Training Agricultural Professionals to Meet the Needs of Northeast Small Farmers

Training Agricultural Professionals to Meet the Needs of Northeast Small Farmers

Summary

Summary
This one-year project will train USDA, Cooperative Extension, NRCS, and other professionals to understand better the small farm sector of the agricultural community and the partnering approaches that serve this constituency. This project will cover the entire Northeast region, and will address the economic and social challenges of operating a small farm.

Objectives:
1. Identify and describe more fully the constituencies that comprise “small farms” in the NE;
2. Engender appropriate attitudes, skills and knowledge in USDA personnel and others regarding various small farm “customers” and effective approaches to programming;
3. Stimulate innovative partnerships to deliver education and service programs to small farmers;
4. Improve outreach methods appropriate to each small farm constituency;
5. Encourage institutional responsiveness and accountability toward the small farm sector;
6. Effect changes in Northeast small farmers that will help them become more successful.

In this project, Northeast SARE Professional Development Program (PDP) Coordinators and USDA Small Farm (SF) Contacts from the region’s land grant institutions, NRCS and FSA staff, NGOs, other private sector service providers and the operators of small farm businesses will engage in mutual learning and training exercises to increase and clarify their understanding of the Northeast small farm sector and to develop attitudes, skills and knowledge to better serve small farm constituencies. The regional training will be replicated by state-level teams of extension educators, NRCS/FSA field staff, and others. The insights and experiences gained in these state-level experiences will be translated by state or multi-state teams into educational projects for small farmers.

Approved March 2000.

Collaborators: