A lack of practical information and technical assistance has historically constrained the growth of the organic sector and made successful adoption of organic practices more difficult. While organic information resources have expanded greatly through the USDA’s Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI, launched in 2004) and Organic Transitions program (ORG, 2002), an assessment of the efficacy with which these resources reached farmers was needed.

The 2018 Organic Confluences Summit convened more than 180 farmers, researchers, Extension and other service providers, industry representatives, and policymakers to evaluate existing information delivery systems for organic producers and develop strategies to improve them. In addition to identifying needs, speakers discussed innovative knowledge transfer methods such as farmer-to-farmer mentoring and partnerships with NRCS and other service providers to link farmers with cutting edge research findings and conservation practices.

Some recommendations arising from the Summit include:
(1) Additional organic systems training for Extension led by experienced organic producers.
(2) Educational approaches that include farmers from a diversity of backgrounds and engage historically underrepresented constituencies as trainers and leaders.
(3) Organic research grant guidelines that ensure farmer engagement in all phases of the project and effective communication of outcomes through multiple venues.
(4) Research, development, and communication of regional knowledge, networks, and tools.
(5) Public-private partnerships to leverage funding, resources, and capacity.
(6) Collaborative networks of extension, non-profit, industry, and other educators utilizing non-traditional methods of information delivery to organic farmers.
(7) More dialog between organic and conventional farmers and service providers.
(8) A curated repository of credible and practical educational materials on organic systems communicated in plain language, not scientific jargon.