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Agricultural Risk Management
Agricultural Risk Management - English and
Spanish Curriculum
How these project materials were developed
These project materials
were developed through the support of USDA’s Risk Management
Agency Outreach program, and in a collaborative effort between
the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and
Farm and Agricultural Collaborative Training Services (FACTS).
The idea was to develop approaches and methods for training farmers
in risk management methods that focused on first identifying
gaps in risk management skills of the farmers, then developing
a curriculum to address the gaps. In our case, we knew the audience
in advance, and developed a survey which was designed to outline
knowledge gaps.
How to Use These Materials
First and foremost,
the materials should be used as a guide to provide
some ideas about how to approach non-traditional risk management
training. In the past, much risk management has focused on various
kinds of crop insurance. However, in order for a farmer to access
crop insurance, subsidized loan programs, etc, other skills must
first be developed: record keeping, cashflow budgeting, understanding
contracts, and planning and planting for one’s markets.
These materials are aimed at increasing understanding of these
later skills in the context of supporting the values and goals
most important to the farmer and his or her family.
Note: Some of the following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Acrobat Reader.
A CD-ROM with all the Risk Management documents listed
below is available upon request by calling ATTRA - National
Sustainable Agriculture Information Service at 800-346-9140.
Downloading large PDF documents directly from this Web site
may take a long time, depending on connection and computer
speed. |
This training guide
is divided into three sections.
Trainers
Manual: PDF, 610kb. This document is a user-friendly
curriculum that guides the trainer in six risk management
lessons which focus on identifying farm family goals, marketing,
managing money (individual cash flow budgeting), planting
for multiple markets, and contracts and regulations. The
last section covers developing an action plan to implement
changes on the individual’s farm. However, in the actual
training course, this session was changed at the request
of the participants to do cash flow budgeting at the cooperative
(as opposed to individual) level. The curriculum is easy
to follow, suggests what types of equipment and handouts
to use, what questions might be used to solicit information
from participants and what answers to look for. This curriculum
was developed so that each session’s topics flow into
the following session. Rearranging the session sequence will
require a close review of the curriculum for each session
to ensure that the training does not refer to a concept,
form or exercise that has not yet been introduced
Participants
Workbook: PDF, 850kb. (Also available in Spanish, Part
1, 4.8 mb, and Part
2, 3.8 mb). This document is used in conjunction with
the Trainers Manual as a teaching support. It is divided
into 6 lesson sections and contains handouts and worksheets
that pertain to each lesson.
Overheads: PDF,
141kb. (Also available in Spanish,
162 kb) These are used in conjunction with the Trainers
Manual as a teaching support. Some of these documents are
also "stand-alones." Many of the overheads have identical counterparts
in the Participants Workbook, which are a series of forms provided
to training participants.
Other materials
developed from this project:
Risk
Management Survey: Microsoft Word, 45 kb. (Also
available in Spanish,
41 kb.) This survey was developed to ascertain the risk management
skills of the participants of this training.
Introduction
to Risk Management Survey: In both Spanish and English
(Microsoft Word, 23 kb). Provides context of how the survey
document was developed and what it is used for.
Survey
Results (Microsoft Word, 28 kb): A summary of
survey results collected during this project.
The following useful stand-alone materials are available,
as well. English versions of these documents can be found in the English
Participants Workbook on the page numbers in parentheses. Spanish
versions are PDF files available for download.
Lessons learned from this project:
- It’s very
important to develop a curriculum that first meets the needs
identified by the farmers and balance that with providing
training in skills that surveys and observations indicate there
are knowledge/skills gaps.
- Communicate with
the folks that will be participating in the training. Listen
to their needs with respect to timing, duration, venue, and
content.
- Be flexible.
We changed the course content to address topics of priority concern
to growers, as well as to accommodate speakers’ schedules.
We reserved time in the final session to focus on topics of interest
and concern to the growers.
- Do not assume literacy
on the part of participants—reading levels may vary from
college level, to primary school, to functionally illiterate.
Do not equate literacy with intelligence! Use of detailed forms,
etc, must be geared to the literacy level of participants.
- Farmers
are very busy. Every effort should be made to make the training
interesting, compelling and fun.
- If at all possible,
try to develop a trusting relationship with one or more of
the farmers prior to the actual training. We met with the farmers
several times prior to the start of the training, and each
time we met, we learned more about their operation and situation.
An icebreaker on the front end of the training course, particularly
if trainers have not had extended contact with participants,
is recommended.
Last Updated February 19, 2008
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