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INVESTIGATOR: Green, G. T.

PERFORMING INSTITUTION:
SR1
369 TOWNE CENTER BOULEVARD SUITE A
RIDGELAND, MISSISSIPPI 391574833

COMMUNITY ORIENTED OPPORTUNITIES FOR LEARNING (C.O.O.L.¢) CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI FARMING PROJECT

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: TheCommunity Oriented Opportunities for Learning (C.O.O.L.™) Central Mississippi Farming Projectwill address the disproportionate lack of African-American and Latino certified organic farm ownership in Mississippi. As cited by the USDA's Agriculture Census, Mississippi reports less than 1 percent organic farmer ownership among African American and Latino farmers.Agricultural studies highlightthat it can be difficult to transition to organic for any farmer, and beginning and socially-disadvantaged (i.e. African American and Latino) farmers face even more difficulty based on discriminatory practices and economic hardships that make mentoring and technical assistance hard to acquire.SR1's goal is to use conduct a needs assessment among farmers to build the foundation fortheC.O.O.L.™ Central Mississippi Farming Projectin which an action plan will be developed to educate and train 70 beginning and socially-disadvantaged rural farmers (BSDFs).TheC.O.O.L.™Central Mississippi Farming Projectwill contribute to a vital body of knowledge needed by not only beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers, but all farmers.

OBJECTIVES: TheC.O.O.L.™Central Mississippi Farming Project'sgoal is to develop an action plan that willenable beginning and socially-disadvantaged farmers to launch, incubate and sustain independent organic farm businesses.Project Goal:Develop an action plan that willenable beginning and socially-disadvantaged farmers to launch, incubate and sustain independent organic farm businesses.Objective 1:By October 1, 2020,assess 80 BSD farmers readiness to plan, launch, and sustain an organic farm and identify obstacles and gapsObjective 2: By October 15, 2020, form a collaborative team of15 stakeholdersObjective 3. By December 15, 2020, develop a comprehensive action plan to assist BSD farmers plan, launch, and sustain an organic farmObjective 4. By February 15, 2021, pilot-test program services with at least 10 BSDF farmers

APPROACH: Efforts:Conduct outreach to farmersConduct needs assessmentDevelop and utilize collaborative teamDesign &Implement action planPilot test C.O.O.L. Farming Course (CFC) (classroom instructions and filed-based training)Evaluate program servicesEvaluationSR1 will employ a simplified approach under the proposed project, focusing on measurable outcomes which reflect program success through farmer growth and development.Intake data will be tracked- such as age, gender, ethnicity, language abilities, income, etc.- to describe program participants and provide baseline economic data. We will also track select outputs- such as the number of workshops held, farmers attending and pilot testing farmers served, etc.- to gauge the level of participation. The system will focus on the outcome metrics.The proposedoutcomes will be derived through a number of methods which require active farmer participation and reinforce their business skills development.