Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:For the project's first stages, the team reached to the following audiences: 1. Planification of case studies The PD hired a group of students: Two graduate students, a student from the Agricultural Economics Department and another student from the Agricultural Education Department have been working with the PD, conducting literature review, contacting farmers to learn about the local conditions and coordinating milestones. The PD also hired five undergraduate students to work on the production of the case studies visuals. 2. Search and selection of farms The team contacted a group of farmers who matched the initial criteria to produce the five case studies: 1. They can tell a story of successful strategies applied to their agribusiness in Puerto Rico, 2. These strategies lie within a relevant category (conservation and sustainability, agricultural finances, marketing, technological change, and women, minorities and beginning farmers). 3. They voluntarily agreed to participate. Contacted farmers are, minorities (Hispanic) and some of them are small scale farmers, women or beginning farmers. To obtain the master lists with the farmers' contacts, we reach out to a group of extensionists from the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez and local agricultural organization, who have highly interacted with farmers over the years. Changes/Problems:The project encountered some initial delays. First, the IRB protocol approval was delayed due to a change in the university's panel members and the project could not start until November 13, 2023. During this time the PD began planning activities and recruiting students, but they were hired in January 2024. The team faced some difficulties during the farms' selection stage. The master lists and farms database are usually not organized in one place (in the Extension Service Offices or in the Department of Agriculture Offices). The team contacted several extension agents and local agricultural organizations to reach out to farmers. This issue caused delays in the selection of farms and in the search of information for the case study production. However, the team is following an alternative method to catch up with the milestones. They are simultaneously visiting and interviewing farms, producing the case studies and visuals for each theme instead of partitioning the process in stages, as originally proposed. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The PD trained two graduate students and two undergraduate students on the protocols to conduct studies and research with human subjects. The students took the mandatory courses from the CITI program on social and behavioral research. Moreover, the PD conducted an orientation about the best practices to reach out to participants, how to store personally identifiable information, and informed consent. The PD also offered a training on the case study methodology, benefits, advantages, and limitations to the four students. We analyzed different case studies from the IFAMA database and solved them to become more familiar. These methodologies are usually not covered in Agricultural Sciences or Agribusiness courses at UPRM. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?For the next reporting period we expect to complete all five case studies, written and audiovisual materials. The team will focus on farms featuring successful strategies on conservation, marketing, and technological change in Puerto Rico. We will select farms producing different products in different regions to avoid concentration or under representing farmers. The team will write 5 to 7-page case studies describing these sections: background and farm information, issue or problem, strategic issues. An answer key with the actual strategies implemented will be also produced. We will also generate audiovisual materials, including five short videos (2-3 minutes) narrating the farm's story, issues, and strategies implemented and reels or 30-45 seconds videos. These materials will be used to disseminate stories using social networks. NIFA support will be acknowledged in all of these materials. By the end of this stage, the PD will be recruiting an agricultural economics educator coordinator to support the program monitoring and evaluation activities before implementing the case study methodology and materials in the classroom.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The PD prepared the IRB protocol, and all the personnel completed mandatory trainings on human subjects and general ethics for research. The PD also offered an initial orientation and trained the students on the case study methodology, including benefits, advantages over other educational methodologies, and limitations. She also completed the purchasing procedures to acquire the equipment (a laptop and a monitor) to be used during the production of the case studies visuals. For the five case studies featuring Puerto Rican successful farms or agribusinesses (goal 1), the team conducted literature review using these resources: - Applied Economics Teaching Resources, case study section, - The International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, and - Harvard Business Publishing For the three sources, we emphasized the themes of agricultural finance, farm and ranch management, marketing, agricultural policy, and other resources. During summer, the team collected a set of lists of farms and agribusinesses from the Agricultural Extension Service Offices, the Office of the Milk Industry Regulation, and other local initiatives (Puerto Rico Plus, Loco de Contento, and Discover Puerto Rico). We selected, contacted, and visited two farms and began drafting the written materials. Martinez Dairy, a farm passed down from generation to generation that produces milk and ice cream, agreed to participate in the project to showcase the new generation of farmers' need's theme. Cafe Lareno, a coffee agribusiness will present a set of strategies implemented to cope with the most significant challenges faced over decades of operation. The team also initiated conversations with Cacao Valent, a cocoa farm with innovative distribution channels. For the next year, we anticipate completing the written and audiovisual materials for the five case studies. Other goals not yet met are: To develop two workshops for at least 20 instructors and professors from the College of Agricultural Sciences at University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez. We envision presenting the case studies to this audience and discussing the benefits, advantages, and best practices for implementing case studies in the classroom. The ultimate goal is implementing the case study methodology along with the produced materials in a new Agribusiness graduate course and in an existing undergraduate management course. The methodologies and materials will be assessed using monitoring and evaluation activities in year 4. A formative assessment will be used to identify learning outcomes, in particular learning gaps and gains. Changes in knowledge and changes in condition will be reported in future stages.

Publications