Community Agriculture and Food Systems Development Certification Program

Community Agriculture and Food Systems Development Certification Program

Summary

A growing number of communities are recognizing the important contributions food and agriculture make to the quality of life. Thus, the “Growing Home Certification Program” is a pilot training program designed to develop the knowledge and skills of community development professionals (including agriculture development specialists, Extension educators, economic developers, planners, local government officials) and other community leaders to strengthen agriculture and their communities through innovative food and agriculture-based activities.

Through distance learning, this two-year program will engage its participants primarily in their offices and homes, supplemented by six two-day, in-person meetings or field trips. During year one, participants will complete three learning modules of about four weeks each: Social, Political and Economic Considerations (Module 1); Growing Home Strategies (Module 2); Planning and Organizing in Your Community (Module 3). Each module includes one group meeting, readings, on-line discussions, and a short paper. A longer, combined final paper and locally-based project proposal, integrating the course content, will be required at the end of the three modules. These proposals will be reviewed by the program staff and advisory committee, and, if acceptable, will be awarded up to $1,000 in program funds for implementation. Upon completion of the projects, participants will come together for project presentations and to discuss the lessons learned.

Throughout the program, emphasis is placed on engaging participants in a way which (1) incorporates their current work into the training and (2) supports that work through the training. If successful, funds will be sought to continue the program.

Objectives/Performance Targets

Our proposed objectives for this project include having at least 15 of 20 enrolled participants (1) be able to articulate how the food and agriculture system impacts the community in which they work; (2) understand the process of community-based food and agriculture systems development well enough to be able to identify strategies and to articulate a clear and coherent plan for implementing these in their communities; and (3) work with a community-based team to develop and implement a local food and ag-based development project.

Accomplishments/Milestones

The first project milestone is the enrollment of 20 participants in the Certification Program and the second is their completion of the first module. Although applications for the program are not yet due, we are pleased to report that the project seems poised to achieve the first milestones: Following initial, brief announcements of the program, we were contacted by approximately 15 people who wanted additional information. Since mass marketing the program and posting the application in January, we’ve received additional requests from four to six new people per week.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

The project outcomes up until this point include the development of publicity materials (see Appendix 2 or www.CFAP.org), including a program brochure, list of frequently asked questions, and time line; application instructions (see Appendix 3 or www.CFAP.org), and curriculum for each of the three modules. The publicity materials and application instructions have been mailed to individuals requesting a copy, are posted on the Community, Food, and Agriculture website, and have been announced via email and assorted conferences throughout the Northeast.

Collaborators: