Midwest Alternative Agriculture Education Network

Midwest Alternative Agriculture Education Network

Summary

Rationale:

The Midwest Alternative Agriculture Education Network (MAAEN) is a new coalition of six
major sustainable agriculture organizations and institutions in the Upper Midwest for the purpose
of expanding and enlivening one-way or non-existent alternative agriculture education programs.
The members of MAAEN are: the Kansas Rural Center, the Land Stewardship Project, the
Midwest Rodale Research Network, the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society, the Northern
Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society, and the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota.
The overall goal of MAAEN has been to develop and provide Midwestern farmers with
accessible, farmer-centered information and educational programs on alternative agriculture
systems. In order to achieve this goal, MAAEN has identified three objectives to guide its work
in the next two years.

Objectives:
1) To increase communication about sustainable agriculture education efforts being carried out
within the non-profit sustainable agriculture community in the Upper Midwest.
2) To increase communication and cooperation between the non-profit sector, land grant
universities and government agencies in developing educational programs and materials relating
to sustainable agriculture.
3) To collaborate in the development and delivery of innovative educational programs and
materials relating to sustainable agriculture.

Methods:
MAAEN achieved these objectives through wide variety of strategies and methods to improve
inter-organizational and inter-agency communication and collaboration, including:
* "Learning Circles" where a local extension agent, a university researcher, state department
agriculture staff, non-profit staff and practicing sustainable farmers met to discuss various
approaches and ideas for local sustainable agriculture education programs.
* Regularly scheduled teleconferences between MAAEN member organizations.
* MAAEN Notes - a quarterly inter-organizational update of sustainable agriculture educational
events, materials and opportunities in the Upper Midwest.
* Participatory Farmer-to-Farmer education methodologies, with MAAEN acting as a catalyst
toward the integration of educational programs and materials in the non-profit sector.

Results:
In two years of operation, participating MAAEN organizations have succeeded in sponsoring
113 informational workshops, 25 conferences, 122 field days, and more than 52 speaking
engagements, learning circle sessions and other small group events for more than 3,500 farmers
across eight states in the Midwest. Genuine and lasting partnerships have been established
between grassroots sustainable farmers and researchers and educators form the land grant
university/extension community. In MAAEN's two years existence, 44 scientists and 29
Cooperative Extension personnel collaborated with 30 non-profit organizations, 15 other
agencies and private businesses and 76 farmers to design and deliver the educational programs
and events.

Potential Contributions and Practical Applications:
* The MFN farmers became more involved in education and research impacting their farms and
their communities. These farmers encouraged other farmers to become involved in education and
research.
* Educators and researchers developed a better understanding of the value of including farmers
in their work.
* Extension educators and farmers learned the value of study circles where farmers and educators
share ideas. Some educators started making use of study circles in their work.
* MFN was able to investigate recent developments in sustainable agriculture and share this
information with other groups.

Farmer Adoption and Direct Impact:
Throughout the MAAEN consortium it is apparent that there is a strong interest in adoption of
intensive grazing systems. There is also a growing interest in organic practices, including legume
based crop rotations, improved livestock manure management, non-chemical weed control, etc.

Recommendations:
1) Small, local groups of farmers, cooperatively working on problem solving are much more
effective at realizing change, compared to individuals working alone.
2) Changes in farming systems, particularly at the farm level, should focus more on design rather
than technology.
3) The organic certification system, when applied properly, is a very good model for educating
and assisting farmers in adopting systematic changes in their farm operations.
4) Grazing livestock may exceed cash crop returns regardless of soil fertility and type.