Progress 07/01/05 to 10/31/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The major output of the project is the formation and growth of the Pennsylvania Women's Agricultural Network (PAWAgN). The network had fewer than 100 members when the project started and currently has over 1,000 members. Leadership from the network is provided by the steering committee and regional leaders in six different regions. The steering committee and the regional leaders have participated in leadership training which has enabled them to provide mentoring and organizational capacity in their regions. We have conducted the following events in 2006: Tractor Maintenance & Repair with Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture and Accokeek Foundation; Establish an Apiary (26 participants); Fiber Workshop(28 participants); Vermicomposting Workshop(17 participants); Business Planning Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (20 participants); Transitioning to Organic Dairy with Organic Valley CROPP Cooperative, Pennsylvania Certified Organic, and Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (55 participants); Somerton Tanks with Institute for Innovations in Local Farming, Philadelphia Water Department, Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (69 participants); Avian Influenza Panel Discussion with Penn State Extension, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, USDA Animal-Plant Health Inspection Service, American Pastured Poultry Association (50 attendees);Progressive Dinner with Slow Food Central PA( 54 participants; Direct Marketing (36) participants;Farm Women in Transition (47 participants); Building Financial Sustainability(9 participants); Kitchen Incubator Tour with Keystone College(20 participants);Adding True Value: Introduction to Cheesemaking(24 participants); 2007: Hands-On Heavy Metal: Equipment Practicum with Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (10 participants); Hoophouse Construction with Penn State Extension of Delaware County (20 participants; Adding True Value: Introduction to Cheesemakingwith Penn Soil RC&D and Munnel Run Farm (26 participants); Soil Quality Workshop with Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (30 participants);IPM for Greenhouse Growers with Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Pennsylvania Landscape & Nursery Association (17 participants); Poultry Processing at Friends Farm (18 participants); Building Financial Sustainability: A Plan for Continued Success(8 participants),Farming Alternatives(27 participants) ;Celebrating Entrepreneurial Women in Agriculture with Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (200 participants); Tour of the Rodale Institute with Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and The Rodale Institute (52 participants); Growing Together: Developing Skills & Expanding Networks (30 participants); Meeting with Senator Casey to discuss the struggles of women in agriculture and the concerns faced by small and mid-sized farms; Seasonal Dinner at Friends Farm (25 Participants); 2008: Marketing Grass Fed Meat and Poultry; Pastured Lamb Production; Small Ruminant Production; High Tunnel Construction; Value-Added Goat Dairy; Artisan Cheesemaking. PARTICIPANTS: Carolyn Sachs was the principal investigator,oversaw the data collection of the project and supervised the extension personnel on the project, and coordinated the activities of the project. Mary Barbercheck worked with the data planning and collection and provided advise and direction for the extension component of the project. Jill Findeis provided leadership in developing the survey instrument for the project. Nancy Ellen Kiernan provided leadership in evaluation for the project and also participated in the research and outreach components of the project. Kathy Brasier participated in the survey design and analysis, the design of extension educator interviews and survey, and assisted with the extension and outreach component of the project. She also developed the leadership training component of the project. Linda Moist organized the field days and other extension and outreach activities of the project, developed the website and worked closely with farmer representatives, and edited newsletters Ann Stone worked as the project assistant, provided support for field days, research activities, designed newsletters, developed promotional activites, and provided support for events. We had a large number of partner organizations including Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Somerton Tanks, Pennsylvania Certified Organic, Vermont Women's Agricultural Network, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Rodale Institute, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency, Slow Foods of Central PA, Acoceek Foundation. TARGET AUDIENCES: Our target audience included women farmers. Over 1000 people have joined as members of Pennsylvania Women's Agricultural Networks. While our programs have been targeted to women farmers, an increasing number of men are attending our field days and other events. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Of the people who attended our field days and other events; 53% reported increased understanding of 3-7 topics, 27% reported increased understanding of 2 topics; 15% reported increased understanding of 1 topic, and 5% reported no increase in understanding. Of the people who attended our events, 96% reported they plan to modify their operation based on the information they learned at our field days and 88% were interested in hosting educational events at their farms.
Publications
- Trauger, A., C. Sachs, M. Barbercheck, K. Brasier, N.E. Kiernan, and J. Findeis. 2008. Understanding effective educational programming for women farmers in the United States: The case of the Pennsylvania Women's Agricultural Network. Journal of Rural Studies 24(4):432-439.
- Trauger, A., C. Sachs, M. Barbercheck, K.Brasier, and N.E. Kiernan. 2008. Our market is our community: Women farmers and civic agriculture in Pennsylvania, USA. Agriculture and Human Values. (In Press)
- Pennsylvania Women's Agricultural Network Newsletters, Spring, 2005-Summer 2008. http://wagn.cas.psu.edu/newsletter.html
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Progress 07/01/06 to 06/30/07
Outputs
OUTPUTS: We conducted needs assessments and interviews of women farmers and a survey and interviews with extension educators about women farmers' needs. Based on this research, we conducted a series of 13 on-farm educational events which were attended by 524 people. Most of the attendees are women farmers. We also conducted a workshop at the Pennsylvania Farm Show for 150 people. We held a workshop at Rodale Research Institute for 56 people. We produced three newsletters which were distributed to our membership which now totals 898 people, over half of whom are farmers. We presented the results of our research to extension leaders at several meetings and to extension educators at an in-service.
PARTICIPANTS: Carolyn Sachs conducted interviews of women farmers, conducted interviews with extension educators, designed the survey, and wrote publications. Mary Barberchek designed the surveys and interviews and wrote publications. Jill Findeis designed the survey. N. E. Kiernan designed and analyzed the evaluations. Kathy Brasier analyzed the extension needs assessment. Amy Trauger conducted interviews with women farmers and extension educators, she helped design the survey, select the sample for the survey, and wrote publications. Linda Moist organized the field days. Ann Stone edited the newsletter. Partner organizations, collaborators, and contacts include: Rodale, Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Center for Farm Transitions, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Margaret Alston from Charles Sturt University in Australia, Pennsylvania Certified Organic.
TARGET AUDIENCES: The primary target audience was women farmers. We also found that men who were new to farming or who were changing their enterprises also attended our events. Our efforts included 15 on farm field days, workshops, and presentations with a total of 630 attendees
PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Our only major change was to delay the survey until January, 2008. This change was made to increase the response rate by having the survey in the winter when farmers are more likely to participate.
Impacts
Evaluations were conducted of all project field days and events. Over 70 percent of women farmers reportgaining significantly new knowledge about specific agricultural practices at our educational events. Over 50 percent of farmers reported that they planned to make a change in their farm operation as a result of attending the events.
Publications
- Sachs, C. E. 2007. Going Public: Networking Globally and Locally. Rural Sociology 72(1)2-24.
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Progress 07/01/05 to 07/01/06
Outputs
We conducted 20 in-depth, semi-structured interviews of 20 women operators in sustainable crop and livestock production. We have developed a draft of a survey with women operators involved in different types of agricultural networks in Pennsylvania and the Northeast states. We plan a total sample size of approximately 3000 farm households with a response rate of 50%. The mail survey protocol will include questions that document engagement in income-generating work activities, including farm work, work in farm-related businesses and in non-farm businesses, and off-farm work activities; the characteristics of these activities both on and off the farm; engagement in farm decision-making; and expectations for the future in terms of engagement in farming; as well as demographic characteristics. Multinomial logit/probit models and/or quasi-maximum likelihood (QML) models that control for simultaneity of work choices will be used to analyze work choices. Probit models which
use an instrumental variable approach to deal with endogeneity of decision-making involvement and work choices (or income receipt) will be used to examine the influence of off-farm work participation and the level of off-farm income on decision-making. For the educational and outreach objectives, we have developed a web-based survey of extension educators in Pennsylvania to determine what they perceive as challenges to and opportunities for reaching this clientele and their needs for help in developing or extending existing outreach material and programs to women farmers. The survey instrument will determine attitudes and knowledge level of issues facing women farmers on small and medium-sized farms. We have conducted two extension in-services to provide information gathered from the research objectives outlined above and the survey of extension professionals to develop strategies for reaching a more diverse clientele. We have held 12 farm based educational events for women farmers.
We will use data collected from the proposed research, existing research results from the northeastern U.S., and from recent surveys of the membership of Pennsylvania Certified Organic (PCO) and Pennsylvania Association for sustainable Agriculture (PASA) along with producer information gathered from complementary projects to develop educational case studies.
Impacts
Determine what strategies farm women are now using to earn a living and maintain a viable farm operation. Assess the current use of economically and environmentally-sustainable production practices and both opportunities and barriers to the use of these practices among women farm operators. Measure how participation in networks affects women's success as entrepreneurs, environmental managers, and community leaders. Determine the information and technical needs of women farm operators in the NE states, including assessment of preferred methods of delivery of technical information. The education and outreach objectives are to: Conduct a needs assessment of extension educators to determine opportunities and challenges to delivering outreach materials and programs to women farmers. Extension educators and other trainers, producers, and organizations that represent agricultural interests will use our research findings in developing and delivering outreach programs.
Incorporate information from needs assessments of extension educators and women farmers into educational materials to support extension programs and resident ed. Support the development and outreach activities of PA Women and Agriculture Network (PA WagN). Build and strengthen collaborative relationships and networks within/among Penn State faculty, the women's farming community, and organizations that represent organic and sustainable agriculture interests. Increase the social, economic, production, and environmental performance of women producers in PA and in the NE states.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 07/01/05 to 06/30/06
Outputs
The goal of the project is to determine what strategies women farmers use to make ends meet, their use of sustainable agricultural practices, how networks affect their choices, and their preferred methods of delivery for farm information including technical information. The methodology involves a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches with the first phase focuses on in-depth, semi-structured interviews of women operators. We have developed the interview protocol and will be interviewing farmers from March-August, 2006. We are also in the process of developing a mail survey and are developing our sample for the mail survey. The data from the mail survey will include questions for describing current practices, opportunities and barriers, as well as analyzing factors affecting adoption of specific practices and barriers to adoption. Finally we will measure how participation in networks affects women's success as innovative entrepreneurs and environmental
managers.
Impacts
The results of our interviews will be used to design appropriate field days and workshops for women operators in their efforts to sustain small farms and communities. The results of the interviews will also assist us in our efforts to build learning networks for women farmers in their efforts to develop more environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable agriculture.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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