Building sustainable communities through agricultural and food-based entrepreneurship

Building sustainable communities through agricultural and food-based entrepreneurship

Summary

Building Sustainable Communities through Agricultural and Food-based Entrepreneurship (BSC) is a project designed to spur entrepreneurial development in the value-added agricultural sectors of a four-county rural area in Southside Virginia. The target region is one undergoing significant change both because of the national decrease in farm portion of consumer spending and because of a local transition away from tobacco farming to new crops and value-added products.

The program will provide skills training and build an ongoing network of entrepreneurs and would-be entrepreneurs that will contribute to the building of sustainable agriculture and sustainable communities in the target region. Project activities include a series of 13 workshops, a food-tasting event, a mentorship program, and the launching of a network of producers/entrepreneurs to explore ongoing sustainability initiatives.

The project has been developed and will be overseen by a coalition of partners representing a wide range of stakeholders from the region, including producers, entrepreneurs, higher education, government, cooperative extension, and the nonprofit sectors. This coalition provides both an additional arena for regional cooperation and an avenue through which the activities developed in the project can be replicated on a statewide basis.

Objectives/Performance Targets

Building Sustainable Communities has two primary objectives. First, the project will provide hands-on skills training for entrepreneurs in the agricultural or food-based arenas to develop sustainable, growing businesses responsive to the new global marketplace.

Second, the project aims to build longer-term capacity within the community for continued sustainability efforts by building a regional network of agricultural entrepreneurs able to contribute to their own sustainability through mentoring, joint marketing, and related activities.

An additional objective being met through the structure of the project itself as well as the proposed activities is the ongoing strengthening of a coalition of partners from a wide range of stakeholders. The partnership involved in planning and implementing the project includes producers, food-based entrepreneurs, cooperative extension, higher education, government and the nonprofit community.

Accomplishments/Milestones

Hands-on skills training has been provided for food-based industry entrepreneurs. The following workshop has been hosted at The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research:

Workshop 1 – Internet Marketing – Participants (5) learned how to market their food-based business on the world wide web by not limiting their retail marketing to the local community.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

Participants of Workshop 1 learned to expand the marketing of their food-based business from the local community to the world wide web so they can sell their goods and services without geographical restriction.

Collaborators: