Empowering Farming Communities Through Information Tracking: A Design Approach to Crop Planning and Management

Agriculture is a key sector in the U.S. economy, supporting not only farmers but also industries like food processing and transportation. Due to labor shortages and an aging population, immigrant farmers have become essential to the workforce. However, they face challenges such as outdated tools, reliance on family labor, and uncertain land leases, contributing to economic insecurity. Additionally, their low literacy levels often result in ineffective tracking of crucial information, leading to missed opportunities in crop disease management and budget planning. Through interviews with 7 immigrant farmers and prototyping, we explored their everyday farming practices and identified opportunities for improved record-keeping. Our findings suggest that improved information tracking could facilitate learning, crop management, and community support. This research informs the design of self-tracking technologies tailored to farmers, offering insights into culturally relevant solutions. Based on these findings, the team will develop and deploy a high-fidelity prototype on local farms.