Rex Dufour
Senior Fellow
Western Region
Topic Areas:
Crops, Organic Crops, Pest Management, Soil Health
Specific Areas of Expertise:
Ecological pest management, ecological soil management, and creation of habitat for beneficial organisms
Rex Dufour has been with NCAT since 1994 and opened the National Center for Appropriate Technology’s (NCAT) Western Regional Office in Davis, California, in 2001. His current NCAT work focuses on learning from farmers, and writing about and training agriculture professionals on organic practices and certification, ecological pest and soil management, and farmscaping. Rex is registered with NRCS as an Organic Technical Service Provider (TSP) in California and Nevada. He is responsible for developing NCAT’s Ecological Pest Management Database. Rex worked nine years in Thailand and Laos with the Peace Corps, the United Nations, and the U.S. State Department. He helped develop integrated pest management plans for potatoes and small grains on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service land leased to farmers. He is a former pest control advisor, and has been trained as a Certified Organic Crop Inspector by the International Organic Inspectors Association (IOIA). Rex can speak fluent Thai and Lao.
Education:
Bachelor of Arts in Biology, The Colorado College
Master of Science in Integrated Pest Management, University of California Riverside
Previous Experience:
Associate Project Manager, 1996 – 2000
National Center for Appropriate Technology, ATTRA Program, Fayetteville, AR
Assisted with managing Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Area (ATTRA) program, the national sustainable agriculture information clearinghouse. The ATTRA program (at that time) had a $1.3 million annual budget and 25 staff. Shared responsibilities with the Project Manager for hiring, budgeting, supervision, and strategic planning.
IPM Technical Specialist, 1994 – 1996
National Center for Appropriate Technology, ATTRA Program, Fayetteville, AR
Performed literature research and integrate personal field experience to synthesize written biointensive IPM strategies for a wide range of pests in response to questions from growers from around the U.S. Under contract with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, developed written IPM plans for several thousand acres of potatoes and small grains grown on two U.S. Fish and Wildlife Refuges in California and Oregon. Outlined information gaps and suggested areas of research in support of IPM implementation in Klamath Basin.
Project Manager, 1990 – 1993
Lao-American Integrated Rural Development, Vientiane, Laos
Managed first bilateral USG-sponsored rural development project in Laos since 1975. The project included two districts in Northeastern Laos, a $1.5 million annual budget, and a target population of over 35,000. Created strategic development plan with Lao counterparts and villagers for rural agriculture, health, credit and infrastructure initially targeting 30 villages and 9,000 villagers.
Affected Thai Villager (ATV) Program Officer, 1987 – 1990
United Nations Border Relief Operation (UNBRO), Aranyaprathet, Thailand
Managed, monitored, reported on and developed budget for the multi-sectoral ATV rural development program, which included 7 Thai border provinces, $5 million annual budget and a target population of over 100,000. Worked with Thai military and civilian officials in developing and implementing sustainable rural development projects.
Agricultural Trainer/Technical Coordinator, June 1987 – November 1987
U.S. Peace Corps Training Program, Thailand
Trained 30 new volunteers about tropical agriculture and agroforestry in a Thai social context, developed training materials, helped coordinate and plan training sessions at several locations in Thailand.
Plant Protection Specialist, 1985 – 1987
Royal Thai Government, Department of Agricultural Extension, Plant Protection Unit 1, Korat (Nakorn Ratchasima).
Developed IPM training pamphlets and pesticide use and safety skits for 95 Peace Corp volunteers and over 300 Thai villagers and procured funding for organized and researched neem seed extracts, comparing the efficacy of this botanical to chemical pesticides and Bacillus thuringiensis on kale in Thailand.
Current Professional Affiliations and Committees:
Technical Service Provider (TSP) registered in California and Nevada with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
Featured Publications and Presentations:
Biorationals: Ecological Pest Management Database
Managing Soils for Water: How Five Principles of Soil Health Support Water Infiltration and Storage
A Pictorial Guide to Hedgerow Plants for Beneficial Insects
Saline and Sodic Soils: Identification, Mitigation, and Management Considerations