Completed Project Report


Managing Risk for Women Producers with Intensive Education

  • Award Amount: $39,998
  • Regional Center: Northeast Extension Risk Management Education Center
  • Grant Program: 2006 Small and Limited-Resource Producer
  • Project Director:
  • Email: akt122@psu.edu
  • Organization: Pennsylvania Women´s Agricultural Network

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Project Overview

Nationwide, women farmers are growing in number, while the total number of farmers continues to decline. Pennsylvania has 23,574 women farm operators, which is 27% of total operators in the state. Pennsylvania women farmers, like all farmers, face risks related to production practices and business management, but women farmers have gender-specific educational needs and prefer intensive and hands-on learning environments.

Women farmers typically enter farming from other professions, or are widows, and as such have received little formal or informal education in production practices, and lack experience in marketing or business planning. They also consistently request educational opportunities that stress hands-on and multi-directional learning in constructive environments.

The objectives of this project were to improve women farmers´ understanding of business management, product diversification, crop insurance, and production technologies through eight two-day intensive workshops. 106 women operators attended these programs. Of the 27 women operators who responded to the end of project evaluation, 20 said they had already made changes, or were likely to make changes in the next year to their risk management strategies.

Number of Participants: 106

Outcomes

Project Steps

PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS

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EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS

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REPORTS & EVALUATIONS

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DELIVERY AREA

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