Funded by a grant from the U.S Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the Latino Farmers and the Adoption of New Technology (LAFAT) project, focuses on integrating advanced technology into the agriculture industry in Southwest Michigan through research, outreach, and education.

The goals of the work are to introduce farmers to appropriate production technology within the context of diversifying agricultural production, promoting sustainable production of selected vegetables and fruits, and adapting to climate and market changes of agricultural products.

More specifically, LAFAT project goals include:

  • Research: Producing knowledge on how social capital motives among Latino/a and small-scale farmers influences and facilitates their adoption of appropriate production technology as a key step toward improving their financial viability
  • Outreach: Facilitating the adoption of appropriate agriculture technology among small-scale farmers as a key step toward improving their financial viability
  • Education: Demonstrating and offering opportunities for small-scale farmers to learn necessary skills for farm management such as personal computer skill sets, financial analysis, access to credit and agricultural technologies

We expect to facilitate the connection of small-scale farmers to community stakeholders, including local businesses of seeds, chemical products, and equipment dealers; financial institutions such as banks and credit unions; and local community organizations such as clubs of gardeners, local libraries, community foundations, and other local organizations.

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For more information:

Contact: Marcelo Siles, Research Specialist