Progress 09/01/16 to 08/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:This project focused on a diverse, hard-to reach audience, including beginning farmers, veteran farmers, socially disadvantaged and refugee/immigrant farmers, most of whom serve the large and diverse metro-Atlanta marketplace. Farmers typically farmedless than 100 acres, grew a diverse array of fruit and vegetables, earnedbetween $25,000-$500,000 annually, and hadlittle or no food safety training. Nonehadany type of food safety certification. Most soldboth at direct-to-consumer markets (e.g., farmers markets, CSAs) as well as to wholesalecustomers. Most hadon-farm wash stations and cold storage that are extremely basic, with limited resources to upgrade theirfacilities. Many were beginning farmers without formal agricultural training. Several wereoriginally fromcountries where hygiene expectations vary, and English wasnot their first language. Changes/Problems: Some materials, like a plain language guide to FSMA, were created by another organization. Rather than duplicating efforts, we worked with those organizations to adapt and effectively utilize those materials in our contexts. Two videos were planned, one on Food Safe Infrastructure Solutions and one on Food Safe Postharvest Handling; however, only one was completed due to unanticipated complications at the first filming site. In response, both planned foci were incorporated into one video. New Entry Sustainable Farming Project had already developed a strong "Guide to FSMA" which we used and distributed to partners and farms with their support rather than duplicating efforts At PSA's recommendation, we used their Guide for FSMA toolkit rather than developing our own. While we met the target for workshops hosted and feedback demonstrated effectiveness, we fell short of anticipated workshop participation despite thorough outreach via multiple partners and mediums. Experience has demonstrated that initial targets were too ambitious considering geographic dispersion of farmers and farmer availability. On the other hand, demand for on-farm consultations was higher than anticipated which resulted in more than 200 hours of consultations and assessments. This discovery informed shifts incorporated into ongoing FS programming to devote more time to working one-on-one with farmers on-farm and to developing regional clusters of co-learning among farmers throughout GA. Coordination of standardized data collection methods across partners was a challenge. Improvement in this regard is a critical emphasis in this 2nd year of NIFA FS funding. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? International Association for Food Protection Annual Meeting Provided staff member with a deeper understanding of FSMA and how it developed and continues to evolve. It provided an intro to microbiological considerations of FS. Provided an opportunity to check-in with the Southern Regional Center and FDA, USDA and PSA personnel involved with FSMA legislation and receive a more full and direct overview of the legislation, its effects and appropriate responses PSA train the trainer workshop Provided 5 project staff a thorough immersion into the application of FSMA regulations in accordance with the PSA in preparation for direct work with farmers in GA Enabled staff to participate as co-trainers in PSA workshops CFSA Navigating the GAP Audit Strengthened the preparation of project staff member for helping farmers prepare for GAP audits United Fresh Conference Allowed staff member to learn about national FS policy debates, network with national, large-scale produce safety professionals, and advocate to change GAP Audit and support the effects FSMA will have on the produce industry. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Promotion conducted through: Grower News, GO monthly e-letter Social media including images, blurbs, and evites Partners & grower networks including distribution of flyers Individual outreach by project staff with a special emphasis on underserved regions and farmers Resources disseminated through: Individual on-farm consultations with farmers across GA Online platforms such as Vimeo, blog posts, Google databases, social media Workshops where resources were brought for distribution to attendees including follow-up email distribution of resources Conferences such as Georgia Organics, Southeast Fruit and Vegetable, and NIFTI National Field School where resources were distribution through expo booths Partner networks such as ISED Network, Southern Resource Center, Georgia Organics, Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, Community Farmers Markets, Ag Extension, and Common Market Georgia What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Impact Statement Global Growers (GG) & partners helped farmers respond to FSMA by developing plain language materials & providing a training & consulting for >45 farms across Georgia. We provided resources for farmers to improve their food-safe practices, demonstrating that ensuring food safety (FS) is not a barrier to success but a key to entering new markets. Farmers not only increased their knowledge of FS, but connected to wholesalers such as Common Market GA & PeachDish. This strengthened their bottom line while helping wholesalers strengthen their business & increasing the amount of local produce sold in GA communities. Objectives Coordination Activities Facilitated partner meetings Contracted 4 interns Coordinated all activities Coordinated with Southern Regional Center (SRC) Data Meeting minutes Summary 8 members across 5 orgs Outcomes All partners confirmed positive experience Knowledge: Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) gained deeper understanding of how to support small farms Action: Partners leveraged resources to support institutions & farmers Materials Development Activities Identified an Intro to FS & FSMA pdf developed by New Entry Sustainable Farming Project & worked to ensure appropriateness Compiled existing resources & curriculum ensuring consistency with FSMA regulations. Created Differentiated FSMA Decision-Making Tool for farmers to determine FSMA applicability Created Farm Signage Kit of FSMA required signs utilizing images & plain English Developed lesson plans in cooperation with ISED & their training module in plain language including: Infrastructure Solutions for Small & Limited Resource Farms Post Harvest Handling, Packaging, Storage, & Transport Creating a FS Manual Created Mock Audit Tool to evaluate farm readiness for GAP certification & for farmers to evaluate FS practices for FSMA consistency Developed FS materials & table presentation for expo booths & led presentations at both Georgia Organics (GO) & SE Fruit & Vegetable Conf. Created an educational video demonstrating affordable & simple food-safe infrastructure & practices Data Interviews with participants for feedback on quality, suitability, & practicality of resources Summary 9 packages of publicly distributed materials developed 69 training materials created or adapted for use by target audience. This includes multiple iterations to adapt to changing FSMA guidance >52 agencies received access to new FS education materials 21 farmers accessed new markets Outcomes Knowledge:Farmers & service orgs improved understanding of FSMA & FS Action: Farmers adopted new FS practices Condition: Farmers improved livelihoods thru access to new markets Build Knowledge Activities 4 blog posts to GO website 1 FS video posted to Vimeo Conducted 2 conference workshops & managed FS expo booths including "Ask the Expert" Hosted 6 additional workshops across GA Provided one-on-one consultations Developed FS Infrastructure toolkit Developed FS farm sign package in plain English with visuals Developed Mock Audit Template used by GFVGA on farms Data Provided 67 consultations to 47 unique farmers Received 21 unique questions at "Ask the Expert" booth 47 farmers demonstrated implementation of improved FS Hosted 8 FS workshops with 130 participants across GA Completed 2nd Party Audits with 11 farms FS video received >4,000 views Summary Knowledge built for >150 farmers thru variety of individualized, group & virtual mediums Outcomes Through partnerships & on on-farm training, we reached farmers in every major GA region. Action: 67 farmers improved their food safe techniques or procedures Action: 21 farmers report gaining access to new markets thru provided FS training Capacity Building Activities Coordinated participation of program staff at PSA Train-the-Trainer (TT) course Shared guide to FMSA with partners Coordinated with ISED to share training module with service providers & partners Data 5 program staff received PSA TT training 52 agencies received access to new FS education materials Summary This objective established a strong foundation for all FS work in both FY17 & afterward Outcomes Knowledge: A critical improvement for project staff due to TT Action: Program staff became vital resource for small & medium size farmers Condition: Ag service orgs across the US have access to ISED manual Outreach Activities 4 FS articles published in The Dirt, GO's print publication & as GO blog posts Promotion through Grower News, GO's monthly e-newsletter Promotion through social media Promotion through partners & grower networks Individual outreach by project staff Data Over 13,000 copies of The Dirt distributed Over 3,200 members of the ag community received promotional materials thru GO's e-newsletter Over 45,000 followers on social media gained access to FS events & resources Summary Thousands of members of the ag community received the opportunity to access new materials, trainings & resources to improve FS & FSMA compliance Outcomes Knowledge: Farmers gained new knowledge about how FS impacts all areas of their business thru information distributed via a variety of mediums & avenues Condition: Farmers have increased access to the necessary resources to ensure food safe practices Condition: Farmers unable to attend workshops were able to learn & improve through publications & social media Dissemination Activities GG shared resources with the ISED Community of Practice of Refugee Farm Incubator Projects that serve more than 1200 farmers among 25 orgs GG shared resources at NIFTI National Field School Conference with more than 90 attendees from service orgs across the US GFVGA shared with the more than 110 members of SRC's consortium of projects. GO shared with their network of farmers, service agencies & supporters totaling more than 13,000 Shared with Extension for client distribution. Distributed to 130 farmers at workshops Distributed resources to more than 1,000 attendees of GO Conference. Data Distribution numbers from various orgs Summary More than 15,000 farmers, consumers & service agencies were provided direct opportunities to engage resources developed thru this grant. through outreach & additional partner dissemination, many thousands more had the opportunity to connect. Outcomes or other accomplishments realized Knowledge:Key partner groups outside of this campaign have gained access to & are utilizing the resources collected & created. Action: New resource sharing paths developed thru new partnerships Condition: Future resource sharing improved due to new institutional relationships Certification Activities GFVGA used audit comparison & mock audit tools to prepare farmers for audits, GG provided cost-shares to remedy financial barriers to FS certification Data 11 farms received 2nd party audits & 10 received cost-share Summary Provided critical support for farmers to surpass final barriers to FSMA compliance Outcomes Condition: Reduced barriers & increased chance of success in pursuing FS certification Action: Farmers who had never considered FS certification before passed their audit Evaluation Activities Project dashboard developed to track activities/outcomes Workshop attendees completed efficacy post-survey Conducted qualitative interviews with 15 farmers Data 92% of surveyed workshop respondents claimed satisfaction, better understanding, & plans to implement Summary Formal & informal measures showed satisfaction, improved understanding & plans to implement Outcomes Action: Feedback informed project team's plans to continue engaging on-farms & to prepare farmers to co-train within their regions
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Edwards, Chris. Testing Our Well Water. Dirt, 13 Nov. 2017, pp. 23.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Edwards, Chris. Food Safety and Your Cottage Food License. Dirt, 13 Nov. 2017, pp. 22.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Losh-Jones, Chelsea, Food Safety on Small Farms: Before and After. Dirt, 13 Nov. 2017, pp. 24.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Losh-Jones, Chelsea, Food Safety on Small Farms. Dirt, 14 Jun. 2017, pp. 8.
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