Hispanic farmers are the largest and fastest growing sector of minority farming groups in the United States. They are categorized as "socially disadvantaged" and most operate "limited resource" farms. In the Midwest, Michigan ranks first in the number of Hispanic farmers and, despite overall indicators of economic expansion of the agricultural sector, Michigan Hispanic farmers continue to show poor economic performance. The main objective of this dissertation is to analyze Michigan Hispanic farmers' access to, and participation in, federal, state and community-based organizations and support programs that are designed to improve their farming conditions. In addition, this dissertation analyzes farmers' marketing experience and ability to access local and regional markets that can increase farm income. Finally, the third objective is to analyze the use of social connections to access relevant marketing information in order to improve farm management. This dissertation followed a case study approach. In total, 50 Hispanic farmers were identified using a combination of key informants and snowball sampling techniques. The data collection strategy included structured in-depth interviews and group meetings, surveys of farm and demographic characteristics, and participant observations. Results included qualitative and quantitative analyses which were organized in three different essays. The first essay presents the current social and farming conditions of Hispanic farmers in Michigan - their need for production and marketing assistance and support, and their level of access to this assistance from federal, state or community-based organizations. The second essay explores Hispanic farmers' marketing experience, skills, and expectations for the future. The objective is to identify farmers' specific marketing needs and limitations, and areas in which government and community-based agents could assist these farmers' efforts to improve their marketing opportunities. Finally, the third essay illustrates the importance of social and business connections so that Hispanic farmers have more access to marketing information. In order to succeed and remain competitive in agro-food value chains, Hispanic farmers need to focus on mechanisms to access such important information.The results suggest that Hispanic farmers in this sample generally do not use the resources available to them, and those who most need it are less likely to participate in programs designed to support their farm endeavors. While Hispanic farmers have been able to access local markets over the years, they still struggle with identifying and accessing new markets, and rely heavily on single-market strategies that increase dependence on these markets. They have not defined a marketing objective that would guide their efforts to improve their farm viability. Nevertheless, these farmers have an extensive network that can become a method to overcome marketing limitations. Nonetheless, they still face issues of limited connections outside their local markets, and lack of trust among other Hispanic farmers. Coordinated policies and outreach efforts among farmers, extension and NGO agents can help Hispanic farmers increase their participation in local value chains, and improve their farm viability
Read
