| PROJECT SUMMARY |
Over the past several months, women affiliated with the Southern Rural Black Women´s Initiative,(SRBWI)as well as farmers affiliated with the Federation of Southeern Cooperatives, Inc., have attended educational and technical assistance workshops and participated in tours that have enhanced their skills relative to farming.
The work which they organized has been on a small-scale, however, the focus of their work has been to gain information on alternative crops, alternative farming, marketing strategies to consumers and wholesale customers. They are now able to more comfortably develop plans for their enterprises.
The groups toured one of the most successful organic farmers in the state of South Carolina. By visiting this site, the group was able to address most of the requirements itemized in this grant. They participated in workshops center around the benefits of organic farming. They received hands-on exposure to soil and compost, how it works and how it is prepared. The issue of pest management was addressed and how to determine the most feasible irrigation systems based on the availability of funds and their needs.
In addition, the group has mastered their ability to develop a Farm Business Plan Worksheet and they are getting proficient n in keeping records. The determination of their abilities can be seen in the results of three sets of questions given them where they answered of 72% correctly.
As a result of the information descried above, and the participants individual comfort zones, they increased the acreage and the crops that they planted. In addition to the collards, (as reported in the previous report), the women planted crops, such as peas-(5 varieties), okra, squash, greens-turnips and mustards. Each group increased their acreage by a least one acre.
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| NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: 30 |
| TOPICS COVERED |
| Product and enterprise diversification |
| Marketing strategies, plans and clubs |
| Direct, wholesale, and processing markets |
| Financial records, analysis, and bench-marking |
| Understanding of economic risks associated with new production technologies |
| Business and strategic planning |
