Building a Diverse Food Web: Professional Development Training in Sustainable Community Food Systems with a focus on Appropriate Technologies for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Small Scale producers in Rural and Urban Communities

Project Overview

ENC05-087
Project Type: Professional Development Program
Funds awarded in 2005: $75,000.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/2005
Region: North Central
State: Wisconsin
Project Coordinator:
Will Allen
Growing Power, Inc.

Information Products

Commodities

Not commodity specific

Practices

  • Education and Training: extension, workshop
  • Sustainable Communities: ethnic differences/cultural and demographic change, public participation, urban agriculture, urban/rural integration, community services, community development

    Proposal abstract:

    Growing Power seeks to offer hands-on training workshops, a community food system training video and a regional symposium with a focus on building urban and rural community development via sustainable agricultural systems that have cultural and technological relevance to diverse communities. The workshops, products and activities are designed to initiate opportunities for interactive education and problem solving, and developing training skills by experiential learning.

    Project objectives from proposal:

    Building a Diverse food web will focus on the following SARE PDP priority areas: 1.Sustainable and appropriate technology training for socially disadvantaged farmers 2.Sustainable agriculture and community development 3.Community food systems and food security Target Audience: Educators from traditional and non-traditional settings, technical assistance providers, university and extension agents, farmers and producers, community economic developers, USDA agents. Activities -Five two-day workshops will be provided each year at Growing Power’s National Community Food Center (40 professionals – 10 workshops) -1 Building Community Food Systems training video – full length -Regional community food systems and food security symposium – Chicago, IL 2007 (120 professionals) Short Term Outcomes: Increase awareness of community food security and food systems Intermediate Outcomes: Improved program delivery to small farms, inner-city urban agriculture producers, new immigrant farmers and socially disadvantaged minority and women producers. Long Term Outcomes Systemic Changes: Educators knowledgeable and motivated to work in partnership with farmers, ranchers, the general public, and each other to develop programs and activities that enhance the sustainability of our food and agriculture with cultural sensitivity. Evaluation Methods: Contracted outside evaluator using surveys, interviews, training partnerships and sustainable agriculture projects that result from workshops.

    Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.