The Small Farmer-Tuskegee University-Walmart Project: Observations of the Steps within Commercial Supply

Abstract Observations of the various efforts necessary in an initiative, the Small Farmer-Tuskegee University-Walmart Project, to assist small farmers to comply with produce industry standards and supply produce to a major retailer over a six-year period were documented through an illustrative case study. The observations were taken from meetings with commercial buyers and farmers, site visits to processing centers and corporate farms, conference calls, and, mainly, from the authors’ “hands-on” participation with the functioning and preservation of this initiative. Consequently, these observations were organized into a framework of criteria that must be successively satisfied to be able to supply produce commercially. These criteria were capacity, capability, quality, food safety, consistency, sustainability, and marketability. A key finding was that for small farmers to meet these criteria, they required organization and support. It was concluded that although the effort was successful, the information gained through the effort was perhaps more valuable. Keywords: Small Farmers, Produce Markets, Commercial Supply, Capacit

The Challenges of Developing a Successful Cooperative through an Integrated Resource Approach: Small Farmer-Tuskegee University-Walmart Project

Abstract This paper shares the challenges that small, socially disadvantaged Alabama vegetable and fruit producers in Alabama faced and overcame to secure their USDA Produce Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) food safety certification. The commercial buyers, collaborating with the Small Farmers Agricultural Cooperative (SFAC) producers, required the producers to be certified. This certification was based on the regulated security standards for food safety, the Harmonized Food Safety Standards with the Global Addendum (Global Markets Primary Production Assessments). This venture entailed the integrated resource approach, which comprised experts from Tuskegee University (Extension and Research staff) working closely with SFAC producers. Additional support and experiential guidance was provided by other collaborating partners: Walmart, Lipman Produce, WP Rawls, Pura Vida, C.H. Robinson, Federal and State Auditors, and the USDA (Strike Force Initiative). The collaborative efforts led to the producers successfully obtaining their GAP certification and fulfilling their contractual agreement obligations, despite the unexpected challenges. Keywords: Socially Disadvantaged Farmers, GAP Certification, Integrated Resource Approac