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INVESTIGATOR: Gonzalez, E.

PERFORMING INSTITUTION:
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY
JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI 65101

ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND MARKETING CAPACITY BUILDING TO ACCESS SPECIALTY AND HIGH-VALUE MARKETS AMONGST LATINO FARMERS IN MISSOURI AND NEBRASKA

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: The educational activities proposed in this program will follow a workshop training approach consisting of 12 sessions. Seven of those 12 sessions will be in-class sessions and 5 will be on-farm demonstration sessions. Each session will be 2.5 to 3 hours in duration depending on the speakers' language and the materials to be instructed.While many participants will be conversant in English, most will comprehend technical material more completely in their native language. Therefore, we will present all sessions in Spanish with translation from Spanish into English and English into Spanish available as needed.The workshop will be centered in locations where high numbers of Latino producers reside. Farm visits will be conducted within a 25 miles of our main locations. We have a network of farmers with the appropriate characteristics to be host farmers in both states. Lincoln University owns one of the biggest research and educational certified organic farms in the Midwest region, and other research and educational centers will be available for demonstrations if needed. However, these sites are not ideally located for our planned activities.We have learned from previous program that the teaching approach mentioned above is appropriate for Latino farmer and rancher audiences. Like most producers, Latino producers usually have a full-time other job, either in the night or in the day. Few of them are fully self-employed through their farm and ranch businesses. The most available time for them to attend workshops is on the weekends or after work, so sessions will be planned for evenings and weekends. Having a few in-class sessions mixed with on-farm demonstration sessions helps participants to stay motivated. Having sessions every other week also helps them to be able to attend. In both states, classroom sessions will be held in the sorts of venues we have used previously, including community rooms, libraries and churches spaces. These social settings make producers to feel comfortable during training.

OBJECTIVES: This program seeks to enhance agribusiness entrepreneurship, sustainable practices, and organicfarming and ranching amongst new and beginning Latino producers in Missouri and Nebraska byhelping them to integrate business and production plans into a Family Agribusiness Plan to Operate(FAPO), regardless of size. Currently, these producers lack the knowledge needed to create a farmbusiness plan that also coincides with organic and sustainable production practices. By teachingorganics, we seek to open access to higher-paying markets for their products. We will directly train64 family farm owners living within four regions covering 20 counties in both states. We will useand develop existing curricula to instruct and replicate a 12-session educational program four timesin each state. Each session will include the expertise of farmer mentors, program instructors, andExtension speakers to create:a) 8 farmer mentors forums; b) 48 in-class sessions on agribusinessregulations, production, and marketing; c) 40 on-farm/on-ranch demonstrations and production skillsessions; d) 64 Family Agribusiness Plans to Operate (FAPO); e) 100 participants and familymembers consistently well trained; f) multiple partners including LU Coopearative Extension,CBO, NGO and farmers.Training, mentorships and one-to-one follow up activities will enhanceparticipants' agribusiness skills and understandings of natural and organic grown produce, as wellas their strategies to sell at high pay markets. This program's outcomes align with the primary goalof increasing the number of producers with enhanced skills, knowledge and tools, so they can makebetter informed decisions.