West Virginia Farmers Market Association Incorporated

WEST VIRGINIA FARMERS MARKETS AND VENDORS HAVE FACED CHALLENGES IN MARKETING AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT WHICH HAS CAUSED BARRIERS IN THE SUCCESS OF AGRICULTURE BUSINESSES AND STRESSED AN ALREADY DEPLETED ECONOMY IN THE REGION. NOW RECOVERING FROM A GLOBAL PANDEMIC, THESE SMALL BUSINESSES NEED CLEAR GUIDES IN PLACE TO INCREASE GENERATED REVENUE AND CONTINUE TO PROVIDE FOOD ACCESS TO A STATE WITH A POVERTY RATE AT 16%. THIS PROGRAM WILL ASSIST FARMERS MARKETS AND AGRICULTURAL BUSINESSES IN UNDERSTANDING, PLANNING, AND IMPLEMENTING MARKETING AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES TO REBUILD AND STRENGTHEN THESE RURAL ECONOMIES. PARTICIPANTS WILL LEARN VALUABLE SKILLS TO PROVIDE PRODUCTS TO THEIR COMMUNITIES THAT ARE SAFE, COST EFFECTIVE, AND VISUALLY APPEALING. WHILE WORKING CLOSELY WITH EXPERIENCED AND KNOWLEDGEABLE ORGANIZATIONS, PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ENCOURAGED TO DEVELOP EFFECTIVE MARKETING STRATEGIES. A SECOND THEME IS CREATING A SAFER AND MORE DIVERSE FOOD LANDSCAPE AT FARMERS MARKETS THROUGH INTRODUCTION OF NEW PRODUCT LINES, COTTAGE FOODS AND VALUE ADDED ITEMS. INDIVIDUAL FARMERS WILL INCREASE REVENUE AND WEST VIRGINIA WILL ESTABLISH A CLEAR, CONCISE AND CONSISTENT MESSAGE REGARDING FOOD SAFETY FOR ENTREPRENEURS. THROUGH A SERIES OF WORKSHOPS, THE WV FARMERS MARKET ASSOCIATION AND PARTNERS WILL COLLABORATE TO ADDRESS KEY BARRIERS IN COMMUNICATION AND BUSINESS EXPANSION. THIS PROGRAM WILL RESULT IN INCREASED ACCESS TO SAFE LOCALLY GROWN FOODS, AND INCREASED REVENUE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES. ADDITIONALLY, A SERVICE WILL BE ESTABLISHED FOR AGRICULTURE BUSINESSES IN THE STATE TO ALLOW ONGOING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND ONE-ON-ONE COACHING FOR SMALL BUSINESSES SEEKING TO UNDERSTAND LABELING REQUIREMENTS AND DEVELOP A MARKETING PLAN.