also advises local  communities on stormwater quality and watershed management projects.

Professor Chirenje teaches courses in the field of environmental  chemistry, including water chemistry, environmental remediation and  biotechnology, environmental toxicology and environmental pollution and  regulation. He also teaches and engages students in international  sustainable development projects in Zimbabwe, Ecuador and Brazil.

This event is sponsored by the East Brunswick Public  Library and the Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission,  and funded by the American Library Association's,"Resilient Communities: Libraries Respond to Climate Change" pilot program.

Option Green 2021 Program Community Partners

Highland Park Public Library
Matawan-Aberdeen Library
New Brunswick Free Public Library
North Brunswick Library
Old Bridge Public Library
Plainsboro Public Library
South Brunswick Public Library