2000 Annual Report for LS00-115
Establishing Sustainable Production and Information Exchange Systems for Limited Resource Farmers in Louisiana
Summary
This project proposes to prioritize the needs of small-scale vegetable growers in Louisiana and explore sustainable production practices that are suitable to farming in our region. This will be accomplished through on-farm and on-campus research and demonstration projects.
This project will also develop a framework whereby information gathered through the on-farm and on-campus research can be exchanged and built upon with demonstration projects. Current growers will also aid in the information exchange through a mentoring program involving experienced and new farmers. Throughout the project we will focus on building relationships among the farmers and their families to encourage a sense of community among the growers and an effective network for information exchange. This network will strengthen the foundation for the newly formed sustainable agriculture network in the state, the Louisiana State Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (LaSAWG).
Objectives
1.) Initiate work with participating farmers in selecting sustainable agriculture research and demonstration projects by conducting a start-up workshop.
2.) Establish on-campus and on-farm research experiments in sustainable production practices related to the utilization of cover crops and soil solarization that are suitable to the Gulf South Region.
3.) Conduct a minimum of on-farm demonstrations and workshops to enable growers to visit one another’s research plots.
4.) Provide scholarships for limited-resource growers to participate in sustainable ag conferences.
5.) Strengthen the information exchange network among farmers and ag institutions in Louisiana through the BREADA sponsored Red Stick Farmers Market and the newly formed LaSAWG as a method of sharing on-farm and university research findings.