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Introduction
The
vast majority of Florida’s nearly 44,000 farms are
classified as small farms. Calculated on an area or on an
economic basis, nearly 90% of all Florida farms are small
farms. Recent increased efforts to meet the educational
needs of small farmers in Florida became visible through the
work of the University of Florida/IFAS and Florida A&M
University Small Farms Focus Team. Efforts have included
the development of an extensive website specifically
targeted at small farmer needs. The site (http://smallfarms.ifas.ufl.edu)
receives over 70,000 hits monthly and includes a calendar of
small farms events. A series of regional small farms
conferences were initiated in 2006. At least a dozen
regional conferences are held annually and in addition, many
other county or local programs are being held now. These
programs are being attended by a few thousand people
annually.
As the success of the local and regional meetings, became
very apparent, a common question has also emerged from the
small farmers. That question is how can we get more
information and get to the “next level”? Although the
regional educational programs have been successful in
satisfying many educational needs, all Florida small farmers
are faced with similar challenges of (economics: land, gas,
inputs) increasing regulatory pressures, challenges of
marketing, etc. so that by coming together as a diverse
group, solutions can be identified. This has brought us to
the stage of starting a statewide small farms conference for
Florida.
The Conference will be useful and important to small
farmers, allied industry representatives, researchers,
educators, institutional members, policy-makers, small farm
commodity associations, foundations, and other interested in
strengthening the small farm community in Florida.
The Conference includes many activities that benefit small
farmers including:
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A general educational
session to attract well known speakers on topics of
broad interest.
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Concurrent educational
sessions (presentations, workshops, hands-on
demonstration, and discussion groups) will be provided
to share results of groundbreaking research and provide
educational support for producers to operate sustainable
and profitable enterprises.
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A large exhibition area
to introduce new products and technologies to small
producers will be available. Industry suppliers, allied
organizations, educational groups, funding agencies,
foundations, and other allied industry representatives
with services for small farmers will be encouraged to
participate.
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Other activities will
include other creative ways to facilitate farmer
networking at the Conference.
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All these activities in
total will help facilitate networking, dialog, and
visioning among members of the Florida small farms
community, and to increase awareness of the small farms
industry to decision makers, supporting institutions,
and the general public.
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