Lorna V. Bravo

County agent

Publications

Integrating “Connectedness to Water” into Water-Related Extension Programs

Laura A. Warner, John M. Diaz, Jamie L. Loizzo, Nicole Pinson, Lorna Bravo, Peyton N. Beattie, and Caroline P. Barnett

This new 5-page publication of the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication describes the research used to develop the Concise Connectedness to Water Scale (CCWS), a new tool that can be used for both planning and evaluation of water-related Extension programming. It discusses findings, provides recommendations for using the tool, and shares the tool itself. This document is intended for Extension professionals and other practitioners who work on water issues.

Rain Barrel Water Quality in South Florida

Kimberly Moore, Mica McMillan, and Lorna Bravo

Rain barrels are a great way to conserve water, save money, and contribute to a sustainable landscape. However, adoption of rain barrels is low with homeowners concerned about water quality especially from different roof types. Our analysis of nutrients showed that there was no difference in nutrient levels based on roof type. All water samples had low levels of nutrients and no detectable pathogens. Based on our analysis, the water collected from these rain barrels would be safe to use for non-potable uses in the landscape and garden.

Urban Agriculture and its Sustainability Implications on the Food-Water-Energy Nexus

Jiangxiao Qiu, Hui Zhao, Lorna Bravo, and Jessica Ryals

Urban agriculture has the potential to contribute to urban sustainability through its interactions with food, water, and energy (FEW) resource flows, and thus needs to be evaluated and analyzed through an integrative rather than a siloed approach. This publication provides an overview of the concept of FEW nexuses in the urban context and describes the role of urban agriculture and its sustainability implications for FEW nexuses and resources. Specific local case studies provide examples. This publication provides a holistic, interdisciplinary lens to understand the crucial role and sustainability implications of urban agriculture, currently gaining momentum in the global research and policy agenda. The fact sheet should be useful to urban and regional planners and policy-makers engaged in the development of urban agriculture, as well as to Extension agents seeking to communicate the sustainability implications of urban agriculture.

Scenario Planning for Managing Ecosystem Services and Natural Resources

Jiangxiao Qiu and Lorna Bravo

Florida is experiencing environmental challenges such as climate change, sea-level rise, and urbanization that make it difficult to develop management and policy actions to conserve our ecosystems and their goods and services, which are vital for human well being. Scenario planning is a useful tool to explore and cope with the uncertainties surrounding the future consequences of decisions, but it remains underused in Extension practices. This publication provides an overview of scenario planning and the conditions under which scenario planning can be useful. It explains how to construct and develop effective scenarios for decision making and provides illustrated, real-world examples across different scales. The goal is to introduce the concept of scenario planning to Extension and elaborate its potential to be incorporated into existing Extension programs to help develop robust, sustainable solutions to manage agriculture, ecosystem services, and natural resources in Florida.