Creating a Sense of Belonging for Hispanic Farmers in Extension Programming

Hector Núñez Contreras, a member of the leadership in this project, took a position with private industry in early 2016. The remaining members decided to move forward with the project as a two member team. This delayed organizing the first workshop and sending out invitations; however, Lee, and Elsa spoke about the workshops at various meetings and one-on-one to Extension educators to alert them to this opportunity.

Invitations were sent by email to Extension educators who focus on horticulture in May 2016. Our goal of having 20 participants was mostly filled by this email request. We reached out individually to other Extension educators and exceeded our goal: 22 Extension educators signed-up for the first workshop.

The first workshop occurred on July 13, 2016. Our plan had been to hold it back-to-back with the annual extension conference to facilitate attendance. However, the format of the annual extension conference changed from an in-person event to an online one; therefore, we scheduled this workshop to be the day after an in-service event.

Dr. Jonathan Cook, a social psychologist, was the keynote speaker and presented insights from social psychology on the science of inclusion. He then led a guided discussion on the topic. The discussion was focused on these questions:

In what ways might farmers’ concerns about inclusion or psychological safety prevent them from participating in extension programming?

What aspects of extension programming, Penn State University, etc. might signal to Hispanic farmers that they might not belong?

What strategies could be used to help address issues of inclusion if these are barriers to Hispanic farmers participating in extension education?

The discussion was rich and had an ease to it that was welcome and perhaps not expected because of the sensitivity of the topic. This may be because of Dr. Cook’s abilities as a facilitator, the small group size, and/or because in general, everyone knew each other before attending the workshop. These factors and others may have created an environment where participants felt “safe” expressing ideas.

The group developed a list of possible concerns about inclusion or psychological safety that may prevent Hispanic/Latino farmers/farmworkers from participating in extension programming. While the majority of Hispanics/Latinos in the United States speak English, there is a segment of this population that either only speaks Spanish or is more comfortable communicating in Spanish. Also, while the majority of Hispanics/Latinos in the United States are American-born, there is a segment that may have a fear of government based on their past experiences or, for some, their immigration status. It is possible that Hispanic/Latino farmers/farmworkers are unaware of Extension and what it can offer. On the other hand, there may be a misperception that Extension is focused on conventional farming only. For farmworkers, their employers may not see the value of connecting employees to Extension. Settings for Extension events may be uncomfortable to some because of cultural standards and expectations. Lastly, the timing of these events may not be conducive to attendance due to other responsibilities at home or work.

We also discussed the aspects of extension programming that might signal to Hispanic farmers that they might not belong. Pamphlets advertising and describing events to should have pictures of speakers and attendees that include diverse people. Our current system for registering for events requires people to have internet access, email addresses, credit cards, etc. Some members of the Hispanic/Latino community may be reluctant to share this information.

Strategies that can help address issues of inclusion and action steps were also developed. A needs assessment would help to better understand the needs of this community. A barrier identified from the Extension side is that we are unable to identify many of the members of the Hispanic/Latino farmer/farmworker community. The idea of using snowball recruitment was presented to overcome this barrier. Having more cultural representation in educators and staff could signal inclusion to this community. Using multiple options for events, including changing the timing to better facilitate involvement, was discussed. As was the use of presentations rich in graphics versus in text.

After this discussion, Elsa presented on the demographics of Hispanic and Latino farmers and farmworkers in U.S. and Pennsylvania. This was followed by small group discussions on incorporating information learned from the workshop into extension programming. It became apparent that Hispanic farmers and farmworkers are different groups and we may need different approaches for creating welcoming environments. As an example, farmers make more managerial decisions perhaps than farmworkers and therefore, information that may be useful to them would differ. 

Pre- and post-workshop surveys were administered to participants. Survey results are discussed in the outcomes section below.

Participants of the first workshop received a comprehensive packet of materials including the overall goal of the workshop, hard-copies of the PowerPoints used in the workshop, and a list of contact information for participants and speakers.

Based on the first workshop we modified the visit to include Hispanic farmers and/or farmworkers. For the second workshop we invited Dr. José García-Pabón to lead a discussion on challenges and solutions for increasing Latino participation in programs and services. His workshop was developed to take the entirety of the time allotted. As a result, we determined that we would not have time to discuss the outcomes from visits. Therefore, we decided to introduce and discuss visits during the first workshop and to discuss the outcomes from the visits during the third workshop. Lee provided an example of how she had identified a farmer to visit. We also emailed participants with a reminder prior to the third workshop.

We altered the timeline to complete this milestone. (Please see the discussion above.) Participants were provided with a list of open-ended questions as a guide for the one-on-one meeting with a Hispanic farmer or farmworker. The questions were written in English, but a translated edition in Spanish was created by Lee at the request of workshop participants.

This milestone highlighted the Extension barrier that we currently have not identified Hispanic farmers/farmworkers. We have developed a map of the number of Hispanic farmers by county throughout Pennsylvania based on the USDA Census of Agriculture; however, we only were able to identify a small number of individuals. Participants of the workshop were largely focused on horticultural crops and it is possible that these farmers grow other crops or livestock or that we have not encountered them through our Extension activities. We were not able to find information on the number of Hispanic/Latino farmworkers in Pennsylvania. Some participants identified a Hispanic farmer/farmworker; however, they were uncomfortable taking a list of questions to their first interaction. They determined that it would be better to build a relationship before presenting the list of questions. As a result this milestone was only partially successful. Only a few participants completed this milestone. Those participants shared their experiences and the people they talked with had positive experiences with Extension.

A second workshop was held on October 20, 2016. Our original plan was to hold this workshop back-to-back with our annual extension team roundtable meeting; however, through a Doodle pole, the October date allowed more participants to attend. Twenty-one participants attended exceeding our goal of 15.

Dr. José García-Pabón, Community Sustainable Development Specialist at Washington State University, administered his program called “Why Don’t They Come?”. The goals of the workshop were for participants to:

1. Have a better understanding of their own and their institution’s standing on awareness and outreach of Latinos.
2. Better understand rural Latinos, including their cultural values and beliefs.
3. Gain or reinforce best practices and effective methods in working with Latinos in agriculture.
4. Start or expand partnerships to serve rural Latino families.
5. Acquire strategies to overcome challenges and pitfalls.
6. Plan an activity targeting Latino families in rural areas.

Goals were accomplished through a very engaging series of events. We individually completed a personal and institutional self-assessment and then discussed results. We discussed best management practices for working with Latinos in agriculture with a panel of agricultural educators who work with Hispanic communities. Dr. García-Pabón presented the culture and values of Latino farmers. We ended the workshop by working in small groups to address dilemmas in reaching out to Latinos in agriculture and planning an educational activity for Latino farmers and farmworkers.

Participants left with ideas to create a welcoming event for Hispanic/Latino farmers/farmworkers including:

• Building trust and personal relationships to improve comfort level of Hispanic/Latino farmers/farmworkers
• Providing transportation and involving families
• Contacting community groups, participating with NRCS, and others to help identify and work with farmers/farmworkers
• Using translators
• Providing childcare or an activity for kids attending events with caregivers
• Learning Spanish, even if it is broken Spanish

Participants received a comprehensive packet of materials including the overall goals of the workshop, hard-copies of the PowerPoint used in the workshop, and institutional self-assessment surveys.

Maria Gorgo-Gourovitch returned to Penn State Extension in October and resumed a role on the leadership team.

Workshop surveys

Pre- and post-workshop surveys were administered to participants at both workshops. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

Participants rated the usefulness of the first workshop an average of 4.4 (n = 17; 5-point scale with 5 being the best).

At this workshop participants significantly increased their ability to assist Hispanic farmers, from 2.6 before the workshop to 3.3 after the workshop and their ability to assist farmworkers, from 2.4 to 3.2.

Participants liked the discussions and the majority did not think that the Hispanic community is well represented at extension meetings.

Based on a pre-and post-workshop survey, attendees of the second workshop increased their knowledge of the cultural values and beliefs of rural Latinos/as to an average of 3.25 on a 5-point scale (n = 16; 5 being substantially). 100% indicated that they left the workshop with a plan for conducting an educational activity or developing a resource targeting Latinos/as. Eight people indicated that they would be conducting or assisting with on-farm demonstration meetings conducted in Spanish. Twelve people identified strategies, methods, or best practices they learned about, including establishing relationships, building trust, providing transportation, providing childcare, collaborating with other agencies in outreach efforts, and learning even some simple Spanish.

During the second workshop, as a small group activity, we planned an educational activity targeting Latino farmers. Activities developed were then shared with all workshop participants. This led to new ideas for increasing Hispanic farmer and farmworker participation in extension programming. Please see milestone 6 for more information.

The goal of the third workshop was to gain insights for success in building a community with Hispanic farmers/farmworkers by hearing from people who have successfully engaged with this audience and meeting with a Hispanic farmer.

This workshop was held at the Clinton County Extension office in Mill Hall, Pennsylvania because this location was close to the farm we visited. Twenty-five participants attended.

The workshop began with a discussion of visits with Hispanic farmers/farmworkers. Please see milestone 5 for more information.

Then, Maria Rojas, Beginning Farmer Program Manager for GrowNYC, shared what her organization had learned from 17 years working with Hispanic farmers. She included many keys to success for building trusting relationships and steps taken to surpass barriers encountered.

Abigail Appleman, the Hispanic and Historically Underserved Outreach Technician with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), discussed how NRCS had identified barriers in their outreach efforts with Hispanic farmers and how they had removed them. She also discussed her efforts locating Hispanic farmers.

Anamaria Gomez Rodas, an Independent Consultant in Food Safety, spoke about programs she developed for Hispanic audiences as a consultant for Michigan State Extension. She talked about how she established trust with Hispanic farmers. As well as, how her programs had high attendance because she was able to explain how Extension could benefit Hispanic farmers.

Throughout is part of the workshop, many questions were asked and discussion was robust. We determined that as a first step we largely need to locate the Hispanic farmer community and work with farmers employing the Hispanic farmworker community throughout Pennsylvania. Once that barrier is overcome, we can work on building a trusting relationship. We brainstormed ideas that included working with businesses that hire Hispanic farmers/farmworkers, hiring a bilingual person to develop relationships, working with farmers who hire Hispanic farmworkers so they see the value in connecting these farmworkers to Extension programming, and offering programs in Spanish including articles, videos, etc. 

Lastly, we went to visit with Virgilio García, a local Hispanic farmer: Virgilio and his wife and children grow produce and raise poultry and livestock. He spoke to us about how he became a farmer, his goals for the future, and how he learned about Extension and NRCS services. He gave us a tour of his farm and answered all our questions.

During the workshop we also discussed the connection developed between Extension and NRCS personnel as a result of this project. We hope to develop this relationship more.

Participants received a comprehensive packet of materials including the overall goals of the workshop and hard-copies of the PowerPoints used in the workshop. They also received a USB drive containing all of the resources from all 3 workshops.

Pre- and post-workshop surveys were administered to participants at this workshop, with 20 respondents. As for the previous 2 workshops, feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

At this workshop participants significantly increased their ability to assist Hispanic farmers from an average of 3.1 before to 3.9 after the workshop and to assist farmworkers from 2.9 to 3.8 (5-point scale, 5 = very able).

They also increased their knowledge of the unique challenges faced by the Hispanic farmers from 2.2 to 2.9 (5-point scale, 5 = very knowledgeable).

They also increased their knowledge of different methods for successfully engaging with Hispanics from 2.2 to 3.0 (same scale).

Additionally, when asked if the workshop series met their expectations 11 informants indicated yes and 9 indicated that it exceeded their expectations.

Approximately 1 year after the third workshop, participants were asked to complete an on-line survey to determine if the skills they gained through the workshop were useful for building relationships for building relationships with the Hispanic farmer and farmworker community.

Sixteen (16) educators responded and their responses are summarized below in the Performance Target section.