301. Grower Communication Networks: Information Sources for Organic Farmers.
- Author
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Crawford, Chelsi, Grossman, Julie, Warren, Sarah T., and Cubbage, Fred
- Subjects
ORGANIC farmers ,SUSTAINABLE agriculture research ,AGRICULTURAL education ,AGRICULTURAL organizations ,ONLINE social networks ,GREEN collar workers - Abstract
This article reports on a study to determine which information sources organic growers use to inform farming practices by conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews with 23 organic farmers across 17 North Carolina counties. Effective information sources included: networking, agricultural organizations, universities, conferences, Extension, Web resources, personal experience, books, organic buyers/certifiers, and consultants. Results suggest that grower-to-grower networking is a highly effective information-seeking behavior for organic growers. Recommendations for Extension personnel include reshaping educational programing for organic growers to include peer-to-peer information sharing, as well as increased investment to graduate and undergraduate programs that train future Extension agents in organic production approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2015
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