Renewing an Agriculture of the Middle: Research, Extension, and Outreach. Lessons from AOTM Research Fields

Since the creation of a task force on Renewing an Agriculture of the Middle (AOTM) in 2003, a network of scientists from diverse disciplines across the United States have collaborated on many funded projects; informed each... [ view full abstract ]

Since the creation of a task force on Renewing an Agriculture of the Middle (AOTM) in 2003, a network of scientists from diverse disciplines across the United States have collaborated on many funded projects; informed each other’s research topics, hypotheses, and study design; and shared research instruments in order to tackle complex issues surrounding AOTM. This initiative seeks to renew small and mid-sized farming and ranching through gaining a better understanding of how innovative market relationships emerging in the “middle” between direct and commodity marketing approaches can effectively build organizations and distinguish their products based on values such as environmental stewardship, farm viability, food quality, and fair trade.The current multi-state project group, NC 1198: Renewing an Agriculture of the Middle. Value Chain Design, Policy Approaches, Environmental and Social Impacts, focuses its investigation on four areas: (a) factors influencing economic performance and viability of mid-size farmers, (b) contributions of mid-scale supply chains to community goals and needs, (c) contributions of mid-scale supply chains to environmental goals and needs, and (d) governance structures of mid-scale supply chains. This panel of NC1198 members will highlight how their research sheds light on these four areas and the impact on AOTM.