Training for New Food and Farming Ventures: Iowa Café Part II

View the project final report

• 2003 annual report

Commodities

Practices

• Education and Training: extension, networking, workshop
• Farm Business Management: new enterprise development, marketing management
• Sustainable Communities: new business opportunities

The project will involve three major activities; toolbox development, workshop development and delivery, and network development. The toolbox will focus on content and knowledge, the workshop on process and content delivery, and network on participant support and team-building. Project inputs will include funding from SARE PDP and staff expertise to develop, organize, deliver, and evaluate educational materials, training experiences, and communication technologies for networking participants. The project will develop these outputs: 1. a toolbox of materials and decision making aids focusing on the knowledge and background information needed to help clients make informed decisions. 2. a statewide two-day training workshop for 40 to 48 agricultural educators focusing on both the process of how participants can help a client determine the viability of his/her business ideas, as well as the four content areas of production, marketing, business planning, and needs assessment.

Short term - participant knowledge on principles of relevant business topics, beginning structure for network of educators, and participant skills on topics of production, marketing, and new business opportunities. A toolbox will provide the content and a workshop will provide the process enabling educators to help the client determine the viability of his/her business ideas.

Intermediate term - participants provide technical assistance on topics relevant to new business concepts and new markets, alternative production systems, etc. Extension and others participating in networks deliver programs on these topics to operators of mid-sized and small farms.

Long term - a network of 40 to 48 trained agricultural educators who help a large number of clients make significant changes in their business, resulting in new food/farming ventures starting and succeeding and healthier farms and communities.