1997 Annual Report for ES97-017
Overcoming Training Obstacles: A Realistic Cost-Effective Approach
Summary
Focusing on long-term sustainability of farms and rural communities in South Carolina, as reflected in the South Carolina Strategic Plan, and the Southern Region SARE Program, there is but a single objective of the State Training Enhancement Project as submitted in this proposal: Sixty (60) agents, will be trained to overcome identified obstacles that would impede the effectiveness of training outlined in the Strategic Plan.
Predominant is the implementation of a cost-effective and realistic approach to the elimination of obstacles that would result in a definitive improvement of training.
In South Carolina, identified obstacles would include, but not be limited to the insufficiency of:
-delivery of information
-technical support by professionals extant to the institution
-on-site demonstrations
-cross-education between large and small scale farmers
-marketing of training programs to potential participants
-comparative data developed to reflect cost-benefit analysis of conventional versus alternative
farming
Paramount to the survival of limited-resource-small scale farmers, is the reduction of their risk of vulnerability to continuing changes taking place in agriculture. Such changes have been technological, financial and demographic.
Overcoming obstacles to such training, in a manner that is realistic and cost-effective provides the greatest enhancement to sustainability and attainment of goals as delineated in the South Carolina State Training Program.
Farmers must be empowered with essential “management tools” for continued survival. This is particularly true for limited resource small scale farmers. Changes in agriculture have made their survival more vulnerable. Such changes have been technological, financial and demographic. The sense of urgency to empower limited resource small scale farmers with these essential “tools” is of the utmost importance. The most cost-effective means to accomplish the task is through collaborative training of farm agents and similar professionals; appropriate organizations; governmental agencies; and farmers themselves.
We are trying to overcome these obstacles by working towards the improvement of:
-agents to fully embrace unconventional agricultural practices
-state and county level support for extension administrators
-coordination of educational programs and activities with other organizations and agencies
A resource directory of supporting agencies and non-governmental organizations has been produced for farmers as a reference tool. We will continue to make plans to arrange workshops for agents and farmers to discuss issues and to provide information on cooperatives which can be used effectively to help limited resource farmers market their products.