Learning from the Grassroots: Input for Federal Food and Agricultural Researchand Extension Programs

摘要

During May and June, 1995, the Riley Memorial Foundation (RMF) organized andconducted four focus group 'listening sessions' designated to collect input from private-sector, grassroots consumers of the Federal agricultural research and extension education system on their perception of needs and priorities for agricultural research and extension. Although the research needs and priorities that emerged from each focus group reflected regionally specific issues and concerns, there was also a surprising degree of consistency in the common priorities echoed across the groups' rankings, including need for research on alternative agriculture; farm-level profitability and increased competitiveness in global agricultural markets; and issues of primary concern to food consumers--nutrition research, as well as research on food safety, food distribution and hunger problems. No clear consensus emerged on issues Extension ought to be addressing, but there was strong concensus that it was critical for the Extension system to resolve questions about its role in a modern food and agricultural organization of its operations, and effective methods for disseminating information; and also to foster better public awareness about agriculture and its contributions to society.