Report on SARE-SSWAG Trip
January 14-17, 1999

Mike Everett
PO Box 86
Cactus, Texas 79013
(806) 966-5902

January 13. Met Isiais Cervantes at Amarillo Airport at 4 p.m. for trip to Jacksonville, FL. Arrived at Jeckyll Island, Georgia at 12 p.m., January 13.

January 14-15. Attended SARE Conference.

There were three overriding themes to the conference:

1. New partnerships - not only between county agents, farmers and others, but with NRCS, Farm Services, 1862 and 1890 institutions, consumers, food security groups, public health officials, policy makers, anti-hunger groups and processors. There has to be more direct communication and collaboration between all the stakeholders. The need to see education as a social investment, not a drain, is imperative for the future. Social organizations for farmers need to be formed to convey confidence to each other in times of stress and sharing triumphs.

2. Collect and communicate examples of successes in sustainable farming. There are 1200 SARE projects at present, not counting those in the past. There are many instances of farmers and communities turning themselves around with different methods, crops, marketing and other ideas and actions. A way to measure success needs to be developed and a way to disperse the results of different projects must be found. Many groups are working on similar projects but know nothing about each other and what methods, etc. they might share with each other instead of having to invent the wheel over every time.

3. Language and definitions of sustainable agriculture and the groups supporting and practicing more environmentally friendly farming most not shut out those who are not at present. The language used must be one of inclusion not hostility. Almost all farmers are after the same ends - food for the table, income from the lifestyle chosen and to be a good steward of the earth. We use different methods at present, but more traditional "Americanized" farmers must not be thought of as the enemy but as future recruits. Sustainable agriculture and economic development need to be tied together to meet the fundamental change in demographics and natural resource uses that lie in the future. If all politics are local, then the same must become true of agriculture and food production. Farmers must take back the middle of the food dollar after a century of steady decline in their share. New ways of marketing, value added products, recycling of resources and connection of all local organizations for the betterment of the community should be a goal.

We learned a great deal on this trip from different methods of farming, marketing, connecting with groups in other parts of the state and the entire South. Preliminary discussions on future collaborations with farmers in the Deep South were held as well as sharing of information on a variety of subjects.

Isiais and myself will be giving talks to the community about the things we saw and heard at the conference as well as discussing some of the ideas about collaboration with local county agents, NRCS personnel, consumers, other farmers, especially those in mainstream agriculture at present and with farmers and personnel we met at the conference and at the SSWAG meeting Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

At the SSWAG meeting we met with people from Texas and Oklahoma and discussed ways to keep in touch and how we could all work together to foment a revolution in the countryside of increased environmental awareness and need for protection, not because the government directs us to, but because it is ultimately in our best interest to protect and improve what we have.

I am not sure if you need a session by session description of the conference or if an overall summary such as this will suffice. I wish to say that the amount of learning over the four day period was incredible, as well as the connections with other farmers and workers all over the south, and especially in Texas and Oklahoma was worth every penny of the trip. Isiais and myself would like to thank the Extension Service for the opportunity to attend this conference and our appreciation is from the heart.