Non Technical Summary
In Her Shoes, Inc. requests funding assistance to host a New and Small Farmer Development Conference on March 1-3, 2024 at the University of Georgia, Griffin Campus. The 3-day conference aims to provide training, certification, and networking opportunities to trainers and new and small farm business owners and operators in the southwest region. This year's conference will offer knowledge on capacity building needs of new and beginning farmers to compete in today's markets and access opportunities to increase small farm businesses' capacity to enter into new markets.Marquitrice Mangham, In Her Shoes, Inc Director, serves as Chairperson of the Conference Committee. The conference will offer more than 30 training and development sessions over three days to farmers and farm business support providers. The objectives of the conference are to:Provide instructor-led and peer-to-peer training sessions to advance small and mid size minority farm businesses toward new market readinessProvide train the trainer and peer networking opportunities that lead to partnership and collaboration opportunities and more relevant trainings to new farmersCollaborators:Marquitrice Mangham, In Her Shoes, Inc Robert Chappelle, Moby's VeggiesBodie Pennisi, University of Georgia Diana Earwood, Georgia GrownErdeen Britt, Minority Cooperative of Nirmal Joshee, Fort Valley State UniversitySustainable Growers Noreen Whitehead, Georgia WIAExpected outcomes of the conference are:200 Farmers will attend the conference. 40 program managers and administrators will attend Thursday's train-the -trainer session. Registration forms and login sheets will be used to measure attendance.90% of service providers and program leaders will increase knowledge of relevant issues leading to improved education and resources being provided to farm business owners and operators looking to enter new markets.Eighty farmers will increase their knowledge of farm safety requirements, pricing for various markets, and business management and accounting practices. This outcome will be measured by surveys.Increase knowledge and access to capital among 5 farmers through participation in the Value-added technical assistance workshop. This outcome will be measured review of the draft value-added proposal.20% increase in access to facilities and resources through networking groups and cooperatives at the conference (survey)Increase in knowledge of market opportunities among 150 attendees measured by login sheets and surveys

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
111	0199	0001	100%

Knowledge Area
111 - Conservation and Efficient Use of Water;

Subject Of Investigation
0199 - Soil and land, general;

Field Of Science
0001 - Administration;

Goals / Objectives
The purpose of the conference is to bring together small, midsize farmers and farmer support providers across Georgia and their partnersto exchange ideas and access education and technical support that build access to new market opportunities that lead to a stronger food system in Georgia communities. The conference goal is to strengthen efforts of small and mid size farmers and farm support providers in building small farm sustainability by raising awareness, inceasing knowledge and sharing information and experiences on issues and barriers to small farm sustainability, expansion and market integration among our target audiences.

Project Methods
Stakeholder input is being used to plan and deliver training sessions offered, coordinate with presenters, develop key topics for training, and conduct outreach to farmers. The conference planning committee is composed of small farmers, nonprofit and public farm support providers, University of Georgia Extension agents, and campus specialists knowledgeable of farmers' educational needs and are experienced in serving on the conference steering committee. Small farmers serve as liaisons between the committee and the small farm community in helping to understand their needs and how they can be addressed through the conferences. All committee members are responsible for identifying the issues, proposing training and support solutions, evaluating the effectiveness of learning tools, and collecting grassroots input to prioritize small farm needs.The conference will be hosted by In Her Shoes, Inc in collaboration with University of Georgia and Minority Cooperative of Sustainable Growers.In Her Shoes, Inc and UGA committee members will enhance the training schedule, coordinate with conference trainers and speakers, coordinate outreach with collaborators and partners, and manage conference location and logistics. In Her Shoes, Inc will also send invitation to project directors from across USDA programs to attend the conference.UGA staff and extension agents assists in developing topics and curricula for the conference. They are also the primary providers of educational opportunities and services to conference attendees and will also assist with outreach and conference evaluation outcomes.Minority Cooperative of Sustainable Growers will assist with outreach, small farmer input, training, and conference outcome evaluations.The conference will be announced in meetings and at other farm-related events, Cooperative Farmers System (CES) and through emails and newsletters using distribution lists of partner organizations. We will also use farmers.gov and USDA programs' email distribution lists to target Project Director of Beginning Farmer and 2501 programs in engaging with trainers to attend the conference.Additionally, the conference will be announced to state and local USDA outreach coordinators, as well as private sector organizations, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders. Electronic emails with conference announcements, save-the-date cards, invitation letters, and various social media avenues will be employed.