I suggest following traditional extension techniques: provide newsletters
with relevant information, hold evening or day-long workshops, and field
days displaying sust. ag. practices. Interested growers may attend, and
relevant info may "trickle" down to those that didn't attend, and overall
increasing the awareness of the potentials for Sust. Ag. in the area. The
Farm Bureau recently organized a "Transition to SA" workshop in Kauai,
and was well attended- it was targeted to "conventional" growers. The
workshop included a presentation by a "conventional" grower that had
begun to practice "SA" techniques a few years ago- and in the process had
been able to "reclaim" the farm from yield "declines," pest-outbreaks,
and poor fertility. I believe that having this presentation to show "by
example" was an effective technique to disseminate the potentials for SA.
Good luck,
Hector Valenzuela
Vegetable Extension Specialist
Horticulture, University of Hawaii at Manoa
3190 Maile Way, No. 102
Honolulu, HI 96822-2279
Tel. 808-956-7903
Fax. 808-956-3894
hector@hawaii.edu
http://agrss.sherman.hawaii.edu/hort/
On Sun, 14 Jan 1996, Donna Meyer wrote:
> Recently I attended a jointly sponsored workshop by the Leopold
> Center and the Midwest Organic Alliance in Decorah Iowa. A question that
> was presented to me then and has been haunting me much longer, is how do I
> find the names of persons who may be on the edge of considering organic or
> sustainable agriculture. As it was put this way, suppose there are 1000
> people within your organization, and you know there are another 1000 people
> "in the closet" who may be just as interested in what you are doing, but
> because organics and sustainabe agriculture are not widely recognized in our
> area, because you are totally looked down upon if you are an organic or
> sustainable farmer, HOW do you get them out of the closet?? How do you find
> out who they are??
> I have a friend working for the goverment looking to survey
> sustainable farmers to see what type of information they need to receive to
> enhance their farms. I am looking to reach out to potential organic and
> sustainable farmers, to show a way rural community can be brought back to
> life, but I don't know where to find them!! Any ideas would be greatly
> appreciated!!
>
> Thanks.
>
> D. Meyer
> Hiawatha Valley Chapter of the Sustainable Farming Assn.
> MN OCIA (Organic Crop Improvemnt Association)
>
> e-mail dmeyer@win.bright.net
>
>
>
>