Does Community Well-Being Matter in Landscape Management of U.S. Farming Systems?

Project Overview

GNC22-348
Project Type: Graduate Student
Funds awarded in 2022: $14,510.00
Projected End Date: 08/31/2024
Host Institution Award ID: H008917146
Grant Recipient: Kansas State University
Region: North Central
State: Kansas
Graduate Student:
Jean Ribert Francois
Email
Faculty Advisor:
Dr. Katherine Nelson
Email
Kansas State University

Information Products

Commodities

Not commodity specific

Practices

  • Education and Training: display, farmer conference
  • Farm Business Management: community considerations
  • Sustainable Communities: community development, quality of life, community well-being

    Abstract:

    Research increasingly calls for agricultural systems to account for the well-being of local communities. However, designing and implementing a sustainable system that creates shared value for farmers and local populations remains a challenge, especially with continuous social and environmental changes that put pressure on agricultural management decisions. This project seeks to understand the inclusion of community considerations in farming decision-making in different contexts of crop diversification. Data was collected from crop producers through semi-structured interviews and survey questionnaires between 2021 and 2023. Twenty-eight interviews took place in four counties representing diverging trends in cropping system diversity in two Farm Resource Regions: Ellsworth County, KS, Nuckolls County, NE, and Bertie and Washington counties in North Carolina. A total of 154 crop producers from counties nationwide responded to the survey. The analysis shows that farmers consider various community-related factors, including community health, community economics, and education when making farm management decisions. Additionally, crop producers are more inclined to factor community considerations into their decision-making when they are more aware of how their industry affects community life, value community health, and well-being, and are willing to work cooperatively with neighbors and other stakeholders.

    Project objectives:

    This SARE-funded research project is part of Francois’ doctoral dissertation that broadly focuses on interactions between agricultural systems' diversity, productivity, and management practices with the well-being of farming communities. The SARE-funded component sought to explore how crop producers incorporate community considerations into their on-farm management decisions. This included examining their perceptions of community considerations when making farming decisions and identifying the personal and contextual factors associated with these considerations.

    Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.