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About ASAN

The Alabama Sustainable Agriculture Network (ASAN) is a network of farmers, consumers, and agriculture-related organizations, all committed to promoting sustainable agriculture in Alabama. ASAN's mission is to support conservation practices, families who grow and consume natural food and fiber, and the communities where they live.

Farmers and others in Alabama interested in sustainable agriculture had been isolated and frustrated with their inability to effect change as individuals, to learn about sustainable practices, and to learn from the experiences of others. In addition, those attempting to practice sustainable agriculture or affect change needed the motivation and success that a group can provide. In 2001, Alabama attendees at the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group conference recognized these needs and decided to create a sustainable agriculture network in Alabama. ASAN’s steering committee included full-time farmers using sustainable practices as well as professionals who have worked, taught and marketed in the sustainable agriculture arena for years. Six years later, ASAN has implemented a number of programs to share information with farmers, educators, and consumers, and it continues to grow and expand its offerings. ASAN offers educational opportunities to the public through:

Field Days at successful farming operations in Alabama using sustainable practices and marketing strategies. Participants can see first hand the sustainable production of fruits, vegetables and flowers, long-term soil improvement and pest control methods, pasture­based livestock and dairy operations and value-added processing facilities.

Conferences and Workshops, sponsored by ASAN and by partner organizations, on organic and sustainable production and marketing strategies. We keep a current calendar of events on our website and send out updates via email and our newsletter.

Farmer-to-Farmer Training that links farmers with experienced producers to assist in whole farm planning and the transition to alternative methods of production and marketing. Our program provides one-on-one technical assistance, help with developing a business plan, and some micro-loans to get enterprises started.

Work with grassroots and community organizations to streamline efforts and build coalitions to help reach both farmers and consumers more effectively and efficiently.

Resources including a newsletter, website, and this guide.

ASAN’s goals:

·    Increase awareness and appreciation for sustainably-produced food and fiber.

·    Expand sustainable agriculture practices among farmers through education and training.

·    Promote methods for increasing farm gate prices and easy access to markets.

·    Promote the interests of sustainable agriculture among state and local lawmakers and officials.

·    Help develop the next generation of sustainable farmers.

·    Help increase food security in urban and rural areas.

·    Create opportunities to network for business and pleasure.

·    Build a culturally diverse network of sustainable farmers and consumers.

·    Create an organization that is financially and structurally sound.

 

http://www.aamu.edu/smallfarmers/

The concept of a Small Farms Research Center at Alabama A&M University (AAMU) devoted to  small farms issues and their impact on the sustainability of these farms was first conceived in 2000 with funding from USDA’s National Office of Outreach under Section 2501of the 1990 Farm Bill. The 2501 project (a.k.a. Small Farmers’ Outreach and Technical Assistance Project) at AAMU received its first funding in 1994. The overall goal of the project at that time was narrow and restricted to the provision of outreach training and technical assistance in record keeping, and delivery of production and marketing information to farmers not reached by traditional extension programs. The clientele in this category usually operate small-scale, family-owned or managed farms, often with limited resources. 

As project staff and faculty grew in numbers and became diverse, and activities became more complex and holistic in nature, the need for a Center to conduct sound and targeted research, provide quality education and effectively deliver outreach training to underserved agricultural producers and land owners became increasingly inevitable. Thus, the Small Farms Research Center was initiated in 2000 to provide services throughout Alabama, with special and particular emphasis on 21 underserved counties in north Alabama. The Center is an integral part of the Department of Agribusiness within the School of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. It is housed in 215 James I. Dawson Cooperative Extension Building on AAMU campus. It caters and responds directly to the needs of small and limited resource farmers, researchers, organizations, agribusiness management specialists, extension agents, and consumers by providing research results, publications, outreach, and educational programs on small farms topics.

The Center is multi-faceted, with increasingly diverse functions including, but not limited to, the following:

·          Serving as a clearinghouse for questions from small and limited resource farmers, land owners, farm and agribusiness management specialists, extension personnel, government officials and agencies, and the academic community;

·          Conducting socio-economic research and evaluating issues and factors that might directly impact the profitability of limited resource farms, enhance economic development, and promote viability and overall sustainability of local communities;

·          Publishing research findings, manuals, fact sheets, proceedings, pamphlets, leaflets, and a quarterly newsletter that include news of upcoming events, publications, topical issues, and profiles of outstanding and exemplary small farmers, extension personnel and key local community leaders;

·          Sponsoring workshops and conferences, conducting, distributing, and promoting information about on-farm research, sustainable practices, and marketing strategies for small farmers;

·          Organizing farm-based events and learning opportunities that promote and educate local agricultural producers and community members;

·          Fostering connections between area farmers/land owners and community members that establish and promote communication about local agricultural concerns;

·          Organizing and coordinating local, regional and statewide conferences, meetings, training workshops, and symposiums, and supporting extension personnel, farm management specialists, farmers markets and farm organizations in regional and local programs;

·          Providing opportunity for local small and limited resource farmers to socially, educationally and philosophically interact; and

·          Providing leadership and coordination for all sponsored/non-sponsored projects within the Center.

About the USDA’s 2501 Program

This guide was funded in part by a grant from the USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CREES) under the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Program (called the 2501 program after its section in the legislation that created it). The program’s objectives are to conduct outreach and technical assistance to encourage and assist socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers to own and operate farms and ranches, and to provide information on application and bidding procedures, farm management and other essential information to participate in agricultural programs.