Institutional Lead
New Mexico State University
Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences/Agricultural Science Center at Farmington
Interests:
Horticulture, human dimensions of horticulture, soil chemistry, drip irrigationBio:
Kevin Lombard is an Associate Professor of Horticulture in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences (PES) at New Mexico State University and the and Superintendent of the NMSU Agricultural Science Center (ASC) at Farmington. The ASC Farmington 250-acre farm is unique in that it resides on sovereign First Nations Land, the Navajo Nation. The Center’s mission is to conduct research, demonstration, and educational programs that will best meet the needs of the agricultural community of San Juan County and the Navajo Nation in particular, as well as the state of New Mexico, the Four Corners Region, and U.S. in general. Kevin’s research evaluates specialty horticultural crops, arid-land farming, and wise use of limited water resources including urban ornamental plant selection. He is the PI on studies evaluating adoption of gardening and the intersects of horticulture with public health. Significant interest in the 2006 paper Diabetes on the Navajo Nation: What role can gardening and agriculture extension play to reduce it? continues to motivate him. He has several specialty horticulture crop projects and monitors agricultural lands after the Gold King Mine Spill of 2015. His research and outreach efforts are collaborative in nature, draw upon public and private industry experiences and funding sources, and involves student mentorship.
