Ninety percent of Florida’s agricultural operations are small farms with gross sales under $250,000, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

In South Florida, small farmers benefit from an ideal subtropical climate but need more options for high-value fruit and vegetable crops to grow profitably and meet demands.

“Farmland acreage has decreased due to increased urbanization in South Florida,” said Xiaoying Li, assistant professor of horticulture vegetable crops at UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center (TREC). “There are also many challenges related to growers’ profitability, including increased labor costs, land expenses and stiff competition from neighboring countries and states that can cultivate fruits and vegetables year-round in controlled environments.”

Li is the newest member of the UF Homestead campus, with just six months on the job. She provides the research, resources and innovative technologies to help small farmers remain competitive in vegetable production.

In her role as faculty and Extension specialist, she has hit the ground running, working with local growers to introduce and promote the local production of new ethnic vegetables like edamame and developing sustainable field practices and technologies for specialty high-demand crops already in existence in South Florida, like okra.

Li is working on an edamame project in collaboration with TREC colleagues Haimanote Bayabil, who specializes in soil and irrigation management, Bruce Schaffer specializing in plant physiology, and Bo Zhang, a plant breeder at Virginia Tech. The project aims to evaluate commercial varieties and identify additional breeding lines to improve edamame yield and growth performance in subtropical and tropical environments in Florida.

“This will help to enhance the diversity of the vegetable production industry and better meet the changing needs of a diverse consumer market.” Li said. “Many ethnic vegetables have high nutritional and medicinal values, as well as traditional functionalities, which help to support cultural heritages.”

Additionally, Li recently acquired a one-year USDA grant in the amount of $62,938 and leads a project to identify molecular techniques to monitor and rapidly detect seedborne pathogens in okra.

South Florida is one of nation’s major growing regions for okra production. Domestic demand for okra has steadily increased over the past few decades. Typically recognized as a Southern recipe staple, it is also used in a variety of ethnic dishes from Puerto Rico, Mexico, Spain and Africa. This vegetarian favorite is a super food, offering several health benefits by containing plenty of vitamin C, vitamin K, fiber, protein and antioxidants, that can lower cholesterol and blood sugar.

Conversely, a significant amount of okra consumed in the U.S. is imported, with a value reaching $60 million in 2023, according to the USDA, said Li. Seedborne pathogens affecting okra, including various fungi and bacteria, can reside dormant on or inside seeds until conditions are favorable. Upon planting, they can cause seed rot or seedling death, leading to significant yield loss. Infected seeds can also spread diseases to other crops and locations, threatening local agriculture.

“My long-term goal is to see growers and South Florida communities thrive and to ensure a more diverse and stronger agricultural system in the face of climate change, dwindling farmland, and strong competition,” she said.

Li obtained a master’s degree in plant pathology from South China Agricultural University and a Ph.D. in crop science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. In recent years, Li has developed several rapid technologies for early disease detection and has conducted extensive evaluations of disease resistance and seed quality in various crop germplasms.