1998 Annual Report for ENC98-031
Revitalizing Community Development in the Dakotas
Summary
Objectives of this project include:
1) To develop Extension agents as rural “agents of change” who will be equipped to effectively collaborate with fellow residents in improving our rural communities.
2) To link previous production and environmental training (sustainable farming methods) with community development and rural quality of life.
3) To help create a rural society in the Dakotas that is ultimately sustainable economically, environmentally, agronomically, and socially.
The project is designed to foster sustainable community development in the Dakotas by enhancing local and regional food systems. It will equip Extension agents and others with the tools necessary to understand and collaborate with community development leaders in developing local and regional food systems. Outcomes expected are retention of farm families in rural communities, thus strengthening these communities economically and socially. Another anticipated outcome is improved health of these communities. Coupled with previous sustainable agriculture trainings, agents will have a more complete view of a complete food system with a vision of making it happen.
Activities completed to date include development of a resource manual to be used as a guide and reference in the training. Included are case studies of local food system activities which are ongoing in the Dakotas. A team of instructors was organized and day-long instructional sessions have been completed at two sites in each state. Currently, a video of this instruction is being designed and developed as is a compilation of the evaluations of the sessions.
A planning focus group was organized to plan, organize, and develop the training sessions and the supporting resources. This group met several times face-to-face and also by e-mail. The group included the coordinator, Extension professionals, university professors, and the sustainable agriculture producer organization executive director. A list of topics to be covered was given to the North Dakota State University Sociology Department. The department used a visiting professor and graduate students to put together a resource manual. Instructors for the training sessions developed presentations appropriate to the topics to be covered. These sessions used a variety of educational methods, including traditional lecture with PowerPoint slides, small group assignments with report-back, and large group discussion and sharing.
Evaluations are still being compiled and analyzed from the training sessions. Initial feedback from agents indicated that the training should have been received by all Extension agents. Attendance in North Dakota was poor (six at two sites) but much better in South Dakota (21 at two sites). At one session, a staff member of the Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society and a volunteer community developer also attended. These folks indicated extreme satisfaction with the training and requested additional copies of the manual and other resource materials. These materials are of excellent quality and should have application for other organizations in the Dakotas and also other states.
For more information
Tom Hanson
North Dakota State University
5400 Hwy. 83 S.
Minot, ND 58701
701-857-7679
701-857-7676 (fax)
thanson@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Collaborators:
SD