Grower Communication Networks: Information Sources for Organic Farmers

Authors

• Chelsi Crawford, Clemson University
• Julie Grossman, University of Minnesota
• Sarah T. Warren, North Carolina State University
• Fred Cubbage, North Carolina State University

Volume

53

Issue

3

Abstract

This article reports on a study to determine which information sources organic growers use to inform farming practices by conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews with 23 organic farmers across 17 North Carolina counties. Effective information sources included: networking, agricultural organizations, universities, conferences, Extension, Web resources, personal experience, books, organic buyers/certifiers, and consultants. Results suggest that grower-to-grower networking is a highly effective information-seeking behavior for organic growers. Recommendations for Extension personnel include reshaping educational programing for organic growers to include peer-to-peer information sharing, as well as increased investment to graduate and undergraduate programs that train future Extension agents in organic production approaches.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Crawford, C., Grossman, J., Warren, S. T., & Cubbage, F. (2015). Grower Communication Networks: Information Sources for Organic Farmers. Journal of Extension, 53(3), Article 31. https://doi.org/10.34068/joe.53.03.31