Progress report for SNE23-011-PA
Project Information
An opportunity exists to conduct on-farm research and
demonstration with a primary goal of serving the farm community
over advancing agricultural technologies. Recognizing that today,
farmers have equal part in learning together with the university
and other non-profit agricultural research institutions including
but not limited to creating their own research project,
conducting data collection, assisting in the data analysis and
determining the goals of the on-farm research projects.
There is a need for researchers to create space for farmers to
learn alongside trained researchers to help remove "black box"
systems. By democratizing science, we can reduce language and
social barriers when farmers participate in research. Working
together could provide more valuable services to farm communities
and result in better science communication skills for
researchers.
The educational approach will be a train-the-trainer where 40
agriculture service providers (ASPs) explore new ways
institutions and non-profits are conducting on-farm research and
demonstrations with and for farmers. 30 participating ASPs will
work together to practice a new on-farm research strategy with
local farmers. Farmers will indicate a higher desire to change
practices as a result of the new participatory methods. Farmers
will indicate they better understand research methods and feel
more comfortable conducting their own research. ASPs will be more
confident that farmers will accept the research findings.
30 Agriculture Service Providers will work together to implement
new on-farm research and demonstration strategies on 15 farms
that result in 50 new farmer-to-farmer interaction.
2 Key Individuals and ASPs will discover and implement
participatory learning techniques in programs offered in Spanish
for 40 farmers. 20 will pass an exam and obtain professional
credentials.
Problem/Opportunity:
As Agriculture Service Providers evaluate efficiencies and become more focused on making lasting change toward more sustainable farm community practices there has become a desire to work more with and for farm communities. This change has effects on traditional approaches used for on-farm research.
Farmers place the highest value in on-farm research when compared to studies and demonstrations conducted on research farms. Though on-farm research has been occurring in conjunction with universities and other entities for more than 200 years it continues to be underutilized. Many on-farm research projects still lack farmer participation in the creation of questions, data collection and analysis of results. These research projects can often fail at providing farmer-to-farmer learning opportunities that are critical to our stakeholders. A survey at the Pennsylvania Association of Sustainable Agriculture Conference indicated participants were 2.5 times more likely to get farming information from other farmers compared to webinars or publications. However, attending events or gathering information from social media or videos compared about equal to other farmers. Leveraging this, Agricultural Service Providers (ASPs) can become better communicators in these avenues when working with farmers in on-farm research to further impact and collaboration. Opportunities exist to bring farmers and the public into on-farm research in a more deliberate manner that promotes participatory on-farm research. Farmers participating in on-farm research indicate a high level of trust in research results, yet the impact is often only for one farmer at a time.
112,451 United States farmers identify as Hispanic (USDA NASS 2017) farming 32 million acres and having $22 billion dollar. Programs offered in Spanish must expand to meet this demand. For comparison, the 16,000 organic farms represent 5.5 million acres and $9.9 billion in sales (USDA NASS 2019). In a survey of extension educators only 8 (33%) felt Hispanic farmers were well represented at their meetings. (Sánchez, Gorgo-Gourovitch, Stivers, 2019) Access to programs with Spanish-speaking teachers/facilitators in Spanish are needed to provide fundamental training for farmers.
Scope: In a 2020 journal article (van de Gevel, et al.) from Agronomy for Sustainable Development, authors open with "Participatory research can improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and scope of research processes, and foster social inclusion, empowerment, and sustainability." By changing the way researchers conduct research with people rather than for, farmers throughout the Northeast will have added opportunities to participate in research that is often reserved for farmers in existing research networks.
Solution & Benefits:
On-farm research should be participatory learning. Newer models of on-farm research are being explored that facilitate more farmer participation per researcher than traditional one to one, researcher to farmer, models. These may include use of technology, farmer networks, farmer and non-farmer networks and citizen science on farms. ASPs will explore these and other methods of on-farm research that facilitate participatory research recognizing farmers' deep understanding of place, people and practices.
ASPs will change their attitude about limitations of on-farm research, feel empowered to approach and work with farmers on relevant local issues. ASPs will increase their comfort asking for farmer input and listening skills. At the conclusion of the project, ASPs will practice their new skills by establishing a farmer’s research network or on-farm research or demonstration plots that embrace farmer-science. ASPs will witness and participate in farmer-to-farmer interactions and become more comfortable communicating scientific methods. Key individuals will have more resources for participatory learning and research in the context of serving Spanish-speaking and farm communities at large.
Service Provider Interest:
Watershed groups, conservation districts, funding agencies, extension educators and specialists, agronomists and other private farm researchers and non-profit research organizations. This pool could include an assortment from the researchers from 32 watershed associations in Pennsylvania, staff from the 66 Pennsylvania County Conservation Districts, funding agency staff from SARE, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Pennsylvania Grazing Lands Coalition, more than 100 extension educators and specialists at Penn State University and other universities in Pennsylvania, 111 Pennsylvania Certified Crop Advisers and staff from PASA and Rodale. When asked open-ended question about educator needs SARE could help with, 3 specialists and 9 educators indicated training programs which support on-farm research were most needed. In a meeting of the Pennsylvania On-Farm Soybean Network, there was indication that more needs assessment was needed to determine what farmers want in programming surrounding research projects. When the current cohort of SARE Participatory Learning with Farmers trainees were asked the same question three indicated more programs that promote adult education techniques. Penn State recently opened a new technical training center for conservation professionals, this group requested more training in how to work with farmers at the basic level as many come from biology or chemistry backgrounds. When speaking with the Pennsylvania Women Agriculture Network leaders, they indicated a need to bring together other agencies to learn together, the need for learning circles specifically for women. When talking with the leader of the “Women Rooted in Agriculture” Penn State Extension program, they mentioned the need for more interstate connection to similar efforts. Members of the Pennsylvania Latinx Agricultural Network indicated a need to have more materials translated to Spanish and suggested the informal adult learning techniques like farmer-to-farmer and study circles work best in Spanish-speaking communities.
Educational Approach
Engagement:
Recruitment will be done with the help of Key Individuals and Advisory Board Members. A strong base exists for on-farm research so recruitment of a core group should be simple, however involvement of ASPs that work with diverse audiences may be slightly more challenging as they are often asked to join many other projects. Advisory Board members will be key in their recruitment. A project flyer will be made available to key organizations requesting participation.
Digital Learning Center:
Using open software common (e.g., Google Classrooms), a learning center will serve as a platform for a discussion board and space to organize and share articles and videos. Materials in the learning center will be organized into 6 sessions (example curriculum) that highlight on-farm research approaches that can be directly applied to agriculture programs. ASPs will have unlimited access to learning center resources. The learning center will house any recordings, meeting reports, and follow-up discussions.
Digital Learning Series:
Six digital meetings (e.g., Zoom) will take place where ASPs will learn about innovative and participatory on-farm research and demonstration techniques in use at organizations throughout the nation. 30 ASPs will take advantage of at least four of the six digital meetings.
On-Farm Research Tours:
ASPs will have the option to participate in in-person tours of innovative and participatory on-farm research to visit with researchers and here from farmer participants. Two local tours and one interstate tour options will be made available.
ASP Participatory On-Farm Research and Demonstration Projects:
ASPs will partner to adopt a participatory on-farm research or demonstration technique they learned into current research project or in a new research or demonstration project on-farm in year 2 and 3 of the project.
Learning:
Level 1: Existing knowledge: Participants will share current practices in On-Farm Research and its importance.
Level 2: New learning: Topics may include but are not limited to on-farm research involving crowdsourcing, facilitated farmer groups, farmer research networks, assistive tools and technology to help farmers in conducting their own research or bringing farmers into research farms to conduct their own research.
Level 3: Participants will be asked to research (on their own) new methods of conducting research with farmers.
Level 4: ASPs will work with farmers in new ways to conduct research on and with farms using techniques learned.
ASPs connecting with Spanish-speaking farmer communities in Pennsylvania will share practices for working with Spanish-speaking audiences in adult learning.
Evaluation:
Level 1: Successful participants may choose to share publicly their current on-farm research practices and teach on-farm research skills to farmers through existing winter meetings. Data will be collected in an open-ended form created in Qualtrics or Google Forms. This will establish a baseline of current knowledge and current farmer-to-farmer interactions surrounding on-farm research.
Level 2: ASPs will list examples of ways they could incorporate new techniques into on-farm research. A survey will assess if ASPs have changed their attitude about the limitations of on-farm research after the first three sessions. Changes can be made to the curriculum at this time to adjust the trajectory.
Level 3: Willing ASPs will present, and all others will post their own discovery of new methods of conducting on-farm research found online or professional journals or agricultural news sources to other ASPs in the group. All ASPs will participate in group discussion on the projects presented.
Level 4: ASPs will post in the Learning Center about their success and challenges with incorporating new participatory methods into on-farm research and demonstrations. A final survey will assess the success of the program and ASPs will report practice changes, level of farmer-to-farmer interactions and expectations for future use.
ASPs working with Spanish-speaking farming communities will indicate a better understanding of adult education and sustainable agriculture in a follow up survey.
Milestones
Schedule and market 6 online meeting series plus learning center access to recruit 30 ASPs with additional effort to recruit ASPs that work with new audience farmers in accordance with recommendations from advisory board. (March 1, 2024)
- Status:
- Accomplishments:
Open digital learning center, conduct first 4 learning series sessions for ASPs, create a digital library and order form for printed materials. Assess progress at a mid-term evaluation conducted by the Advisory Board (May 1, 2024)
- Status:
- Accomplishments:
Encourage 4 teams of ASPs to research innovative on-farm strategies that promote farmer-to-farmer interactions and have them present at last two sessions in the learning series. (June 30, 2024)
- Status:
- Accomplishments:
Complete Spanish translation on 10 PowerPoints and 5 associated handouts for ASPs working with Spanish-speaking farmers. (July 30, 2024)
- Status:
- Accomplishments: Pesticide Safety Training materials were translated by Penn State Students. SARE logo was used in materials.
Key Individuals and ASPs will present to farmer communities the benefits and challenges of on-farm research and how SARE can assist with these efforts at in-person and virtual events; schedule 3 tours of on-farm research innovations (May 30, 2025)
- Status:
- Accomplishments: Service providers and colleagues on staff with the grant have participated in and promoted the Face of SARE to ASPs directly presenting about the opportunities for farmer-driven on-farm research through SARE grant funding. On-farm research plots have not yet commenced.
30 ASPs work together to plan and implement new innovative farmer-to-farmer technique into 10 existing or new on-farm research or demonstration project and conduct surveys surrounding the new effort. (September 15, 2026)
- Status:
- Accomplishments:
Offer 2 workshops in Spanish for 40 farmers using adult learning techniques to study for certification required to obtain licensing in Pennsylvania. 20 farmers will achieve certification. (September 15, 2026)
- Status:
- Accomplishments: A training was offered to 27 registrants at no cost, manuals were provided in both English and Spanish. This was roughly twice as many farmers served as in the prior two years. Relationships with SARE were created with two ASPs who work with Spanish-speaking communities. Event details can be found at https://extension.psu.edu/private-pesticide-applicator-short-course-in-spanish-language
Compile evaluation data from ASPs representing 100 farmer participants in the on-farm research and demonstration projects; publish on-going research and demonstration results; assess impacts and needs of ASPs serving Spanish-speaking communities for future projects; present results to an audience of 100 ASPs. (October 30, 2026)
- Status:
- Accomplishments:
Milestone Activities and Participation Summary
Participation Summary:
Performance Target Outcomes
Performance Target Outcomes - Service Providers
Target #1
Use information to inform farmers about sustainable agriculture practices, opportunities for on-farm research and/or farmer grant opportunities.
NA
NA
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|
NA |
Performance Target Outcomes - Farmers
Additional Project Outcomes
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
New working collaborations with the Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training at Penn State with SARE through "Face of SARE" programs. Additional new relationships with educators conducting programs in Spanish.
SARE Outreach
State Coordinator and colleagues at Penn State exhibited at 8 events speaking directly with 135 participants. State coordinator presented to 212 agricultural service providers and farmers about SARE opportunities at 4 events. State coordinator provided 32 consultations about SARE farmer grants and other SARE opportunities via email and phone.
ASPs and colleagues on the grant have also promoted SARE through Spanish translation, and farmers have participated in "Face of SARE" programs and engagement programs in Spanish. Data is still being collected and analyzed. Further activities will provide more data.
Recieved information about SARE grant programs and information resouces:
| Audience | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service providers | 80 | 0 | 0 | 80 |
| Farmers | 210 | 0 | 0 | 210 |