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ACCESSION NO: 1009802 [Full Record]
PROJ NO: DC.W-2016-02947 AGENCY: NIFA DC.W
PROJ TYPE: OTHER GRANTS PROJ STATUS: TERMINATED
CONTRACT/GRANT/AGREEMENT NO: 2016-70017-25340 PROPOSAL NO: 2016-02947
START: 15 JUN 2016 TERM: 14 JUN 2018 FY: 2018
GRANT AMT: $150,000 GRANT YR: 2016
AWARD TOTAL: $150,000
INITIAL AWARD YEAR: 2016
INVESTIGATOR: Obudzinski, J.
PERFORMING INSTITUTION:
NATIONAL SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE COALITION, THE
110 MARYLAND AVE NE STE 209
WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 20002
EVALUATING BEGINNING FARMER PROGRAMS: IDENTIFYING OUTCOMES, IMPACTS AND FACTORS RELATING TO SUCCESS
NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program is the only national program seeking toexplicitly train the next generation of farmers. Since BFRDP was first created, over $100 millionhas been invested to support over 200 new farmer training projects impacting farmers in every stateacross the country. And while each project is required to track and report outcomes and impacts, todate, no national-level analysis has ever been completed of BFRDP as a whole, in order to assessthe short and long-term outcomes and impacts the program has had since its creation, and to betterunderstand the factors that lead to more successful new farmer training projects. Our project seeksto conduct the first ever comprehensive evaluation of BFRDP funded projects to date, by analyzingqualitative and quantitative data from project reports, conducting additional
evaluation activities asneeded, and assessing the long-term impacts of completed projects for which data has not yet beencollected. With this project, we seek to better understand both the short and long-term outcomesand impacts of BFRDP as a whole. As interest in new farmer training continues to grow across thecountry, and more new farmer training projects launch every year, it is imperative that we betterunderstand how to design the most effective and successful new farmer training programs, as wellas demonstratethe impacts this federal investment has had on growing the next generation offarmers.
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this project is to evaluate the beginning farmer programs funded by the BFRDP, to provide clarity on their outcomes and impacts for reporting to interested stakeholders (such as policymakers), and to provide recommendations for improvement to NIFA program management and future grantees and other beginning farmer practitioners.The primary objectives of the evaluation are:Identifying and summarizing short, medium and long-term outcomes and impacts of funded projects;Identifying factors contributing to successful outcomes; andMaking recommendations to improve future outcome reporting and evaluation methodologies.
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