Building from excellent agents to effective organizers of collaborative, sustainable rural enterprise

Project Overview

LS01-130
Project Type: Research and Education
Funds awarded in 2001: $19,990.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/2001
Region: Southern
State: Arkansas
Principal Investigator:
Dr. James Worstell
Email
Delta Land & Community

Information Products

Commodities

Not commodity specific

Practices

  • Education and Training: general education and training
  • Farm Business Management: new enterprise development, cooperatives, value added
  • Production Systems: agroecosystems

    Abstract:

    Behind every successful cooperative is a good facilitator. Fifty-two agents who are living proof of this fact volunteered to pool their experience. Our purpose was to stimulate training programs to help traditional county agents become good facilitators. We began by collecting profiles of successful enterprise facilitators from the Delta states. These agents' experiences in becoming good organizers were the core of a design conference held in October 2001, several planning sessions, a training manual, and a continuing list serv. Results are: 1) a network of agents from the South, Michigan, Nebraska, Illinois, and Missouri; 2). a multi-state integrated research/education project to improve organizing/facilitation.

    Project objectives:

    1. Build awareness of the need for facilitation of collaborative enterprise & recruit participants.

    2. Define the process of successful development of collaborative, sustainable rural enterprises.

    3. Integrate research design with training plans in each agency.

    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.