Updated project overview at project completion: We reached at least 250 participants through more than 25 webinar programs. The webinars are complemented with eight (8) Virginia Cooperative Extension publications (so far) with additional publications under development. Because of the pandemic, we were able to reach a broader audience than would have been feasible with in-person presentations, and we were also able to draw on a much broader network of experts from outside Virginia for nine (9) of the webinars. (Note: two of the webinar recordings are not available because of technical difficulties. The PD is hoping to re-record them both.)
Updated project overview as of July 1, 2020: The goal of the project is to enhance farm viability in Virginia with an innovative, integrative risk management education and outreach program focused on improving farm sustainability (economic, environmental and social) and marketing sustainable practices. The program will draw on current and cutting-edge research findings on sustainable farms and food generated by researchers and industry partners within Virginia’s SmartFarm Innovation Network. The outreach project will provide much-needed risk management education for beginning farmers who are in search of basic business training support and resources in Virginia and for long-time farmers who seek to improve their farm’s or agribusiness’s economic viability, environmental sustainability, and social responsibility. During this unprecedented time, with a pandemic generating serious worldwide health risks and widespread unemployment, managing risk is more important than ever for farm businesses. The pandemic has necessitated new thinking about economic viability, social responsibility, and even environmental management along the lines of managing the spread of diseases from wildlife to humans. As part of this project, educational tools will be developed and verified at regional workshops (if feasible considering COVID-19) and annual in-service training of Virginia Cooperative Extension Service (VCES) agents. The main delivery platform for most participants will be live webinars and YouTube videos, accompanied with a printed Virginia Sustainable Farms and Agribusiness Toolkit. The focus will be to provide culturally-appropriate examples and instruction on production and marketing risk management, with some additional emphasis on financial, legal, and human risk management. As a result, 300 farmers and agribusiness operators will successfully manage and mitigate risk, and 80 VCES agents will be trained to advise farmers and agribusiness operators on these practices. Since the outreach materials will be available online, the program will reach extension agents, farmers, and business operators outside Virginia and will serve as a model for the development of similar extension programming in other states.