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An Educational Outreach Extension Program to Train Fruit IPM Scouts: A Pilot Program Targeting Migrant Workers and Hispanic/Latino Blueberry Growers in Michigan - Final Report
Disclaimer
This report was prepared by an EPA assistance agreement recipient and represents only the views of the author rather than EPA.
Carlos Garcia-Salazar1, Anamaria Gomez-Rodas2, John C. Wise2, Rufus Isaacs2, Annamiek Schilder3, Eric J. Hanson4, Antonio Castro-Escobar5, and Juan Marines1
1MSU Extension
2MSU Department of Entomology and Center for Integrated Plant System
3Plant Pathology
4Department of Horticulture
5Michigan Department of Agriculture. East Lansing, MI
Project Coordinator
Carlos Garcia-Salazar, Ph.D., Small Fruit Extension Agent
West Central Region, Ottawa County
Michigan State University Extension
333 Clinton St
Grand Haven, MI 49417-1329
616-846-8250 or 800-764-4111x-8250
616-846-0655 (fax)
garciac@msue.msu.edu
Executive Summary
We developed an IPM Scout training program with a bilingual technical curriculum alongside a “Cap Stone” social framework program replicable in other regions with other crops. This pilot program was intended to set the stage for the successful transition of the blueberry industry to environmentally friendly production practices, provide farm workers with job opportunities and awareness of pesticide health hazards for themselves and their families.
This program attracted a total of 22 trainees, 6 Hispanic/Latinos and 16 Caucasians in 2003, and in 2004 a total of 38 trainees, 5 Hispanic/Latinos, 1 African American and 32 Caucasians. Minority and disadvantaged grower enrollment increased from 33% in 2003 to 66% in 2004, and there were more female blueberry growers attending than before, 27.03% vs.21.73 % in 2003. The training benefited approximately 2700 acres of blueberries during 2003 and 6586 acres during 2004. In addition, 11 Hispanics and 1 African-American upgraded their work skills or learned how to apply new blueberry production practices and pest control tools. Also, under this IPM Scout training program a total of 16 growers/farm workers were certified to apply restricted use pesticides. Of those certified, five Hispanics obtained their certification in 2003 and four in 2004. This alone benefited approximately 800 acres of blueberries. If we consider that contracting pest control with commercial applicators cost on average $30.00/acre certified growers saved approximately $24,000 per application.
Introduction
A high incidence of diseases associated with the use of conventional (organophosphate and carbamate) insecticides among agricultural producers, and their families have been reported over the years (Sewell and Whyatt 1989, Whyatt and Nicholson 1991). In response, in 1996 Congress enacted the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) (1996, Public Law 104-170). The EPA’s implementation of the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) has resulted in the elimination or restriction of many conventional pesticides (i.e.; organophosphate and carbamate insecticides) traditionally relied upon for fruit production. However, a successful transitioning from conventional pesticide-based agriculture to integrated programs utilizing reduced-risk pesticides is highly dependant on comprehensive pest scouting services. In Michigan, there is already a chronic need in the fruit industry for scouts, particularly among minority fruit growers (especially newcomer Hispanic/Latinos/Hispanics) unable to take full advantage of the scouting and Extension services provided by the Land Grant University system. A key difficulty in meeting the demand for scouts in Michigan is that the growing season is only 4-6 months long. Even though scouts are well compensated for their pest-monitoring services ($40 to $50 per acre per season), they have difficulty finding employment during the dormant season. This limits the pool of candidates interested in making a career of IPM scouting, and the implementation of integrated pest management (IPM). So far, on-farm employees, family members, farm community members, independent crop consultants, and agricultural chemical company field representatives conduct scouting, on a limited basis. However, very often minority fruit growers (particularly Hispanic/Latinos) are not able to take full advantage of the scout services or resources available through the private consultants or traditional Agricultural Extension system of the Land Grant Universities. Currently, five agrochemical suppliers provide most of the scouting, recruiting, and training services in the fruit growing regions of Michigan. However, every year the demand for scouts exceeds their availability. Migrant and minority farm workers are an underutilized human capital resource readily available to the Michigan fruit industry. Under an appropriate adapted educational training program, these individuals can provide the much needed scout services for both Caucasian and Hispanic/Latino fruit grower communities
To alleviate the deficit of qualified IPM scouts and to provide new job opportunities to Hispanic farm workers, we proposed the creation of a training program to train migrant workers and Hispanic/Latino fruit growers as paraprofessional scouts to provide IPM scout services to the fruit industry of Michigan. This proposed training program comprised a bilingual Spanish-English technical training on Integrated Pest Management, business know how on becoming self-employed in both in Spanish and English, and a cross-cultural education cap stone program that provide the trainee with a social reference frame to make the transition from laborer to entrepreneur. However, there were some obstacles to achieve this goal. The Extension services of most Land Grant Universities have tried to serve the Hispanic/Latino population but with limited success. Extension programs are taught in English and not all workers speak or understand the dominant language. There is also the fact that most educational materials have been traditionally targeted towards the more educated mainstream producers. On some occasions the educational materials have been translated without taking into consideration the literacy level or the culture of Hispanic/Latino farm workers. Hispanic/Latinos as a group attain the least numbers of years of schooling resulting in high rates of illiteracy (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). Thus, our immediate goal was to develop a curriculum that met the literacy level of the trainee, to develop bilingual educational materials and to test the implementation of the training program. The ultimate goal of this project was to develop a training model for Hispanic/Latino farm workers and part-time fruit growers that can be replicated beyond the fruit industry of Michigan into fruit crops grown in the southern states that are part of their annual migration cycle.
Project Goals and Objectives
- Create an “IPM Scouting Certificate” pilot program from Michigan Sate University Extension that will provide the blueberry industry with on-going paraprofessional integrated pest management scouts, utilizing the state’s Hispanic/Latino/Hispanic fruit growers and migrant workers.
- Create a “Cap Stone” cross-cultural education curriculum to provide Hispanic/Latino migrant workers and part-time fruit-growers with leadership skills necessary to become self-employed and better integrated into mainstream society.
- Develop a bilingual technical curriculum, using a hands-on approach that meets the literacy level of the trainee.
- Empower Hispanic/Latino/Hispanic blueberry growers and farmworkers by improving their annual income as a result of skills acquired that will enhance self-reliance and self-esteem.
Approach and Methods
The training program was designed as “hands-on” workshops and conducted in the MSU Trevor Nichols Research Complex’s IPM Training Room located in Fennville, MI. This facility is in close proximity to the major blueberry-growing region at the state of Michigan. The first approach to training was a curriculum-based program, utilizing classroom, laboratory, and in-field training. The curriculum also included a social reference frame as a “Cap-Stone” program designed to empower Hispanic/Latino/Hispanic blueberry growers and farmworkers by providing them leadership and social skills necessary to succeed as a self-employed individual.
The classroom training covered IPM theory, pesticides and safety, horticultural basics, entomology, plant pathology, animals, weeds, scouting methods, record keeping, and basic business principles. The workshops involved intensive time in blueberry fields learning to identify pests, their damage, as well as beneficial organisms during the growing season at key scouting periods. There were also demonstrations of the proper use of monitoring tools and techniques. This included laboratory time where participants used teaching microscopes to further study pest stages and their identification. Each training session consisted of both a technical and a Cross-Cultural component.
The “Cap-Stone” curriculum included subjects such as Leadership training, Bookkeeping, Tax education, Immigration issues, and cross-cultural education. Courses were taught in English, using bilingual material designed explicitly for this course. In cases where the trainees had limited command of the language, a help session was available at the end of each training period. Training sessions were 5 hours long with 10-minute coffee breaks and one-hour lunch breaks. Participants received a "tool kit" for in filed scouting that included: a hand lens on a lanyard, a pocket knife, MSU Extension publications E-154 "Fruit Spraying Calendar", Blueberry IPM Scouting Fact sheets, NRAES-55 Highbush Blueberry Production Guide, Weed ID bulletins, a Pesticide Applicators Core Manual, and other pertinent materials. We conducted the classroom section during the dormant season from March to April and the “hands-on” section during the blueberry growing season. The “hands-on” field practices were timed to coincide with the phenology of the blueberry crop and the presence of the most important pest, disease and weed problems in the blueberry fields of Michigan.
Every “hands-on” practice session started with a classroom presentation. There trainees were shown the kind of insect, disease or weed problems they were going to scout for in a previously selected field. The field was selected based on the presence and abundance of the organisms we were interested on scout for. ID cards showing the pests the trainees were going to scout for were provided to the class in both English and Spanish. Because one of the requirements was that all Hispanic participants had reading level equivalent to 5th grade, the classes were taught in English with an optional help session at the end of every class period. Help sessions were both in Spanish and English.
A certificate of completion of the blueberry IPM training program was offered at the end of the training to trainees that attended all sessions.
Impact Assessment
Fruit Industry. Variables indicators of the success of our program that will be measured at the completion of training are: a) Number of trainees recruited, b) Number of trainees successfully completing the training, c) Number of Certified trainees placed at the end of training. The impact on the small fruit industry will be measured in terms of the number of acreages with IPM scouting service, before and after the program.
Social Impact. Besides providing much-needed scouting services, the training of temporary farm workers would provide an opportunity for new immigrants to improve their well-being and would pave the way for their integration into mainstream society. A follow-up evaluation, will include 1) Number of Certified trainees returning to the fruit industry one year after training, and 2) Improvements on Certified trainees’ well-being and self-confidence.
Results
Development
of a Blueberry IPM Scout Training program.
We developed
the training curriculum, including a “Cap Stone” component,
and conducted the first pilot program during the Spring 2003 at the MSU
Trevor Nichols Research Complex in Fennville, MI. The “Cap Stone” component
provided a Cross-cultural education and leadership skills training,
and the whole program can be replicable in other regions with other
crops.
A certificate of completion of the blueberry IPM training program
was offered at the end of the training. This program was a cooperative
effort of seven MSU Faculty and MSU Extension agents.
The training curriculum included both classroom sessions and field “hands-on” sessions as follows:
CLASSROOM SECTION
SESSION 1
• Introduction to IPM: Insects, Diseases and Weeds
• Understanding Blueberry Plant Growth and Development
• Cross-Cultural EducationSESSION 2
• Understanding Insect Growth and Development
• Understanding Plant Disease Development
• Cross-Cultural EducationSESSION 3
• Understanding Weeds and Soils
• Principles of Scouting in Blueberries
• Leadership TrainingSESSION 4
• Blueberry Insect Pests: Monitoring and Management
• Pesticide Safety and Regulations
• Immigration Changes and Labor RelationsSESSION 5
• Blueberry Weeds: Monitoring and Management
• Blueberry Diseases: Monitoring and Management
• Understanding Basic Accounting PrinciplesSESSION 6
• Use and management of insecticides, fungicides and herbicides
• Understanding Basic Principles of Tax preparationFIELD PRACTICE SECTION
SESSION 1
• IPM Record Keeping to Report Scouting Results
• Use of Scouting Equipment and Diagnostic SheetsSESSION 2
• Field Scouting Techniques for early season Insects, Diseases & Weeds problemsSESSION 3
• Field Scouting Techniques for mid-season Insects, Diseases & Weeds problemsSESSION 4
• Field Scouting Techniques for early season Insects, Diseases & Weeds problemsSESSION 5
• Field Scouting Techniques for late season Insects, Diseases & Weed problems
• Soil and Plant Tissue Sampling Techniques
The technical portion of the training curriculum provided the necessary information on the basics for blueberry crop management including IPM in such a way that a person with no previous knowledge of farming would be able to grasp the basic concepts of farming blueberries or become an IPM scout. The techno-social classroom sessions were 50 minutes long and lasted for 6 weeks, on a once per week 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM schedule. Question and answers were encouraged during each of the participatory lectures. A major difference of this program with other training programs offered to the fruit industry is that it is taught with educational materials developed at the audience’s level and in both Spanish and English.
The “Cap Stone” social framework provided trainees with insights into the concept of Leadership and its importance for both farm owners and farm workers to understand their position and their role in the production chain. In a production activity where more than one culture works together toward the same goal, Cross-cultural education is basic to optimize cooperation and efforts to get the best of those cultures to achieve common objectives.
In 2003, we started the training program with 6 Hispanics, and 16 non-Hispanic blueberry growers and farm workers. The composition of the group was: Hispanics: 2 woman and 4 males. From this group, there were 2 farm workers and 4 blueberry growers. Non-Hispanics: 4 females and 11 males. From this group 4 were farmworkers or private consultants and 12 blueberry growers. In 2004, the program attracted a total of 38 trainees, 5 Hispanic/Latino (1 female and 4 males), 1 African American female and 32 Caucasians (21 males and 11 females). Minority and disadvantaged grower enrollment increased from 33% in 2003 to 66% in 2004, and there were more female blueberry growers attending than before, 27.03% vs.21.73 % in 2003.
A “Cap Stone” social reference framework to provide social skills to become self-employed. One of the main obstacles for Hispanics employed in the fruit industry is to crossover the cultural barrier that very often divides Hispanics from mainstream America. Latino fruit growers feel alienated from mainstream society. They do not know how to integrate as fruit producers and feel their counterparts do not treat them as equals. As new immigrants, the challenge of adjusting to strange, new living environments often contributes to feelings of isolation and loneliness (Menchaca and Ruiz-Escalante, 1995, Instructional strategies for migrant students. Oct. 1995. EDO-RC-95-10). Our cross-cultural curriculum compared principles and values (possible assumptions and behaviors), hierarchy of relationships, communication styles (verbal and non-verbal), time orientation, self-control of feelings (suppression of emotions), sex roles, definition of education, and expectations. The leadership component provided participants with examples of the different styles of leadership and their impact on the farm operation and employees management. This combined with the cross-cultural component was an eye-opener to both farm owners and farm workers as they saw the importance of communication and leadership style to succeed in their endeavors. Thus, our “Cap Stone” program provided both Caucasian and Hispanics with a cultural reference framework to improve the relationship between Caucasian farm owners and Hispanic farm workers.
For some farm owners the “Cap Stone” program helped them to immediately resolve issues dealing with managing crew leaders, salary payments to minors, job openings to fill positions of responsibility in their operations, and cultural behavior that seemed offensive to the other culture and had a negative effect in the relationship between employer and employee. For farm workers in the program it was an opportunity to interact with farm owners on an equal basis and strengthen their relationship with their employers. An after the training evaluation conducted one year after taking the blueberry IPM scout training showed that at the beginning of the program 100% of all participants were comfortable working and doing business with people of different culture meaning Latinos, African Americans and Caucasians. However, one year later after taking the “Cap Stone” program 90% of all participants indicated they were more confident than at the beginning of the program. One of the exceptions was the understanding of immigration and labor regulations in Michigan. At the beginning of the training 62% of those attending the training did feel comfortable with their level of understanding. One year later 89% of those responding our questionnaire indicated a high level of confidence on their understanding of these issues. There were also low comfort levels in the topic of understanding crop insurance. However, after training, all levels of comfort had increased to at least 75% of respondents
Empowerment of disadvantaged growers and farm worker through a “Cap Stone” program alongside a technical curriculum. The combination of a technical curriculum and a “Cap Stone” program was aimed to empower disadvantaged growers and farm workers by providing them with not only technical but also social educational skills. For example, a Latino housewife started college after being inspired by the female instructors she had in our course. She also organized a Latino blueberry growers association and during Michigan’s budget crisis, she testified in front of a House of Representatives Committee on the importance of funding for the MSU Agricultural Experiment Station and its educational programs.
Also, two Caucasian females were able to enhance their production, business, and cross-cultural skills. In the first case a newcomer into the blueberry industry not only learned new crop management tools but also marketing and management skills to operate a small store to sell her blueberry products. The other woman became aware of the cultural differences between Latinos and Caucasians. This allowed her to manage Latino male crews in her blueberry farm that before the training seemed impossible to achieve. In another case, two Latinos, one a part-time blueberry grower, with no previous farming experience and the other one a farm worker, profited from the “Cap-Stone” program by learning about immigration laws, hiring of labor, and the cross-cultural differences when dealing with Caucasians. After the training, both were able to conduct business deals with Caucasian blueberry growers and were able to speak in public meetings about the needs and concerns of the Latino farming community. Another example of empowerment through improvement of work skills and knowledge is the acquisition of “Private Pesticide Applicator” licenses through our training program. Under this IPM Scout training program a total of 16 growers/farm workers were certified to apply restricted use pesticides. Of those certified, five Latinos obtained their certification in 2003, and five Latinos and one African-American female in 2004. This alone benefited approximately 800 acres of blueberries. If we consider that contracting pest control with commercial applicators cost an average of $30.00/acre all certified growers saved approximately $24,000 per application
Impact Assessment
Fruit Industry. The immediate success of this approach to training is reflected by number of trainees that completed the training during the 2-year duration of the pilot program. We recruited 23 trainees during 2003. Of those recruited 22 completed the training; 6 Latinos and 16 Caucasians. The percentage of farm workers attending the training was 57% and 43% was farm owners. In 2004 a total of 38 trainees were recruited but only 36 completed the training, 5 Latinos, 1 African American and 30 Caucasians. Farm workers attending the program comprised 35% of the enrollment while farm owners comprised 65%. Enrollment of minority and disadvantaged growers increased from 33% in 2003 to 66% in 2004, and there were more female blueberry growers attending than before, 27.03% vs. 21.73 % in 2003.
Most farm workers recruited during the duration of the pilot program were already employed in the blueberry industry with the exception of four trainees. However, 82% of the trainees recruited in 2003 indicated they did not perform IPM scout activities previous to the training program. Only 61% of those trainees recruited in 2004 indicated that they performed some IPM scout activities previously to enroll in the training program. Currently, all trainees are successfully employed in the blueberry industry both as farmers or farm workers.
Regarding number of acres benefited by the blueberry IPM scout training program, the training benefited approximately 2,700 acres of blueberries during 2003 and 6,586 acres during 2004. Taking as a base line the acreage owned or scouted by the trainees before and after the program, the impact of the Blueberry IPM Scout Training program on the blueberry industry represented an increment of 29.66% in terms of number of acreage with IPM scouting service.
Social Impact. Besides providing much-needed scouting services, the training of farm workers provided an opportunity for new immigrants to improve their well-being. In addition to social skills, the program brought about changes in work skills and income for Hispanics and Caucasians alike. The improvement in their annual income as a result of skills acquired enhanced self-reliance and self-esteem among trainees. For example, 73% trainees recruited in 2003 indicated that one year after the program their income increased 5% or more as a result of new skills learned during the training. Likewise, 55% of those interviewed indicated that their yield at their farm was increased 5% or more as a result of applying what they learned during the training program. Those recruited in 2004 indicated that their income increased on averaged 6% as a result of new skills acquired during the training or by applying what they learned during the training program.
Conclusions
Our Blueberry IPM Scout training program has proved that a techno-social training curriculum is successful in providing disadvantaged growers and farm workers with risk management skills to succeed in their business and agricultural endeavors.
The goal of providing the Michigan’s blueberry industry with trained IPM scout is being met by our blueberry IPM scout training program. So far nine Latinos are self-employed as IPM scouts serving the blueberry industry. In addition, the scouting skills for 20 trainees already employed as farm workers or pest consultants were enhanced. This training resulted in better salaries and income for those individuals.
The goal of providing a curriculum template that can be replicated for other crops and in other places has also been successfully met. There are already four IPM scout training programs developed after our model; apple, peach, cherry and grape. Those trainings are offered in different locations throughout Michigan. Our ultimate goal is to include more crops that can utilize our model as a template.
In spite of these achievements some important challenges still need to be overcome. Latino workers are eager to be trained but there are not enough bilingual educational programs offered at their level of education. The development of educational programs by University faculty or Extension specialists has to be edited for proper language and level by someone with a degree in agricultural and extension education to make sure the quality is maintained while the level of the materials is lowered to the level of education of disadvantaged growers and farm workers. Translation of presentations and manuals into Spanish from the English language is expensive and time-consuming. Also, technical translators are not readily available. To maintain the quality of our Spanish translations we believe that these types of translations should not be given to just any person who speaks the language.
One disappointing finding was that Latino and disadvantaged farm workers and growers did not rush to take our training program in spite of having scholarships offered to them. One reason could be that many of them are still part-time farmers and can’t take a morning or an afternoon from their non-agricultural jobs. Even though Caucasian growers recognized the importance of this training, due to harsh economic times they were not eager to pay their farm workers to come to be trained. Therefore, we have realized that to train farm workers, some form of economic assistance program has to be provided to offset their loss of hourly wages/income while in training, or to offer growers an incentive so they can send their farm workers to be trained. It is not enough to obtain a grant to develop just an educational training program.
In spite of those challenges, a major accomplishment of the training program was to empower disadvantaged blueberry growers and farm workers by providing cross-cultural leadership education through a “Cap Stone” program alongside a technical curriculum. In 2003, the Michigan’s budget crises provided the opportunity for minority growers and farm workers to express their support to the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station and MSU Extension to avoid drastic budget cuts that would have eliminated educational programs such as ours. What before was a silent minority with no say has now thanks to our training program become an active voice expressing needs and concerns of Latinos and other disadvantaged growers and farm workers.
Final Budget
| Budget Category |
Budgeted Expenses |
Final Expenses |
| Personnel | 15,500 | 14,700 |
| Fringe Benefits | 5,580 | 4,733 |
| Travel | 7,000 | 4,064 |
| Equipment | 0 | 0 |
| Supplies | 3,670 | 6,449 |
| Contractual | 0 | 1,800 |
| Other (detail) | ||
|
8,255 | 8,254 |
| Total | 40,005 | 40,000 |