Progress 03/01/11 to 02/28/15
Outputs
Target Audience: This research focused on four farmer groups with differences and overlaps in a number of potentially important characteristics. These include geographic location of and spread among the members of each group, age, race, gender, past job experience including experience with farming, time spent living outside of the community in which they now reside, amount of land owned, and in individual/group livelihood goals. The members of Groups 1, 2, and 4 are entirely or predominantly African-American whereas the members of Group 3 are white. Groups 1 and 4 are most similar in terms of age, farm size, gender, and experience. Members of Groups 1 and 4 are male; there are many women in Groups 2 and 3. Group 2 includes mostly retirees, and Group 4 is the youngest. Groups 1 and 4 include some military veterans. Groups 1 and 2 are from the same geographic area and share similar soil and weather conditions. Members of Groups 2 and 3 share a particular interest in sustainable agricultural practices. The members of Groups 1, 2, and 3 are from counties classified as "rural" by the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center. Groups 1, 2, and 4 are from counties included within the "Black Belt" of the southeastern United States. The research design centered on provision of tangible assets in the form of an enterprise development grant of $20,000 per group and technical assistance with business planning from the research team. In the course of a facilitated decision process, the research team introduced the groups to appropriate and potentially useful business contacts and information providers with the goal of expanding their business networks. By assisting the groups in this process, the research teamgained rich insights into the nature of innovation capacity, and the factors shaping the groups' livelihood decisions and outcomes, including the roles of intangible assets, and of social relationships and networks. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? The following training and professional development activities were provided: Wholesale/Retail Opportunity workshops GAP Certification Training and Assistance Cooperative Development and Resource Sharing USDA StrikeForce workshops and meetings Farmers Network Project (a collaboration between Fayetteville State University's EDA University Center, the Center for Environmental and Farm System Sustainability, Sustainable Neighbors, and North Carolina Cooperative Extension) Group meeting / training sessions with research team A a business and community development consultant and accountant offered consultation and coaching regarding organizational development and management strategies for co-ops Research team members also held one-on-one training and instruction sessionsto help farmer groups develop, write, and submit grant applications to secure funds to support production activities Two veteran farmers were hired to support a SPIN initiative How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The findings were published in the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development in 2014. Findings were also presented to several audiences includingmembers of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, Fayetteville State University's Board of Trustees, and the School of Business and Economics Dean's Advisory Board. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The research explored factors that contribute to or detract from the capacity of disadvantaged rural households to take advantage of new opportunities, and the role of intangible assets in shaping outcomes. Multiple qualitative data collection methods were used, including semi-structured interviews, participant observation of group meetings, and site visits. A qualified individual who was not a member of the research team conducted baseline interviews with the participating group members while the research team focused on building sound working relationships with the groups. This 'insider-outsider' structure was intended to insulate data collection from researcher bias while allowing the team to make use of the relationship-building window of opportunity provided by the introductions from trusted assistance providers. Providing technical assistance as part of the intervention allowed the research team to participate in the groups' decision making process, thereby developing a rich understanding of the decision context as well as the groups' situations, concerns, values, and interactional dynamics. Frequent discussions among the members of the research team were used to share observations and for iterative formation and testing of working hypotheses, allowing for constant comparison. Within-case data analysis enabled the researchers to become familiar with members of each group whereas cross-case comparisons provided insights on the similarities and differences between each group. We hypothesized that: (1) a lack of connections to business and knowledge networks outside of their close-knit social networks may be an important factor limiting the capacity of members of disadvantaged rural populations to recognize opportunities and adapt to change; (2) interventions aimed at network expansion will be most effective if they emphasize interactive opportunities through which trust can be built, and (3) the trust-building process could be expedited by being introduced to potential study participants by assistance providers who had already earned trust by working with the groups; by 'borrowing' trust, we could buy time to earn trust through a history of interaction. All hypotheses were supported. Collectively, our findings show that simply providing tangible assets is insufficient to ensure that individuals or groups will or can take advantage of those resources. The asset portfolio is certainly important, and lack of assets is a limiting factor in enterprise development for this population, but other factors mediate the use of assets. We observed similar patterns with intangible assets such as trust; trust (among group members, and between group members and assistance providers and business contacts) is also necessary but not sufficient to trigger action. Our findings echo those of Grim (1995), who found that African-American farmers did not view farming as a business and lacked business connections necessary to develop their farm operations. We found that this is still true, and that it reflects a deep aversion to risk derived from a long history of institutional discrimination and resulting lack of trust. Our study participants want to expand their farm operations, but only to the extent that their personal finances can take them. They are comfortable with informal cooperative arrangements where they borrow each other's equipment and sell to each other at wholesale prices, but they are not interested in pooling resources or establishing more formal business arrangements. Notably, they do not want to assume debt even when loans are low-risk and are both appropriate and necessary for their business development. Lack of trust in formal institutions is a contributing factor; these farmers do not trust agricultural assistance programs or other programs designed to support the business community, and view participation in such programs as an unacceptable risk. We developed the following recommendations based on our observations of and comparison among our four groups: • Pre-existing social ties and/or opportunities for interaction prior to group formation permit individuals to evaluate compatibility of personalities, values, and goals. This can foster development of trust-based relationships necessary for group cohesion and effective cooperation. • People differ in their goals and interests; individuals' continued willingness to participate in group activities will depend on the degree of overlap they perceive between their individual interests and those of the other group members. • Few people have the natural skill or training to manage interactional dynamics effectively. Therefore, most newly formed groups would benefit from expert facilitation as the members begin to share information, identify common goals, and develop interactional rules and organizational arrangements. •Assistance providers should not adopt a one-size-fits-all approach to cooperative development. Individual group members can operate independently and yet productively engage in a wide array of shared activities that create synergy among group members and increase revenues. • Each group of cooperating individuals will have a particular mix of interests, skills, and personalities. This means that groups will likely differ in the interactional styles and organizational arrangements that they are most comfortable with. Some groups will be more comfortable establishing a more purely business relationship, while others will place greater value on social support. Assistance providers need to be able to recognize such differences in order to provide the most useful advice and assistance to each group. The range of expertise required might best be provided by multiple assistance providers working cooperatively. A holistic approach to assistance provision has the potential to be much more effective than the current practice in which one expert provides one type of service in isolation to disadvantaged farmers. One significant limitation of traditional frameworks as a guide for intervention design is that they focus insufficient attention to the role of individual capabilities in shaping livelihood decisions and implementation efforts. However, such personal characteristics are important mediating factors that lead to differential outcomes despite similar wealth assets and contextual factors. The individual participants in this study exhibited a range of personal traits and viewpoints that appear to be shaping their selection of livelihood strategies and the outcomes they achieve. These include individual willingness to reach out to people and organizations outside of their immediate social circle for information, the intensity of their entrepreneurial ambition, and their willingness to seek out and adopt new practices and livelihood strategies. Farm assistance programs work directly with individual farmers and farmer groups with the goal of improving farm profitability and the well-being of farm families. Therefore, these programs are likely to fail to meet their objectives if they focus exclusively on assets during intervention design without consideration of mediating factors that influence outcomes. A balance is needed.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Beratan, K., Jackson, P. and Godette, S. (2014) Fostering Capacity Building among Groups of Disadvantaged Farmers, Southeastern North Carolina (USA), Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, pp. 118
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Progress 02/28/13 to 02/27/14
Outputs
Target Audience: This research targets small scale, low resource farmers in southeastern North Carolina who are interested in enhancing their entrepreneurial capacity to generate increased revenues from farming activities. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? The Research Team continues to help participants in identifying new markets and opportunities for professional development. Fayetteville State University is planning a farmers market for the 2014 season and several farmers, particularly those located in closeproximity toCumberland County,are participating in this venture. There is also a movement to establish a food hub for the region and one farmer group is actively involved in this project. One farmer has been certified by USDA as a minority business and is now able to obtain low cost loans in amounts up to $300,000. One member of the Research Team is working with other farmers to help them complete the USDA certification process by guiding them through the financial reporting requirements. Several farmers are pursuing GAP certification and attend training hosted by ag development agencies throughout the region. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? A journal article was written and accepted with revisions in the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. Revisions were made and the article was accepted for publication in February 2014. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Ano-cost extensionwasapproved andwill allow usto test a hypothesis that hosting a final multi-group meeting designed around an alternative meeting strategy will lead to enhanced outcomes and continue expansion of business networks and knowledge transfer.The observations cited above form the basis for the design ofa final multi-group meeting(s). We will work with the groups to identify specific tasks that the farmers want to learn how to accomplish and specific skills that they have identified as needed. We will then (1) recruit an appropriate expert to serve as coach for each selected task/skill (we will serve as facilitators), (2) work with the expert(s) to plan the exercise and develop a list of key materials and supplies needed to complete the training project and to pilot the task/skill on their own farms, and (3) purchase those materials and supplies for the meeting. Other tasks to be completed during the next reporting period include: Completing final interviews; analyzing pre- and post-interview data Holding a Research Team meeting to assess interview results and to develop aplan for final multi-group meeting Following up with farmer groups on results of pre/post interview analysis to include identifying next steps and developing a plan to move forward; consulting with participating groups regarding content and logistics of final multi-group meeting; developing adetailed meeting plan; and preparing content Conducting final multi-group meeting including post-meeting survey Assessing results of final multi-group meeting Preparing and submitting final report; working on a second manuscript for submission to peer-reviewed journal Closing out the project
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The Research Team continues to work with the farmer groups to enhance their entrepreneurial capacity. All of our participating farmers have expressed an interest in adopting new practices and techniques that can increase their farm profitability. Our research has demonstrated that simply providing relevant information by way of lecture and handouts does not lead to adoption of an unfamiliar practice or technique; much better results have been obtained through a ‘community coaching’ approach to diffusion. In addition, the farmers have demonstrated a reluctance to expend their very limited financial resources to learn a new practice or technique before they are certain that they are able to implement it, and that it will be useful in their farm operations. This reluctance reflects past experience - many assistance providers and sales people have pitched products and practices to these farmers that proved to be a waste of time and money. Finally, we have observed that most of these farmers learn more thoroughly by actively performing the task in a real-world setting than by passively receiving information in a classroom-style setting, as well as gaining confidence in their capacity to perform these new tasks and skills. The following accomplishments relate to progress in expanding business networks. Group 1 hosted a farmers market in Montgomery County for the second year; this area is considered a food desert and there is a compellingneed for increased access to fresh produce. Group 2 has not officially organized as a co-op, but has developed an informal relationship where they share equipment, sell products to each other at wholesale prices, and support each other in growing their respective businesses. Two of the farmers in this group are pursuing GAP certification and will join a hub that is being developed in the region to provide farmers with more exposure to wholesale markets. Group 3 used investment funds to build a mushroom house and is producing shitake and oyster mushrooms with particular emphasis on shitake mushrooms. They have a supplier and expect revenues to grow over the coming year. Group 4 has encountered several problems with the co-op structure that was created prior to the start of our project. The group is currently working with an accountant to dissolve their 521a Cooperative and re-apply as a standard 501(c)3 non-profit. As a result of this problem, the group has been somewhat distracted and has not worked toward expanding their market this year.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Beratan, K., Jackson, P., & Godette, S. (2014). Fostering capacity building among groups of disadvantaged farmers, southeastern North Carolina (USA). Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development.
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Progress 03/01/12 to 02/27/13
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Group Enterprise Investments-The research team met with each group throughout Year 2 to assist with development and implementation of their investment plans. Two of the groups have spent the full amount of the allocated funds according to their investment plan, and the research team is working with them to convert this investment into a successful business venture. The remaining two groups opted to divide their grant award into two parts. Both groups have implemented their initial plans; one has submitted its second plan and the second is in the process of developing its second plan. Relationship Building-The Research Team has worked to build trust-based relationships with the groups. This took considerable time and effort. Among the study findings is that such groups present opportunities for other people and organizations that are not necessarily congruent with the groups interests and needs. As hypothesized, having the research team introduced to the groups by trusted assistance providers provided the team with borrowed trust that facilitated our initial interactions with the groups and allowed us to work at earning direct trust. It is this earned trust that is allowing us to effectively assist the groups. Expanding Business Networks-The Research Team has connected groups with individuals and organization that could provide relevant resources and expertise, and with potential market opportunities. Capacity Building Activities-The Research Team identified capacity gaps and developed strategies for assisting the groups to fill those gaps. All four groups needed assistance with business planning and marketing; the groups other needs differed, reflecting the group members varied experiences, expertise, and interests. Of particular note were interactional challenges tied to collective planning; the Research Team has connected two of the groups with appropriate facilitators to guide development of collaborative capacity. Networks-The formation of all four groups was externally catalyzed and shaped rather than resulting from self-organization as expected based on preliminary key informant interviews and literature review. The members of the groups had only limited social ties prior to group formation; the extent of pre-existing social ties turned out to be a significant variable differentiating the groups. Another difference from expectations was that the groups lacked a catalytic leader who formed a network node. Instead, that leadership/connectivity came from a convener who was outside of the group. There certainly was information exchange through social networks prior to group convening, but it appears to be rare for this informal social interaction to transition to more organized and formalized cooperative arrangements. Project Meeting- The four groups were brought together at a Full Project Meeting held at Fayetteville State University in October. In addition to connecting with two relevant assistance organizations, the participants networked with each other, initiating information exchange and exploring potential business connections. PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
The Research Team has received positive feedback from all four groups with regards to benefits received from participation in the study. Both of the groups that have completed the facilities/equipment development elements of their enterprise plans have begun selling product and are currently refining their business plans and marketing strategies, with the assistance of the research team. The Research Team is helping one of these groups obtain a microloan that will permit them to produce product to the specifications of an identified institutional buyer. A third group has gained experience with different marketing strategies and is using that experience to modify their market plan for the upcoming year through a facilitated planning process. The fourth group has worked through planning challenges related to geographic dispersion, and has submitted a feasible investment plan. This plan includes hiring a facilitative non-profit specializing in capacity building for disadvantaged individuals and groups to assist the group in developing a mission statement and organizational structure that accommodates members social entrepreneurship interests. The research team helped this group apply for and receive a $20,000 hoophouse grant from a non-profit funding organization. The research team is finalizing a paper that will present the studys preliminary research findings.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 03/01/11 to 02/28/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Sustainable agriculture tied to expanded and strengthened regional food systems shows great promise as an economic development strategy that links to existing skills and resources within rural communities in southeastern North Carolina. Evidence suggests that limited resource rural households (LRRHs) in SE NC are generally unaware of the unfilled demand for high-quality locally grown food, and lack knowledge of how these new markets function. The objectives of this research are: (1) to learn about contextual and individual factors that shape the innovation and entrepreneurial capacity of LRRHs and (2) to expand their capacity to profit from expanding direct and institutional markets for locally grown food. Specific objectives include: (a) identifying factors limiting the ability of LRRHs to develop connections to business and knowledge networks; (b) assessing the livelihood assets and capabilities of these households; (c) identifying key individuals and exploring the contextual and individual characteristics that have contributed to or hindered their ability to perform the role of "network weaver;" and (d) evaluating the effectiveness of a participatory approach to intervention design in enhancing innovation capacity. The research results will provide increased knowledge of the institutional, social, cultural, economic, and psychological factors that limit small scale producers from taking advantage of new opportunities and programs. Since February 2011, we have conducted key informant interviews with staff from the NC Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services (NCDA) and NC Cooperative Extension Service (CES) who specialize in working with limited resource and minority farmers, and with representatives of three non-profit organizations that also work with this population and their communities. Based on key informant recommendations, four groups of farmers representing 23 small-scale farms were selected for inclusion in the study. The groups share some characteristics, (i.e. age range, household economic status) and can be paired for comparison by group size, geography, and related community demographic characteristics. Three of the groups are comprised primarily of minority households; the fourth is not. An important difference is the type of organization that served as catalyst for group formation and that has been assisting the groups in their agricultural activities: NCDA Office of Small Farms Ag Policy, CES field agents from NC A&T, CES county-based field agents, and a local non-profit assistance organization. We have conducted pre-intervention interviews with all 23 farms and are in the process of analyzing the results using the Sustainable Livelihoods framework. We have initiated the intervention with each team - the research team has been working with all four groups as they identify their cooperative enterprise and collect information needed for the business plan. At this time, three of the groups have identified their cooperative enterprise; two of these have put together detailed budgets, and one has submitted their enterprise investment plan and will receive their grant in February. PARTICIPANTS: Key informant interviews were conducted with staff from the NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (NCDA) and NC Cooperative Extension Service (CES) who specialize in working with limited resource and minority farmers, and with representatives of three non-profit organizations that also work with this population and their communities. TARGET AUDIENCES: The study targets four groups of low-resource and/or minority small-scale farmers. Montgomery County Farmers 1. The four farm locations extend across two counties ( Montgomery and Randolph). 2. All farmers are in their mid-30's to late 40's. Two could be considered homesteader families, with neither spouse working full-time day jobs, and with the stated strategy of building on food and farm activities to increase household income. Two have spouses (wives) who work full-time. 3. None of the members of the four couple duos has experience on a farm, though all duos had older family members (parents or grandparents) who had large gardens or animals (chickens, pigs) for home use, or collected products in the wild (blackberries, deer). All duo members have held full-time day jobs in the past. Three of the four duos grew up in the area. None currently have other family members who farm. Spring Lake Farmers 4. The four operations extend across two counties (Johnston and Cumberland). 5. All farmers are in their early 40's to late 50's/early 60's. 6. All are from NC farm families. Three of the four farmers continued to farm to varying degrees as they worked other jobs in the area. Duplin Farmers 7. The six farm locations extend across four counties (Wayne, Duplin, Onslow, and Lenoir). 8. All farmers are in their mid-50's to early 70's. 9. Four of the six farmers grew up in farming families. Two of the four have farmed all of their adult lives. Of the remaining, one farmer left for six years and returned to the area to care for a relative and resumed working on the family farm while the other returned to the area to farm after retiring. Sampson Farmers 10. The nine farm locations extend across four counties (Wake, Duplin, Sampson, and Pender) 11. All farmers are in their mid-60's to early 70's. 12. Six of the farmers grew up in North Carolina with farming families while one had never previously engaged in farming. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
(1) A manuscript is currently being written presenting our evaluation of the applicability of the Sustainable Livelihood framework to disadvantaged rural populations in the United States. We have found the Sustainable Livelihood framework to be useful for gaining a basic understanding of the dynamics shaping emergence within a complex adaptive system such as a household/small-scale farm embedded within a regional food system. As such, the framework can be a valuable tool for systems-based strategic planning for assistance programs. (2) Preliminary analysis supports our hypothesis that relative lack of connections within their business and knowledge networks does negatively impact the adaptive capacity of low-resource and minority farmers. A potentially significant finding is that culturally linked communication habits are a factor that contributes to this lack of connectivity. (3) In our key informant interviews, we learned that NCDA and CES staff who specialize in working with limited resource and minority farmers decided about five years ago that such farmers needed to form farmer cooperatives in order to succeed. Therefore, these assistance providers have worked with non-profit partners to encourage formation of farmer groups. In effect, the assistance staff and partners have filled the role of nodal individuals, serving as catalyst and facilitator for network weaving. As a result, the two groups working with these assistance organizations were not wholly self-organized, and social ties among members of these groups were less well-developed than expected. (4) Our group recruitment strategy was successful in minimizing potential trust issues. The research team and our project were introduced to each group by the assistance individual who had been working with the group. In this way, we were able to both respect and benefit from established relationships of trust and reciprocity. (5) We have begun to connect the groups to relevant information resources and business contacts. In addition, we are providing some direct services to the participant groups in response to an expressed need; all of the groups indicated that they had access to help regarding agricultural practices, but lacked such help regarding business practices. In response, we are preparing a detailed business plan, including marketing strategies, for each group's cooperative enterprise. We are also providing some business planning assistance to individual farms.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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