A native of Guatemala, Lemus Garza will build on an impressive background of extension and outreach to lead NYSIPM’s efforts to bridge language and cultural barriers to promote sustainable pest management practices among Spanish-speaking communities across New York State.
“We are thrilled to welcome Raúl to the NYSIPM team. He has demonstrated his ability and commitment to providing underserved communities with vital training, resources and information, and he will be instrumental in helping our Program ensure that IPM practices and strategies are available to all New Yorkers,” Calixto said.
In his new role, Lemus Garza will engage and empower Spanish-speaking communities in both agricultural and urban settings to adopt IPM practices and enhance pesticide safety education activities, including providing in-person and virtual education sessions, training programs and individual consultations for farmers, growers, farm employees, commercial pest management professionals, nuisance wildlife managers, turf and landscape industries and school and municipal facility managers.
In addition to his extension work, Lemus Garza will conduct a comprehensive needs assessment in collaboration with NYSIPM, Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) statewide programs, CCE regional specialists and county associations. This assessment will help identify IPM and pesticide safety education needs and gaps within agricultural, rural, and urban Spanish-speaking communities across New York State.
Lemus Garza said he is excited to see what opportunities will be discovered through the needs assessment and that he is looking forward to using the information to directly improve the lives of the people he works with,
"I'm most excited about the opportunity to make a meaningful impact by empowering the Spanish-speaking community with sustainable pest management practices. Providing them with access to the knowledge and resources they need to enhance their livelihoods and adopt environmentally friendly solutions is truly fulfilling,” Lemus Garza said.
Before joining NYSIPM, Lemus Garza served as association program manager for CCE of Orange County. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering in agronomy, with a concentration in agricultural production systems from Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala.
