Conferences
Exploring Risk Management Strategies in West Africa – an Eisenhower Agriculture Fellowship Experience
Jennifer Hashley
Summary
New Entry trains diverse farmers of all backgrounds to improve their risk management approaches to commercial farming. Many program farmers hail from Southeast Asia and Africa and some producers eventually repatriate to their home countries and continue to farm. Jennifer will describe New Entry’s farmer training approach in the US and her Eisenhower Fellowship to West Africa where she learned about the commercial agriculture sector in Nigeria, Ghana, and Liberia. The Eisenhower Agriculture Fellowship program has supported 25 U.S. agricultural leaders since 1993 with a customized five-week professional experience abroad. USA Agriculture Fellows must be active farmers or ranchers, with a track record of accomplishment in their field, and the potential for broad, positive impact in the future. Jennifer’s learning objectives were to investigate ways to bring to scale urban and peri-urban small holder farmer support systems, including extension programs, training curricula, cooperative networks, technology innovations and other approaches for assisting new entrants to agriculture with pathways to long-term success and sustainability. Jennifer’s aim was to learn about and incorporate strategies into New Entry’s strategic plan, update New Entry’s farmer training curriculum, and develop plans for scaling farmer support systems regionally and nationally. Jennifer will share her learnings from the sector: structural challenges, innovations, and risk management strategies utilized by West African producers. Hear updates from New Entry graduates in Ghana and Liberia and discuss future opportunities for farmer-to-farmer collaboration and the challenges of attracting and supporting the next generation of producers to the business of farming.
Details
| Conference | 2017 Extension Risk Management Education National Conference |
| Presentation Type | 75-Minute Professional Development |