This guide brings together information, tips, and tools to deliver effective, engaging online (and hybrid) education for farm and ranch women on topics related to farm viability, resilience, and conservation. It was developed through a partnership between American Farmland Trust and University of Vermont Extension. The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program published it in early 2022 as part of its technical bulletin series.
While COVID-19-related restrictions were the impetus for the resource, online offerings can help address barriers — travel time and costs, and conflicts with farm, family, and off-farm employment — women may encounter accessing in-person education anytime. The strategies, practices, and lessons learned from this shift to online engagement will be applicable beyond the global pandemic.
The guide has six sections:
- Getting Started/Preparing Yourself: Foundational considerations to support the success of your event.
- Effective Learning for Women: What research shows about how to best support learning for adult women
- Tools and Technology: Options for moving to online environments
- Organizing Your Event: How to prepare participants, manage technology and people, and follow-up with participants to provide additional resources and foster continued networking
- Case Studies: Lessons-learned from a variety of organizations hosting online events with women in agriculture.
- Toolkit: Ideas for replicating hands-on field experiences and templates you can adapt for your event.
Additional Resources:
- A web version of the guide and companion case studies can also be found at American Farmland Trust’s Women for the Land website.