MINIMIZING POSTHARVEST LOSS, IMPROVING PRODUCT QUALITY, AND FOOD SAFETY IN THE BLACK BELT FOOD CORRIDOR

A convergence of factors has led to the need to develop a curriculum to empower small-scale farmers in the regional Black Belt to safely scale up operations and access new markets. In the aftermath of the COVID 19 pandemic, there is renewed interest from government, producers, and consumers in strengthening local and regional food systems. This has led to a greater number of wholesale and retail market opportunities for farmers in the region. Additionally, climate change and the water restrictions in the western part of the US have increased the competitiveness of growing regions with abundant water supplies, such as the Black Belt. The partners in this project are working directly with about 60 Black Belt growers who are interested in scaling up operations to participate in this new opportunity. While previously developed curriculum has narrowly focused on the need for beginning and experienced growers to meet regulatory requirements, this curriculum and experiential training activities will more broadly support them in their efforts to safely scaling up operations and will be guided by a producer and industry advisory group. The curriculum will also include elements of sustainable agriculture, encouraging farmers to adopt practices that are environmentally friendly and promote long-term ecological balance. This aligns with the growing consumer demand for sustainably produced food.According to the 2017 Census of Agriculture, Alabama is home to 4,208 Black farmers (2017 Census of Agriculture Highlights: Black Producers, 2019). Black producers are on average older than U.S. producers (60.8 versus 57.5 years in 2017) and more likely to be veterans. Black owned farms tend to be small with 57% having sales and government payments of less than $5,000 per year. This statistic highlights the limited resource status of this underserved farmer segment, but also the potential of this demographic sector to expand significantly. The geographic focus of this project, the Black Belt, stretches across the southern region and is characterized by high levels of poverty. The Black Belt has a history rooted in agriculture, abundant water, and rich soil, but discrimination, economic, and social changes over the years have contributed to a decline in both production and infrastructure. This project works with several ongoing projects to positively address these systemic issues faced by this socially disadvantaged farmer segment in rural America specifically termed the Black Belt Food Corridor. Additionally, to address the aging farmer population, this project places special emphasis on capacity building within our 1890 and 1862 Land Grant System and Black Belt farming community with opportunities for engagement of the next generation of food safety professionals and farmers at each stage of the project.According to R. Chen, an Agricultural Economist at Tuskegee University, most farmers in the region believe that most of their production losses occur during storage and transportation of their product to market (2023). Technical support in implementing technologies, like pre-cooling produce prior to transport, can statistically significantly reduce losses, however 85% of farmers have not accessed technical assistance. Growers report not knowing where to access information or not finding online information relevant to them. In the area served by this project, resource limitations also reduce the adoption of technologies that enhance postharvest quality. This project addresses the educational needs by providing technical information tailored to empower farmers to ensure the safety, quality, and shelf life of product and works with other projects to provide financial resources for equipment and facility upgrades.In 1906, Tuskegee pioneered the use of agricultural demonstration wagons (commonly called Jesup wagons) to instruct farmers in disadvantaged regions of the state about farming methods to improve production. The wagons were the beginning of what eventually became Cooperative Extension. More recent research also supports experiential learning as the best model for providing educational opportunities to farmers (Johnson, Carter, & Kaufman, 2008). Additionally, reports and studies since the passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) in 2011 have indicated that in person and experiential learning is needed by produce growers to be successful in implementing the standards. A recent study of Midwest farmers outreach method preferences specifically related to FSMA Produce Safety Rule outreach ranked face-to-face workshops highly over web-based outreach methods (Strohbehn et al., 2018) (Perry et al., 2019). The evaluation results from our previously funded FSOP project concur with the body of evidence supporting experiential learning (Woods et al., 2023).C. Objectives:Objective 1: Develop an array of curriculum materials to support minimizing postharvest loss, improving product quality, and upholding food safety in the Black Belt Food Corridor.Tuskegee University, Alabama A&M University, and Auburn University propose to develop a primary processing value-added curriculum for small, limited resource growers in the Black Belt region. Drawing on the legacy of George Washington Carver, technical information related to cooling, sorting, grading, and packaging will be presented using impactful experiential learning methods.The curriculum draws on the Small-Scale Postharvest Handling Practices: A Manual for Horticultural Crops (5th Edition) from UC Davis as the main source of content for the new material development. This comprehensive document contains 283 pages and a wealth of information related to all aspects of postharvest handling of crops. Because of its length and broad international scope, it lacks utility by small farms in the Black Belt. According to the national center for education statistics, up to 34% of Black Belt residents lack basic literacy skills, underscoring the need to present and teach technical content in a way that is easily understandable and break content into smaller pieces for digestibility by the audience. The materials developed will use industry best practices for the development of low literacy materials and the activities developed will employ best practices for adult education that will lead to greater understanding and ability to implement postharvest handling practices to improve product safety, quality, and shelf life. Additionally, the Small-Scale Postharvest Handling Practices book has not been updated since 2016. The materials will include FSMA related information from the Produce Safety and Preventive Controls for Human Foods Rules which have fully gone into effect since 2016.Objective 2: Support the development of the next generation of food science professionals with opportunities for engagement throughout the project.Alongside the material development process, we will offer internship, training, and outreach to young adults. Support for the next generation of food science professionals is woven throughout the project activities and a includes a strategic partnership with Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS) to increase awareness of food processing as a potential career path. The potential for postharvest practices to reduce food waste may be of specific interest to emerging cohorts who will become adults in an age where climate change and global food security are the world's most pressing problems. It is our hope that exposing young adults to opportunities in food science will help address the aging population of current producers and engage young adults as future food producers and entrepreneurs in the region.