UN Division for Sustainable Development

Case Study Detail Record

Organization type:	Government

Name of Ministry/Agency:	Department of State

Country:	United States of America

Name of Focal Point:	Hiram Larew

Initiative Title:	“One-stop information” Source on Sustainable Agriculture and Energy for Farmers and Ranchers

Internet links:	http://www.attra.ncat.org

Scope:	National: - United States of America

Status:	Ongoing

Timeframe:	Start: End:

Lead Institution:	U.S. Department of Agriculture

Stakeholders/Partners:	Farmers and ranchers.

Relevent issues:	- Food security and sustainable agriculture - Enhancing agricultural productivity through adequate and sustainable inputs - Community-based and indigenous approaches to food production - Diversifying agricultural production systems - Agrarian reform - Environmentally sound pest control - Water management in agriculture - Early warning systems for monitoring food supply and demand - Access to financing, investments or markets - Capacity building - Technology transfer - Research development

Objectives/Challenges:

The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service is a unique technical assistance service provided through a public/private partnership between USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service and the National Center for Appropriate Technology, a national nonprofit organization. This program offers a “one-stop shop” for farmers and ranchers -- the only national program to provide one-on-one technical assistance on sustainable agriculture and marketing to all 50 states.

Free technical assistance is offered via a toll-free number (800-346-9140) that is answered in English and Spanish for 12 hours per day. Assistance is also available through a website that offers more than 250 publications on topics directly related to sustainable agriculture and marketing. The technical staff includes highly qualified individuals representing diverse agricultural disciplines including horticulture, agronomy, animal science, agriculture economics and marketing; most staff members also have experience in farming, ranching, extension and education.

Lessons Learned:

One important way to encourage adoption of sustainable agriculture practices is to provide tailored technical assistance that is free, up-to-date, and easy to understand. Having a “one-stop” approach simplifies access to the latest information on production practices, alternative crop and livestock enterprises, innovative marketing, organic certification, and highlights of local, regional and national sustainable agriculture activities.

While an increasing amount of information can be made available on the internet, this program continues to provide hard copy material for people who do not have access to the internet. Clients enjoy receiving personal technical assistance on the telephone and receiving information tailored for their specific needs.

Summary:

Key results: In 2007, National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service provided more than 26,000 responses to technical assistance requests. Its website received more than 2.9 million unique visitors and more than 2.5 million publications were downloaded or printed from the site. In 2004, a third party evaluation of the services showed excellent, very high satisfaction ratings with the 800 line services, website, and information provided. A majority of respondents reported changing some part of their operation based on information received from the program.