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Creating and Communicating Risk Management Opportunities for Specialty Crop Producers

Mary Lutton

Summary

North Carolina’s specialty crop producers are underserved because appropriate crop insurance policies do not exist, and because they are not aware of and are not participating in existing policies. In order to address both these gaps in knowledge and coverage, RAFI has been working with farmers to analyze existing risk management options, and identify avenues to increase coverage for specialty crop producers.

RAFI has been conducting educational workshops and presentations, with outreach specifically focused on women, Hispanic, sustainable, specialty crop, and organic producers, to address the lack of knowledge regarding Whole Farm Revenue Protection, Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), and organic crop insurance options. These workshops are accompanied by a flash drive that comes preloaded with all of the materials covered during the workshop, so that growers can leave a workshop with a toolbox to help them navigate their risk management options. The success of these workshops is measured with pre/post surveys and there has been an average ~70% change in knowledge in regards to WFRP and NAP.

In addition to successfully addressing gaps in knowledge regarding crop insurance, RAFI has also been working to address gaps in crop insurance coverage. Prior educational outreach, surveys and focus groups have revealed a lack of coverage for many specialty crops in North Carolina, particularly strawberries. RAFI has been working with state and federal USDA agencies to create increased coverage for these specialty crop producers.

Details

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