Final report for SAL22-001
Project Information
The Alabama SARE program has a strong history of serving small producers AND building capacity within the educator teams inside/outside Extension. This program is also critical to new and beginning farmers that includes a substantial number of limited resource and veteran farms. This program provides comprehensive training in organic crop production methods (variety selection, irrigation management, and organic fertilizers to name a few) and sustainable IPM tactics to technical assistance providers (TAPs) from nongovernmental agencies or NGOs and state agencies (NRCS/FSA/Alabama Dept. of Agriculture). TAPs and producers are also part of the SARE program advisory committee. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we are proposing a hybrid model of professional development with online webinars, two field events in central and south AL to benefit educators and TAPs. Field training will be the emphasis as vaccination rates improve in AL and COVID cases subside. At least two educational field videos will also be completed and made available via the Farming Basics phone app that is already available. We have proposed development of a Farming Basics Incubator Program at EV Smith Research and Extension Center and Farming Basics Podcast as new activities. Throughout the year, on-farm consultations and pest alerts are still the critical need for stakeholders; this service will continue in parallel with the professional development plan outlined herein. Every SARE-funded activity is evaluated using robust feedback system and numbers reported via annual reports, flyers, and presentations. All educational videos and major publications (such the Organic IPM toolkit slide chart) acknowledge SARE support.
Obj. 1. Strengthen train-the-trainer support activities and promote networking among educators
Obj. 2. Develop field demonstration videos and podcast on sustainable crop production and pest management practices for rural and urban farms
Obj. 3. Develop plans for a ‘Farming Basics Incubator Program’ at EV Smith Research and Extension Center (Shorter, AL) for educator training
Obj. 4. Improved communication with SARE Advisory Committee and other stakeholders
Advisors
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Education
As a model state program, the Alabama SARE program at Auburn University carries out capacity building educational activities for extension educators, crop advisers, and key farmers. We train hundreds of educators from Extension and nonprofit agencies who collaborate with us and invite SARE coordinator and staff to their meetings. Our educational approaches for capacity building includes: 1.) Field demonstrations on research stations and commercial specialty crop farms to provide hands-on training (fully immersive professional development experience); 2.) SARE-funded IPM slide charts and Extension bulletins available in digital and print formats (provided to educators for distribution to small producers across AL); 3.) Digital content (IPM videos, social media channels, Farming Basics phone app, etc.) that are utilized by educators to locate information. All materials supported by SARE acknowledge the funding distinctly.
Education & Outreach Initiatives
To provide detailed training on the specialty crop production systems and the three levels of pest management (cultural/pest exclusion/biorational methods)
Educators from Extension, nonprofit agencies, collaborators and even some USDA NRCS staff receive training on demonstration sites and Research and Extension Centers (RECs).
In 2022-2023, the SARE coordinator and program assistant organized or participated in eight events reaching 339 educators approximately. Typically, all educators are influenced by what crop production and pest management practices they see at demonstration locations or online via webinars. This information is them passed on to small producers in the counties who ultimately benefit from the AU SARE program.
To provide access to information via print, digital, and social media.
During 2022-2023, we revised and republished two Extension publications - Home and Market Garden (Urban Farm) IPM Toolkit and the Organic Vegetable IPM Slide Chart. These are constantly in high demand among producers. We make sure we have adequate number of copies for all educators who pick the publications at the in-person training events an take it back to their county offices. We have also connected the Farming Basics Mobile App to the publications and contact information of Extension educators to provide better accessibility.
Educators, collaborators and producers strongly support the slide charts and publications. Beginning farmers in urban and rural areas of Alabama utilize the publications to learn the basic applied aspects of specialty crop production and pest management approaches, since in the absence of information and lack of pest management, producers can lose over 55 percent of their crop.
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation Summary:
Learning Outcomes
Project Outcomes
Face of SARE
Alabama SARE website/AU SARE program is a well-known and utilized resource for producers and educators. Factsheets and educational videos are regularly added to the ‘Resources’ tab. We have recently added a training module on the high tunnel pest exclusion system which is receiving wide publicity. The Alabama SARE website is also interlinked with three other websites that the PI maintains resulting in wide publicity and usage. We put a lot of effort in program publicity in order to promote participation from educators and small producers without bias.