by LORI STERN
PHOTO: TAKEN AT EARTHDANCE ORGANIC FARM SCHOOL, ST. LOUIS, MO, AND FEATURES FARMER AND EDUCATOR JENA HOOD. PHOTO CREDIT: EARTHDANCE.
ENGAGING COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE: A FACILIATOR’S GUIDE TO GROWER GROUPS Farmers rely on other farmers for information and advice on practices. Traditionally, this has been through relationships with neighbors and nearby family. With organic agriculture, a beginning farmer or farmer looking to transition to organic might not know any other organic growers in their own neighborhood or personal networks. Understanding the regulations and best organic practices to follow on their farm can be overwhelming for farmers, especially those without access to a community of other organic farmers. Today’s successful or-
ganic farmers were able to reach that sucess by collaborating and helping each other improve their operations. With the rise in popularity of online communities, the potential for connection and collective action broadens beyond just physical proximity. Funding from the NCR SARE program “Building Resilient Organic Farms through Communities of Practice” was initially earmarked to enable farmer groups to meet in person, build community around organic and sustainable agriculture, and sustain themselves beyond the grant based on shared interest and agricultural goals. However, the pandemic caused a shift in the program. Rather than assuming geography to be the shared identity as we all experienced ‘lock down,’ farmers expressed interest in cross cutting topics like mental health and wellness, anti-racism work, and adding value-added products to extend seasons and diversify income. Planned in-person communities of practice became a variety of distanced, virtual connections. Wanting this initiative to be truly farmer-led, farmers would contact Marbleseed with an express interest in starting a group. We would then use organizational networks and communication to share the news of a group’s formation. Once farmers convened, they determined how the group would stay in contact and be defined going forward. One group decided on a Facebook group, another opted for a Listserv, and a couple included Zoom video meetings with presenters and discussion. It was exciting to see people self-organizing and defining their purpose, creating structures that met their group’s specific learning and support needs. However, what became obvious very quickly is that these cross-cutting groups may have had more connections than the issue or concern that brought them together. “Growing Wellness”—formed to address farmer mental health—also included farmers with production concerns as well as rural community resource challenges. But, with the groups all structured so differently, there would never be a time when shared challenges would meet shared resources or ideas across the groups.
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