Grower communication networks: Information sources for organic farmers

Chelsi Crawford, Julie Grossman, Sarah T. Warren, Fred Cubbage

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

23 Scopus citations

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.

Original languageEnglish (US)
JournalJournal of Extension
Volume53
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 2015

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© by Extension Journal, Inc.

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