Completed Project Report


Institutional Market Readiness for Small Scale Alternative Crop Farmers in East Arkansas

  • Award Amount: $49,920
  • Regional Center: Southern Extension Risk Management Education Center
  • Grant Program: 2016 Education Projects
  • Project Director: Robert Cole
  • Email: eaec@sbcglobal.net
  • Organization: East Arkansas Enterprise Community (EAEC), Inc.

Extension RME Regional Centers
Extension Risk Management Education Region Map

Project Overview

 

This project addressed the production, price and marketing, legal, human resource and financial risks that inhibit producers from marketing to public schools. Schools are the largest, most consistent, geographically accessible, lucrative markets for producers in the rural farm communities served by this project.   This project used the Retail Ready for Local Farm Products document that was prepared by support from the Southern Risk Management Education Center to address risks faced by North Carolina small-scale farmers to address similar risks faced by farmers in Arkansas.  Four workshops were conducted for specialty crop producers in the counties of Lee, Phillips, St Francis, Monroe, Crittenden, Jefferson, Chicot and Desha to help them understand and plan to prevent potential risks in food production, financial record keeping , and, food safety (legal); and to help them to  comply with food procurement guidelines in order to market products to school districts. 


Number of Participants: 60

Outcomes

Project Steps

PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS

There are no promotional materials available for this project.

EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS

There are no educational materials available for this project.

REPORTS & EVALUATIONS

There are no reports or evaluations available for this project.

DELIVERY AREA

DESCRIBE ANY UNEXPECTED RESULTS OF THE PROJECT:

HOW WOULD YOU IMPROVE THE PROJECT IF YOU WERE TO DO IT AGAIN?

WHAT WERE THE KEYS TO SUCCESS FOR YOUR PARTICIPANTS?

INDIVIDUAL STORIES / EXAMPLES OF SUCCESS / QUOTES