Surviving Disasters Through Risk Management for Farmers in North Carolina
Extension Education
Nelson Brownlee
Area Small Farms Agent
NC Cooperative Extension
Lumberton
Abstract
Small-scale producers need the ability to deal with risks that come with natural and man-made disasters. To assist small farmers with this challenge, North Carolina Cooperative Extension conducted a series of Risk Management Workshops for farmers in Eastern North Carolina. The project was funded by Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension. The goal of each workshop was to assist small and underserved farmers in Eastern North Carolina respond to risk by developing their own personal disaster risk management plans. Applied education consisting of two sequential workshops in Durham and Lumberton supplemented by homework assignments and individualized counseling was delivered by local educators. The primary outcome was for participants to develop the skills and to understand their own operations well enough to establish a written goal for each of the five areas of risk specific to their farm, (production, financial, marketing, legal, human) delineate for each goal at least three specific actions to reach those goals, and commit to follow through and implement their personal disaster risk management plan. There were 32 participants who attend at least one of the workshops. Evaluations conducted at the beginning and end of the workshops showed that participants behavior and understanding of risk had increasd. They also felt that the workshops were very successful and they fulfilled their reason for attending. Currently they are working on developing their personal disaster risk management plans. With these tools local farmers can build the confidence they need to deal with future disasters.
Poster has NOT been presented at any previous NACAA AM/PIC
This poster is being submitted for judging. It will be displayed at the AM/PIC if not selected as a State winner. The abstract will be published in the proceedings.
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Authors: Nelson Brownlee, John Lyttle
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Brownlee, N. Area Small Farms Agent, NCCES, North Carolina, 28359
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Lyttle, J. Local Foods Agent, NCCES, North Carolina, 27701