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The goal of this planning proposal is to improve the state of organic production in Alabama by first identifying the challenges that producers face and second identifying potential solutions for alleviating them so as to create economic opportunities for limited-resource farmers in Alabama.<P> The outreach objective is to organize a stakeholder's [state, federal, private, and non-government organizations (NGOs) including producer, processor, distributor and marker, and consumer groups] meeting during which we will: (1) review and evaluate research and extension efforts made and identify marketing and policy constraints on expansion of organic agriculture in the state, (2) determine farmers' primary research and extension needs, and (3) develop a priority list that ranks these constraints by importance. <P> The outcomes of the meeting will enable us to design a common strategy that will be the backbone of an integrated proposal to be submitted to the 2012 OREI Program for funding.
Non-Technical Summary: <BR>As of 2005, more than four million acres of farmland in the United States was certified organic, which represented less than 1.0% of the total farmland. The state with the most certified organic acres of cropland was California with 220,000 acres. According to the 2010 statistics, Alabama has the least number of organic CO in the country; with only eight in 2008; only Delaware has fewer than Alabama. The US Department of Agriculture reported that high managerial costs and the uncertainty of shifting to another way of farming, limited awareness of managing organic farming systems, absence of marketing opportunities and infrastructure, and the inability to attract marketing economies remain the major reasons for the slow adoption of organic farming practices. Thus, our long-term goals are to increase knowledge and acceptance of organic farming practices in Alabama. <P> Approach: <BR> Three land-grant universities in Alabama with support from Alabama Sustainable Agriculture Network and The Federation of Southern Cooperatives/ Land Assistance Fund are proposing to hold a two-day meeting to identify marketing and policy constraints on the expansion of organic agriculture in Alabama. When funded, we will hold a preliminary meeting that involves all our partners to plan details of the meeting. Our partners will be involved in planning, inviting representatives of the organic agriculture sector, publicity, advertizing, and encouraging stakeholders to attend the meeting. This approach leverages existing resources and helps to prevent duplication of efforts.