This national project led Virginia Tech, funded through a cooperative agreement with USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service and in collaboration with the Illinois Institute of Technology aims to assess the distinct technical assistance (TA) needs of Black, Hispanic, and Tribal agricultural producers scaling to wholesale markets. The project will use a mixed methods approach to assess the current state of resources and outcomes as well as the technical assistance requirements to achieve the desired outcomes for wholesale agriculture marketing. The study will produce resources for technical assistance providers, including the Regional Food Business Centers, that will support Black, Hispanic, and Tribal producers.  

Goals and Objectives

This project will explore the following applied research questions, with the aim of developing recommendations, frameworks, and reference materials to support successful development and deployment of TA and other educational resources for Black, Hispanic, and Tribal producers:

  • What are the distinct TA needs of Black, Hispanic, and Tribal producers in the south-eastern and great lakes regions in selling to wholesale markets?
  • What are the core competencies of the technical assistance resources that meet the distinct needs of Black, Hispanic, and Tribal producers?
  • What kinds of learning and support resources are currently available to Black, Hispanic, and Tribal producers, and how well do they meet the core competencies and distinct needs of Black, Hispanic, and Tribal producers?

The study focuses on the two specified regions to pilot the process of developing and testing the methodology for compiling and evaluating relevant TA resources that meet Black, Hispanic, and Tribal producer needs. Though these two regions will pilot the research, this project will be beneficial and applicable to historically underserved producers across the nation. The methodology for this project will also be documented and shared with other regional organizations and the Regional Food Business Centers if they would like to replicate similar work in their areas.