Progress 09/01/19 to 02/28/22
Outputs
Target Audience:Global Growers Network's (GGN) Market Ready Farms Collaborative serves Georgia and Alabama small and medium-sized vegetable farmers subject to the new federal food safety regulations, Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011. Farmers we serve often do not have access to the resources they need to understand or navigate the new regulations properly. These regulations are a significant barrier to accessing viable markets and can strain the farmers' more limited business resources. Through this project, GGN works to expand the Market Ready Farms Collaborative to strengthen the capacity of small-to-mid-size farm owners and operators by providing accessible and relevant food safety training and resources designed to meet the specific needs of our socially disadvantaged farmers. Our target audiences are farmers of color, refugees and immigrants, and farmers who face critical barriers to accessing resources that farmers affiliated with larger operations and socially dominant groups have easier access to. The long-term goal of this project is to increase the viability of farm businesses in Georgia and Alabama by providing vital food safety programs that will support market readiness. Changes/Problems:The project faced three critical challenges during its first year. First, there was a delay in finalizing the FSOP-NIFA funding. Although the grant period was scheduled to begin in September 2019, the administrative review was not completed until April 2020. As a result, we could not start subcontracting with partners until early 2020. This significantly impacted our ability to implement our Year 1 plans. In June 2020, our proposed subcontractor, Southeastern African-American Farmers Organic Network (SAAFON), went through some internal shifts and decided not to sign their subcontract agreement and drop out of the grant. GGN had planned to contract with SAAFON to provide business development planning and business coaching, deliver PSA grower training workshops, and promote food safety education opportunities. GGN was able to subcontract to Cane Creek Farm and Nature Candy's Farm in program year 2 to lead the business development program for farmers. The COVID-19 Pandemic, which emerged during the middle of our program year 1, created another significant disruption to this project. GGN and its partners had spent the early months of the project planning several in-person activities, from PSA training and mock GAP audits to peer-to-peer opportunities at local farms. The Pandemic required that these activities be redesigned in pandemic-appropriate ways. Project partners spent substantial time and resources setting up a new COVID-19 health and safety protocol to host outdoor events that follow CDC guidelines and develop educational programs and materials delivered virtually. Additionally, a substantial amount of time was spent making budget revisions to accommodate that. While less travel was required, more staff time was necessary to redesign the work. GGN and partners saw a decrease in participation in in-person and virtual workshops and programming towards the end of the project as the Pandemic still greatly affected farmers' capacity and engagement. Project partners understand that virtual programming is not an ideal solution for two reasons. Many target farmers do not have reliable access to the technology and internet connection needed to access virtual training. Additionally, the virtual platform makes it hard for trainers to engage with participants and assess how they are engaging with the content. Many of these trainings benefit from peer-to-peer interaction and hands-on activities, which are challenging to conduct virtually. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Throughout the project, GGN and core partners received and provided the following training and professional development opportunities: Federation of Southern Cooperatives Land Meeting (December 4-6, 2019; Atlanta, GA) The Federation's history of using successful land retention strategies has focused on outreach, education, and technical assistance in resolving heirs' property issues, estate planning, and developing alternative ownership models such as corporations, cooperatives, trusts, limited liability companies, and intra-family buy-outs. Content shared in the workshop provided us with strategies for coaching farmers on the basics of Heir property rights, estate planning, and land retention concepts. The Federation's Regional Heirs Property and Mediation Center works with 600 heirs annually across the Black Belt Region. This opportunity allowed Global Growers Network to share additional information supporting the small farmers of color in the black belt. The PSA Advanced Training Workshop (December 16th-20th, 2019; Lake Alfred, FL):This training was a collaboration between the Produce Safety Alliance and the Southern Center. This three-day workshop was geared toward trainers and lead trainers of the PSA curriculum. Micro 101, Soil Amendments and Animals, Pre-Harvest Water, Instructor Tips for Participant Engagement, Post-Harvest Water, and Sanitation will have a half-day full of lectures, hands-on activities, and breakouts. This training aimed to provide attendees with a more in-depth scientific understanding of the Produce Safety Rule to better train growers. A Global Growers Network team member presented at this three-day pilot program event. Southern Regional Center Annual Meeting (January 8 - 9, 2020; Savannah, GA) The overall goal of the Southern Center is to build a collaborative infrastructure in the Southern US to support Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) compliant training, education, extension, outreach, and technical assistance as it relates to the produce industry. Programs focused on helping audiences understand and interpret FSMA regulations and implement systems to meet requirements across the respective environments and agricultural production and processing systems in the Southern US to ensure co-management of food safety, conservation systems, and ecological health. One member of Global Growers Network, SAAFON, and CMSE attended the event. Georgia Organics Conference (February 7, 2020; Athens, GA) The annual Georgia Organics Conference & Expo fosters a community of farmers on the path toward prosperity and a community of Georgians interested in supporting healthier foods, farms, and families. The conference provided an opportunity to learn and share challenges and solutions unique to the small grower and build networks. Some of the challenges included finding markets and developing new products (for example, growing flowers and herbs to create new revenue streams). One member of Global Growers Network and CMSE attended the event. Working for Change (May 25, 2021): Ash Dawson attended and completed Working for Change, an online program management course conducted by The Management Center on May 25, 2021. The training includes the following topics: aligned with your manager on what success looks like by asking the right questions (or providing the answers!), approach your work with an eye toward equity and inclusion, and use check-ins to get what you need to move position forward and keep your manager in the loop, ask for feedback and practice receiving it in a way that makes you better at your job, manage your time and stay organized, and manage up, down and sideways. Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training (April 20-22, 2021): Manna Hara, a new staff member, assigned to the project, attended and completed a virtual Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training conducted by the Georgia Department of Agriculture on April 20 and 21, 2021. The curriculum content includes Introduction to Produce Safety, Worker Health, Hygiene, and Training, Soil Amendments, Wildlife, Domesticated Animals, and Land Use, Agricultural Water (Part I: Production Water; Part II: Postharvest Water), Postharvest Handling and Sanitation, and How to Develop a Farm Food Safety Plan. Food Safety Education Text Books were disbursed to 14 partner organizations throughout Georgia to support their food safety education program and staff professional development on food safety. The books support their work in educating farmers about food safety in their network. Lauren Cox, Farm Services Director Georgia Organics shared, "That Work Clean book is sooo good! Thank you for thinking of us for those great books. I'm going to have the team read it together." How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?At the start of our initial 2017 FSOP project, project partners issued a joint press release to announce the launch of the Small Farms Food Safety Team and the core objectives and intended deliverables of the project. GGN and its partners have continued to update the growing network of regional small-scale farmers and interested stakeholders about food safety training opportunities. GGN and project partners leveraged their online platforms (websites, social media, email lists) to announce available resources and share lessons learned from the project. In addition, Alabama A&M Small Farms Research Center conducted outreach through one-on-one consultation, interaction, and engagement with farmers through in-person meetings, zoom meetings, phone calls, social media outlet messaging, and emails. Through this effort, Alabama reached over 450 farmer participants. And through outreach at programs and events, Alabama A&M interacted with 250 farmers, landowners, extension agents, and gardeners on food safety issues. Throughout its FSOP projects, partners have collected rich data from participating farmers. The data are drawn from these data-informed presentations that project partners made at the following conferences: The PSA Advanced Training Workshop (December 16th-20th, 2019; Lake Alfred, FL). Federation of Southern Cooperatives Land Meeting (December 4-6, 2019; Atlanta, GA) Southern Regional Center Annual Meeting (January 8th-9th, 2020 Savannah, GA). Georgia Organics Conference (February 7, 2020; Athens, GA). GGN also shared monthly resources through our monthly Market Readiness newsletter that partners share with their networks. Specific events are shared through our social media channels and newsletters with partners and farmers who help disseminate information to their networks. The Common Market Southeast has supported sharing our resources and upcoming events with farmers pursuing GAP certification to sell in their distribution channels. We also presented updates in a brief presentation during the Southern Center semi-annual meeting on August 4, 2021. Lastly, we disseminated information to our local refugee and immigrant aspiring farmers through education workshops and connecting them to food safety education opportunities. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Building on the work of the Georgia Small Farms Food Safety Coalition established in 2017, the Market Readiness Food Collaborative continues to expand access to food safety resources and support to farmers that traditionally have limited access to food safety training. As a result of this work, more small and mid-scale farmers in Georgia and Alabama are incorporating food safety protocols into their operations. Goal 1: GGN entered into contracts with key Market Readiness Food Collaborative partners and established partnership principles, communications guidelines, and farmer outreach strategies to support the project. These partners include Alabama A&M University (AAMU) Small Farms Research Center, Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA), Common Market Southeast(CMF), National Farmers Union (NFU), Nature's Candy Farm (NCF), and Cane Creek Farm (CCF), and Athens Land Trust(ALT).GGN coordinated the work among partners through quarterly phone calls and meetings which served to plan upcoming training and share resources. In year 1, GGN faced challenges in retaining partners due to unforeseen impacts and changes in programming caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic. During program year 2, we gained an addition of 2 partners to increase grant efforts in goals 2, 3, and 4.Quarterly meetings resumed in program year 2. Food safety resources and partner updates on program activities and ongoing projects were reported during the meetings. GGN shared upcoming food safety training opportunities and provided information on the farmers financial assistance available for food safety training, infrastructures, and supplies to meet food safety practices. Partner resources sharedfolder was created to share resources and foster collaboration among partners. Goal 2: From 2019 to 2020, GGN developed a series of educational videos to encourage farmers to pursue food safety training and certification. The video introduces challenging terms and new food safety concepts that farmers will hear in PSA trainings. The 3 videos profile small-scale farmers of color who promote food safety as an essential market readiness strategy. Topics include the importance of FSMA guidelines and pursuing food safety training and certification to stay competitive in the marketplace, an overview of common food safety challenges for small farmers looking to expand their business, and strategies for building customer relations by prioritizing marketing food safety. GGN worked with project partners on sharing the videos widely to support upcoming food safety training. When the pandemic took hold, project partners convened by phone to assess how to continue to increase access to food safety training in an evolving context. GGN and project partners leveraged their online platforms (websites, social media) and their extensive mailing list to promote the growing number of web-based food safety resources to farmers. Online trainings were developed to help farmers update and adjust their food safety measures to meet the pandemic's needs. In year 2, GGN launched our market readiness newsletter and continued the promotion of our food safety videos.The market readiness newsletter includes a food safety video survey, information on Group GAP certification, and food safety financial assistance opportunities for socially disadvantaged farmers. During the last quarter, GGN and partners worked together to disburse $13,200 in funding to socially disadvantaged farmers to access food safety training and related infrastructure costs. The financial assistance supported 22 farmers. Goal 3: In year 1, a few months into the Pandemic, the PSA announced that it would support online PSA training. GGN and its partners began exploring options for rescheduling training and conducting virtual or in-person training. In response to the emerging pandemic, GGN co-hosted a Food Safety 101 Training with Truly Living Well. The training focused on safety measures small farmers can implement to ensure safe handling and packaging of foods to protect the communities we serve during the COVID-19 Pandemic. GGN and AAMU co-hosted a peer-to-peer virtual tour and workshop featuring GGN's Umurima Wa Burundi Farm in Decatur, GA. The tour showcased food safety best practices and allowed farmers to discuss food safety challenges in a COVID-19 context. In year 2, GGN hosted a series of GAP audits and PSA Grower Trainings. Access to training was expanded through collaborative work with partners AAMU, NCF, CCF, GFVGA ALT, and the NFU. We worked with partners on hosting local trainings and connecting farmers they are working with to available training through our networks. Narrow Way Farms hosted a USDA GAP Audit Training that included 3 farmers. Each participant filled in their own USDA GAPs Audit Verification Checklist and Food Safety Plan. Trainers reviewed the completed checklist and plan, and answered questions about the GAP Auditing process. The training concluded with a Farm walk-through to go over the Audit paperwork and on-farm practices. Alongside NFU and GFVGA, CCF hosted an Introduction to Produce safety and the USDA GAP Audit workshop with 7 farmers. NFU and AAMU hosted 2 PSA Grower Trainings. Both training provided an in-depth education on produce safety. The NFU's training included 14 participants, and AAMU's training included 22 participants. In addition to partnering with the NFU, AAMU hosted 2 in-person and 2 virtual PSA Growers Trainings serving 75 underserved farmers and extension agents. GGN hosted 2 food safety training sessions in the last quarter of the project. An Atlanta Grown GAP Auditing & FSMA Certification Virtual Webinar to provide food safety training to Urban growers in the Atlanta network and GAP workshop in Athens,GA. Financial assistance was provided to partners to support PSA Train the Trainer. We assisted one ALT partner in pursuing PSA Train the Trainer. Goal 4: From 2019 to 2020, planning and farmer outreach work was conducted to prepare for three mock audits conducted by GFVGA. NFU began organizing a 'USDA GAP Training workshop,' delivered at two different Georgia farms. GGN co-hosted 2 workshops to help local small farmers adapt their farm businesses during the pandemic to maintain a high food safety standard and take advantage of the growing market for fresh, local produce.GGN partnered with National Center for Appropriate Technology and NCF, ALT and Georgia Mountains Farmer Network to host the workshops. . From 2020 to 2022, the Food Safety Business Program was launched to align food safety with business development in collaboration with NCF and CCF. This 6-part webinar series was designed to train and support farmers as they plan for achievable success and sustainability while adopting food safety practices. 20 small to midsize socially disadvantaged farmers were selected to participate in the program. Coaching sessions were offered with program trainers supporting participants in developing their farm business plans and food safety project proposals. The FSBP provided each student with a set of lectures and assignments taken directly from the SARE publication Building a Sustainable Business. After the training, farmers completed their business plans and food safety proposals. Since the launch of the program, GGN and partners have provided more than 400 hours of Technical Assistance to over 100 farmers looking to improve food safety practices. AAMU conducted technical assistance and assisted 68 farmers in Alabama through one-on-one consultation, virtually through zoom meetings, phone calls, and in-person. During the last quarter, GGN provided 28 technical assistance sessions to farmers in Georgia, both in-person and virtual. The technical assistance sessions were provided to assist farmers with food safety planning. Site visits were conducted to identify food safety improvements at their farms. Recommendations were provided to each farmer.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:Global Growers Network's (GGN) Market Ready Farms Collaboration serves Georgia and Alabama small and medium sized vegetable farmers who are subject to the new federal food safety regulations, Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011. Farmers we serve often do not have access to the resources they need to properly understand or navigate the new regulations. For many of the farmers, these regulations are a significant barrier to accessing viable markets and can strain their more limited business resources. Through this project, GGN is working to expand the Market Ready Farms Collaboration to strengthen the capacity of small- to mid-size farm owners and operators by providing accessible and relevant food safety training and resources designed to meet the specific needs of our socially disadvantaged farmers. Our target audience are farmers of color, refugees and immigrants, and farmers who face critical barriers to accessing resources that farmers affiliated with larger operations and socially dominant groups have easier access to. The long-term goal of this project is to increase the viability of farm businesses in Georgia and Alabama by providing strong food safety programs that will support market readiness. Changes/Problems:The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has continued to cause challenges in meeting grant objectives. A detailed description of our challenges/problems during the most recent grant period are detailed below. 3.a Organize and Host PSA Grower Trainings for produce growers. Due to Covid-19, we have been extremely limited in our ability to travel and meet growers in person. We have pivoted to providing virtual trainings. With the vaccine availability, Alabama A&M is hosting an in-person PSA training and we are looking forward to hearing their feedback and any successes/challenges with this training. As cases decrease in GA, we hope to safely host an in-person PSA training for members of the Georgia Korean-American Farmers Association. 3.c Provide support to limited-resource farmers to attend trainings We are currently offering financial support and opportunities for farmers to attend food safety training but engagement remains low. During the next grant period we will continue to promote this opportunity and develop creative strategies to continue with our outreach through social media and our newsletters and encouraging partners to share out to their networks. 4.a Provide crop planning support to growers to operationalize food safety plans. During this most recent grant period we were unable to provide support, because it would require in person interactions with growers. Unfortunately during the pandemic, this was not a possibility, our most important objective is to ensure the safety of GGN staff, partners, and growers. Additionally, our original partners at the Common Market SE are currently reassessing their capacity availability to provide this support due to the substantial overhaul in their operations as a result of Covid-19. Their pivot to the Farmers to Families Box Program meant that earlier crop planning had less relevance due to the dramatic market shifts underway. 4.d Coordinate mock food safety audits to support farmers pursuing GAP certification, led by the Produce Food Safety Services team of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association. Changes were made due to the pandemic. In replacement of mock audits, Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association provided an introduction to mock audits to farmers in conjunction with Narrow Way Farm's USDA Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Audit Training during this reporting period. 4.e Coordinate 1 internal auditor training for GroupGAP certification. Delayed due to the pandemic. We are actively engaging assistance from our partners.The original group of farmers identified for this opportunity have decided not to pursue Group GAP. We are now in discussions with a recently formed farmer cooperative about supporting their groupGAP process in collaboration with the Common Market Southeast. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Working for Change (May 25, 2021): Ash Dawson attended and completed Working for Change, an online program management course conducted by The Management Center on May 25, 2021.The training includes the following topics: aligned with your manager on what success looks like by asking the right questions (or providing the answers!), approach your work with an eye towards equity and inclusion, use check-ins to get what you need to move work forward and keep your manager in the loop, ask for feedback and practice receiving it in a way that makes you better at your job, manage your time and stay organized, and manage up, down and sideways. Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training (April 20-22, 2021): Manna Hara, a new staff member assigned to the project, attended and completed a virtual Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training conducted by the Georgia Department of Agriculture on April 20 and 21, 2021. The curriculum content include: Introduction to Produce Safety, Worker Health, Hygiene, and Training, Soil Amendments, Wildlife, Domesticated Animals, and Land Use, Agricultural Water (Part I: Production Water; Part II: Postharvest Water, Postharvest Handling and Sanitation, and How to Develop a Farm Food Safety Plan. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?During our next quarterly meeting we will be sharing our most recent results with partners and receiving feedback to incorporate in the next reporting period. We are also sharing monthly resources through our monthly Market Readiness newsletter that partners are also sharing out to their networks. Specific events are shared through our social media channels, newsletter, with partners and farmers who help disseminate information out to their networks. The Common Market Southeast has supported sharing our resources and upcoming events to farmers in pursuit of GAP certification in order to sell in their distribution channels. We also presented updates in a brief presentation during the most recent Southern Center semi-annual meeting. Lastly, we were able to disseminate information to our local refugee and immigrant growers through education workshops and connecting to food safety education opportunities. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Upcoming PSA Trainings GGN, in partnership with National Farmers Union, will be hosting an additional PSA training for farmers and growers this fall. We are sharing widely with our networks. In the new year, GGN will host an additional training for farmers that are members of the Georgia Korean-American Farmers Association. Alabama A&M will be hosting an in-person PSA training and farm tour for farmers and growers in the Fall. Upcoming Wash Station Webinar During the upcoming reporting period, GGN will be hosting a webinar on how to build a wash station. We will show a video we previously made, but also include instructions on construction and allow time for Q&A with farmers. We are sharing widely with our networks. Translated Wash Station Videos In the upcoming reporting period, GGN will work with interpreters to translate our Wash Station Videos into multiple languages to better support market readiness education for our refugee and immigrant farmers. Upcoming PSA Video We aim to produce an additional video to supplement the previous 3 videos. This video will cover more general PSA information and feature 2 additional farmers. Food Safety Videos on Social Media We will continue to promote our food safety videos through our social media platforms to reach a larger audience and increase knowledge among our networks and partners. The promotion will include the food safety video survey with the $150 raffle towards PSA related training costs. We hope this will incentivize engagement.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
As small scale farmers build more viable farm businesses focused on safety, the regional food system becomes more resilient. This directly strengthens the supply chain in Georgia for sustainably produced fruits and vegetables for local distribution. Especially during the pandemic, this is an invaluable asset to the local community which can enjoy better access to healthy food without disruption. Goal 1: During this grant period, engagement with our Market Readiness Food Collaboration partners has greatly increased. In the previous grant period we faced challenges in retaining partners due to unforeseen impact and changes in programming caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. During this grant period we gained an addition of two partners to increase grant efforts in goals two, three, and four. In June of 2021, we coordinated a quarterly meeting with our partners, both existing and new. In total, five partners were present including: Beth Olsen of the Georgia Fruit Grower Association, E'licia Charvest of Alabama A&M Small Farms Research Center, Brenden St. John of Georgia Fruit Grower Association, Tenisio Sianema of Nature's Candy Farms, and Bill Green of Common Market Southeast. Food safety resources and partner updates on upcoming/ongoing projects were reported during the meeting. Additionally, GGN shared guidance on data collection and reporting requirements per the FSOP grant. Additionally during this period we created a partner resource folder to share additional resources, upcoming training opportunities, and foster more collaboration among partners. The shared folder includes partner updates/ events, meeting minutes, market readiness and food safety resources and training materials, and press releases related to food safety. During this grant quarter there was also an increase in the review and modification of existing training materials and shared among organizations. We worked in collaboration with Alabama A&M to review and edit 22 Food Safety fact sheets to share information with farmers and growers about proper storage, washing, and handling practices. Goal 2: During this grant period, we launched our market readiness newsletter and continued the promotion of our food safety videos. Our email list of partners and farmers continues to grow since its launch in August, 2021. The market readiness newsletter includes a food safety video survey, information on Group GAP certification, and financial assistance opportunities for socially disadvantaged farmers interested in pursuing GAP certification and training, and local upcoming food safety training opportunities. During the previous grant period, we developed three food safety videos to educate our target audience of farmers and growers on food safety and also promote the importance and value of Produce Safety Alliance Grower Trainings. During Year 2, we shared these videos and the related survey in our August newsletter and on-going monthly newsletter. The questions in the survey include content from each video, and respondents are also given the opportunity to share their feedback on the videos. Those who complete the survey will be entered into a raffle for a $150 stipend to pursue future PSA needs. These videos are in our monthly newsletters and the metrics of each video are tracked through youtube metrics. The financial opportunities in the newsletter include GAP certification, GAP audit training, and PSA Train the Trainer. We were able to assist one partner from Athens Land Trust to pursue PSA Train the Trainer. Additionally we shared information on upcoming food safety and market readiness events, primarily PSA Grower Trainings. We shared different food safety resources from our partners at Alabama A&M on food safety and small flocks. The small flock training, hosted by Alabama A&M University, focused on how farmers can learn more about caring for small flocks, overview of the state and USDA regulations, production cost, and the essential steps for processing a small flock to profit. Goal 3: During this grant period, we hosted a series of GAP audit and Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) Grower Trainings. Access to trainings were expanded through collaborative work with partners Alabama A&M, Nature's Candy Farm, Cane Creek Farm, Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Grower Association, Athens Land Trust, and the National Farmers Union. We worked with partners on hosting local trainings and connecting farmers they are working with to available trainings through our networks. Through this partnership, we were able to expand access to training in the state of Alabama and Georgia. Narrow Way Farms hosted a USDA Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Audit Training that included 3 farmers. Each attendee received a stipend to support travel to the training. Each participant filled in their own USDA GAPs Audit Verification Checklist and Food Safety Plan. Trainers reviewed the completed checklist and Food Safety Plan and answered questions about the GAP Auditing process. The training concluded with a Farm walk-through to discuss connections between the Audit paperwork and on-farm practices. Cane Creek Farm, alongside National Farmers Union and Georgia Fruit & Vegetable, hosted an Introduction to Produce Safety and the USDA GAP Audit workshop that included 7 farmers. Each farmer received a stipend to support travel to the training. The content included an introduction to PSA and GAP, a presentation of the infrastructure toolkit, FDA's Produce Safety Rule, further detail of the USDA GAP audit, and the training concluded with a farm walk. Four of the attendees completed an evaluation survey of the training and each rated the training a 5 out of 5 when asked if the training met their expectations, if training was engaging, if their questions were answered, and if they have a better understanding of the content delivered. Partners hosted 2 PSA Grower Trainings. Both trainings provided an in-depth education on produce safety, including GSMA rules, GAP and GAP certification. Trainer went over the Produce Safety Alliance manual and answered additional questions from farmers. The National Farmers Union's training included 14 participants and Alabama A&M University's training included 22 participants. Goal 4: In an effort to align food safety with business development, we also launched the Food Safety Business Program(FSPB) in collaboration with Nature's Candy Farm and Cane Creek Farm. This six part webinar series was designed to train and support farmers as they plan for achievable success and sustainability while adopting food safety practices. Twenty small to midsize socially disadvantaged farmers were selected to participate in the program. Engagement and attendance throughout the program remained high. In between workshops, supplemental coaching sessions were offered with program trainers supporting participants in the development of their own farm business plans and food safety project proposals. To apply for the program, prospective participants had to complete an application, sharing their interest and reason for wanting to enroll in the program. Before the start of the program, 19 participants completed the pre-evaluation survey. This survey was used as a baseline to gauge participants' interest and knowledge of the material to be covered throughout the program. The FSBP provided each student a comprehensive set of lectures and supplementary assignments, all of which are taken directly from the Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) publication Building a Sustainable Business. At the conclusion of the training, farmers completed their own business plans and food safety proposals with support from the program trainers, and received coaching and technical assistance.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:Small and medium sized vegetable farmers are subject to new federal food safety regulations via the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011. These farmers often do not have access to the resources they need to properly understand or navigate these new regulations. For many farmers, these regulations are a significant barrier to accessing viable markets and can strain their more limited business resources. Through this project, Global Growers is working to expand the Market Ready Farms Collaboration to strengthen the capacity of small- to mid-size farm owners and operators by providing accessible and relevant food safety training designed to meet the specific needs of socially disadvantaged farmers identified in this application. Our target audience specifically is farmers of color, refugees and immigrants, and farmers who face critical barriers to accessing resources that farmers affiliated with larger operations and socially dominant groups have easier access to. The long-term goal of this project is to increase the viability of farm businesses in Georgia and Alabama by providing strong food safety programs that will support market readiness. Changes/Problems:The project faced three key challenges during its first year. First, there was a delay in finalizing the FSOP-NIFA funding. Although the grant period was scheduled to begin in September 2019, administrative review was not completed until April 2020. As a result, we were not able to begin subcontracting with partners until early in 2020. This significantly impacted our ability to implement our Year 1 plans. The Covid-19 pandemic, which emerged mid-way through this reporting period, created another major disruption to this project. GGN and its partners had spent the early months of the project planning a number of in-person activities, from PSA training and mock GAP audits, to peer-to-peer opportunities at local farms. The pandemic required that these activities be redesigned in pandemic-appropriate ways. Project partners spent substantial time and resources setting up new Covid-19 health and safety protocol to host outdoor events that follow CDC guidelines and developing educational programs and materials that can be delivered virtually. Additionally, a substantial amount of time was spent making budget revisions to accommodate for the fact that, while less travel was now required, more staff time was necessary to redesign the work. Project partners understand that virtual programming is not an ideal solution for two reasons. Many target farmers do not have reliable access to the technology and internet connection needed to access virtual training. Additionally, the virtual platform makes it hard for trainers to engage with participants and assess the extent to which they are engaging with the content. Many of these trainings benefit from peer-to-peer interaction and hands-on activities, which are difficult to conduct virtually. In June 2020 our proposed subcontractor, Southeastern African-American Farmers Organic Network (SAAFON), went through some internal shifts and decided not to sign their subcontract agreement and drop out of the grant. GGN had planned to contract with SAAFON to provide business development planning and business coaching, deliver PSA grower training workshops, and promote food safety education opportunities. GGN is looking for a new partner to complete this work What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Over the course of the project, GGN and core partners received and provided the following training and professional development opportunities: December 4-6, 2019; Atlanta, GA Federation of Southern Cooperatives Land Meeting: The Federation's history of using successful land retention strategies has focused on outreach, education, and technical assistance in resolving heirs property issues, estate planning, and developing alternative ownership models such as corporations, cooperatives, trusts, limited liability companies, and intra-family buy-outs. Content shared in the workshop provided us with strategies on how to coach farmers on the basics of Heirs property rights, estate planning and land retention concepts. The Federation's Regional Heirs Property and Mediation Center works with 600 heirs annually across the Black Belt Region. This opportunity allowed for Global Growers Network to share additional information that would support the small farmers of color in the black belt. December 16th-20th, 2019; Lake Alfred, FL The PSA Advanced Training Workshop. This training was a collaboration between the Produce Safety Alliance and the Southern Center. This three-day workshop was geared toward trainers and lead trainers of the PSA curriculum. Micro 101, Soil Amendments and Animals, Pre-Harvest Water, Instructor Tips for Participant Engagement, Post-Harvest Water, and Sanitation will each have a half-day full of lecture, hands-on activities, and breakouts. The goal of this training was to provide attendees with more in-depth scientific understanding of the Produce Safety Rule to better train growers. A member of the Global Growers Network team presented at this three day pilot program event. January 8 - 9, 2020; Savannah, GA Southern Regional Center Annual Meeting. The overall goal of the Southern Center is to build a collaborative infrastructure in the Southern US to support Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) compliant training, education, extension, outreach, and technical assistance as it relates to the produce industry. Programs focused on helping audiences understand and interpret FSMA regulations and implement systems to meet requirements across the respective environments and agricultural production and processing systems in the Southern US to ensure co-management of food safety, conservation systems, and ecological health. One member of Global Growers Network, SAAFON and CMSE attended the event. February 7, 2020; Athens, GA Georgia Organics Conference. The annual Georgia Organics Conference & Expo is about fostering a community of farmers on the path toward prosperity, and a community of Georgians interested in supporting healthier foods, farms, and families. The conference provided an opportunity to learn and share challenges and solutions unique to the small grower, and to build networks. Some of the challenges included finding markets, developing new products (example: growing flowers and herbs to create new revenue streams). One member of Global Growers Network and CMSE attended the event. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?At the start of our initial, 2017 FSOP project, project partners issued a joint press release to announce the launch of the Small Farms Food Safety Team and the core objectives and intended deliverables of the project. GGN and its partners have continued to update the growing network of regional small-scale farmers and interested stakeholders about food safety training opportunities. GGN and project partners leveraged their online platform (websites, social media) to announce available resources and to share lessons learned from the project. Throughout the course of its FSOP projects, partners have collected rich data from participating farmers. The data drawn from these data informed presentations that project partners made at the following conferences: The PSA Advanced Training Workshop (December 16th-20th, 2019; Lake Alfred, FL). Federation of Southern Cooperatives Land Meeting (December 4-6, 2019; Atlanta, GA): Southern Regional Center Annual Meeting (January 8th-9th, 2020 Savannah, GA). Georgia Organics Conference (February 7, 2020; Athens, GA). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the next reporting period, GGN and its partners will deliver on much of the work that was delayed because of the challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. This includes, hosting additional PSA trainings, a GAP audit training, and a six-part farm business seminar. GGN and partners are preparing to conduct these educational programs virtually but remain open to delaying some of these trainings if it becomes possible to safely conduct them in person later in the project period
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Impact Statement Building on the work of Georgia Small Farms Food Safety Coalition (established through GGN's 2017 FSOP grant), the Market Readiness Food Collaborative continues to expand access to food safety resources and supports to farmers that traditionally have limited access to food safety training. As a result of this work, more small and mid-scale farmers in Georgia and Alabama are incorporating food safety protocols into their operations. As small scale farmers build more viable farm businesses focused on safety, the regional food system becomes more resilient. This directly strengthens the supply chain in Georgia for sustainably produced fruits and vegetables for local distribution. Especially during the pandemic, this is an invaluable asset to the local community which can enjoy better access to healthy food without disruption. Goal 1: Strengthen and expand the existing network of programs and partners to leverage partnerships and relations, increase food safety training capacity, and improve service delivery for food safety education and training programs At the onset of this project, GGN entered into contracts with key partners of the Market Readiness Food Collaborative and established partnership principles, communications guidelines, and farmer outreach strategies to support the project. These partners include Alabama A&M University (AAMU), Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA), Common Market Southeast, National Farmers Union (NFU), Southeastern African-American Farmers Organic Network (SAAFON), Cane Creek Farm (CCF), and Athens Land Trust. GGN coordinated the work among partners through quarterly phone calls which served to plan upcoming training and share resources. In its role as facilitator, GGN works to create cohesion and promotes collaboration among the Collaborative in order to strengthen the continuum of resources and support for the project's target audience. GGN prepares agendas for each meeting, hosts the calls, and shares minutes and next steps after each meeting. Partners complete surveys after meetings to assess their program progress against their timelines. In addition to regular conference calls, one in-person project partners meeting was held in person in Savannah, GA in December, 2019. Goal 2: Increase farmer access to food safety training that is consistent with FSMA guidelines through targeted outreach within existing farmer networks and with strategic pre-teaching of fundamentals that will encourage farmers to pursue more advanced food safety trainings GGN developed a series of educational videos to encourage farmers in our target audience to pursue food safety training and certification and to ensure they are well prepared to make the most of those training opportunities. Between January and May of 2020, GGN produced a series of three pre-teaching videos that introduce challenging terms and new food safety concepts that farmers will hear in PSA videos. All three videos profile small-scale farmers of color who promote food safety as an essential market readiness strategy. Topics include: the importance of FSMA guideline and of pursuing food safety training and certification in order to stay competitive in the marketplace, an overview of common food safety challenges for small farmers looking to expand their business, and strategies for building strong customer relations by prioritizing and marketing food safety. GGN is working with our project partners to develop a strategy for sharing these videos widely in order to support upcoming and future food safety training. When the pandemic took hold, project partners convened by phone to assess how to continue to increase access to food safety training in an evolving context. GGN and project partners leveraged their online platform (websites, social media) and their extensive mailing list to promote the growing number of web-based food safety resources to farmers in our target audience. Additionally, GGN and project partners developed two online trainings to help target farmers update and adjust their food safety measures to meet the needs created by the pandemic, these includes Food Safety 101 (hosted on 5/20/20) and A Virtual Tour of GGN's Umurima Wa Burundi Farm (hosted on 7/24/2020) Goal 3: Expand access to PSA Grower Training and Train the Trainer Programs by working across existing farmer networks During this reporting period, GGN, AAMU, and NFU prepared for a PSA training and a peer-to-peer farm tour initially scheduled for May 1. The workshop was postponed because of the emerging Covid-19 pandemic. A few months into the Pandemic, the Produce Safety Alliance announced that it would support online PSA training. At this point GGN and its partners began exploring options for rescheduling the training and considering the pros and cons of conducting virtual or in-person training. In response to the emerging pandemic, GGN co-hosted a Food Safety 101 Training with Truly Living Well on May 20, 2020. The training focused on safety measures small farmers can implement to ensure safe handling and packaging of foods in order to protect the communities we serve during the Covid-19 pandemic. This workshop was conducted in-person, outdoors following CDC guidelines. To work around the limitations of the pandemic, on 7/24/20 GGN and AAMU co-hosted a peer-to-peer virtual tour and workshop featuring GGN's Umurima Wa Burundi Farm in Decatur, GA. The tour showcased food safety best practices and provided an opportunity for farmers to discuss food safety challenges in a Covid-19 context. Since establishing the Georgia Small Farms Food Safety Coalition, GGN and partners have provided more than 400 hours of TA was provided to over 100 farmers looking to improve food safety practices and achieve organic certification. In the second year of this project, as pandemic conditions allow, GGN looks to connect more target farmers to the full menu of food safety technical assistance that its partners offer. Goal 4: Incorporate food safety education into whole farm technical assistance programs so that food safety protocols are operationalized and connected to overall business development The majority of the work of this objective will be carried out during the second year of this project. Delays were the result of the decision by SAAFON to withdraw from the project following a leadership change in their organization. GGN had contracted SAAFON to provide farm business coaching and wholease readiness assistance to farmers in our target audience. GGN immediately began to look for an alternate partner to carry out this work. During this period, planning and farmer outreach work was conducted to prepare for three mock audits scheduled to be conducted by GFVGA in October 2020. Additionally, NFU began to prepare a workshop titled 'USDA Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Training', which will be delivered at two different Georgia farms in October 2020. One training is scheduled to be conducted in person and another virtually. Additionally, GGN co-hosted two workshops to help local small farmers adapt their farm businesses during the pandemic in order to maintain a high food safety standard and take advantage of the growing market for fresh, local produce. One training was co-hosted with the National Center for Appropriate Technology and Nature's Candy Farm on 5/27/2020 and another was co-hosted with Athens Land Trust and Georgia Mountains Farmer Network on 6/22/2020.
Publications
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