2005 Annual Report for ENE05-090
Strengthening Farmers' Markets Through Advanced Business Training and Mentoring
Summary
Farmers markets are key organizations for expanding local market opportunity for farmers, yet weakness in their business structure can undermine their ability to fulfill their economic and community promise. This project provides training for resource providers from Cooperative Extension, NRCS, state departments of agriculture, and from Main Street programs, Chambers of Commerce and other economic development organizations to support their efforts to strengthen the business fundamentals of this unique type of group-based agricultural enterprise. Training will be conducted in each of the six New England states. Modules will cover board, staff and member roles and responsibilities; member retention and recruitment; equity and fund raising; operational audits; market and business planning; community alliances; and the role of a state or regional farmers market association. Where feasible resource providers will participate with a farmers market board and/ or staff person and put theory to practice in the development of actionable plans to start or strengthen a market.
The project will mentor the development and implementation of these plans and will assist resource providers in planning local farmers market training programs. Collaborative relationships with existing farmers market organizations will be organized to help plan, publicize and conduct the trainings. Resource providers will develop competency in farmers market technical assistance including the delivery of model educational programs. Training materials will be added to the Cooperative Development Institute’s “Group-Based Business Sustaining Agriculture in the Northeast” web page at www.cdi,coop.
Our activities for the first year, were to obtain input from resource providers and farmers markets, design and conduct three training programs, solicit market development projects and begin mentoring seven people.
Objectives/Performance Targets
Of the sixty agricultural educators participating in the Farmers Market Business Training Program held around the region, 10 Cooperative Extension, NRCS, and other rural, community and economic development resource providers will provide technical assistance that results in the strengthening of a local farmers market by farmers and/or market managers. Two participants will help farmers develop or strengthen a state farmers market association.
Accomplishments/Milestones
Milestone 1: 300 Cooperative Extension and other rural, community and economic development resource providers and 400 farmers markets in New England receive information about the Farmers Market Business Development training program.
Milestone 2: 60 resource providers and 60 farmers and/or managers, attend the farmers market business training courses held in each New England state.
Work toward completion of both these milestones began with the development of a relationship with the Farmers Market Coalition (FMC), a subgroup of the North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association. FMC was organizing a series of training programs for Farmers markets across the country. We helped plan the New England program and publicize it across the region to farmers markets, farmers, and resource providers. Business topics included business planning, strategic planning, governance, state/regional associations and our workshop on marketing. We were pleased to have so much attention focused on business issues. We used the opportunity to recruit applicants for our mentoring program; seven resource providers and ten markets expressed interest.
Out of that meeting came an invitation to participate in NOFA VT’s Direct marketing Conference in January. We will present two more modules, one on board effectiveness and one on financing and we will facilitate a panel discussion on manager roles, responsibilities and challenges. Notices were sent to the more than 100 farmers markets in NH and VT from several different organizations and thanks to the help of the NH/VT Rural Development office to more than 200 resource providers in the two states.
We will participate in another training at the February 2006 Farm & Forest Expo in Manchester NH targeted at resource providers and farmers markets in NH. Again we are pleased that business topics are paramount: “Business Planning for Farmers' Markets", "Toolkit for Doing Your Own Farmers' Market Research", "Financing For Farmer's Markets." Communications efforts are underway.
Milestone 3: 15 resource providers use mentoring assistance to develop and deliver business training programs for farmers markets.
Work toward this milestone has just begun.
Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes
We have created and (as of February 2006) will have tested five training modules: Market Planning, Business Planning, Financing/Fundraising, Board Effectiveness.
We have established systems for communicating with farmers markets and resource providers in NH and VT and are working to create similar networks in the other New England states.
We have begun a list of farmers markets and resource providers that want to be involved in the mentoring program. We will formalize the program in the next few months.