Application
Whether you have already identified a site for your farm business or your farm is still in the idea stage, we encourage you to work through the following workbook linked at the bottom of this page. We developed it to help you put to practice the different stages of the diagnostic and design (D&D) process.
Diagnostics & Design (D&D) Stages 1 and 2: Characterization of the agricultural site and diagnosing its conditions
First, you will evaluate the current state of your farm site (or a farm site that you are able to visit and evaluate). You will characterize the current conditions such as natural resource availability and typical weather patterns. Then you will reflect on the condition of those characteristics and on the potential impact of your farm enterprise on those conditions.
D&D Stages 3 and 4: Prospective planning and design of the farm
Now that you have evaluated your farm site, it is time to begin planning for the establishment or conversion towards the desired agroecosystem. We now introduce a framework to organize the planning activities that will need to take place in order to achieve the desired agroecological outcomes for your farm. The framework consists of a gradual planning structure that begins with the management of natural resources, goes through primary production and processing, and concludes with the destination of the production. The following video will walk you through the framework, and the corresponding slides are linked below.
Watch: “Diagnostics & Design: Planning & Design”
Corresponding Slides: Diagnostics & Design: Planning & Design
Now test out what you’ve learned in the following workbook. When you’re done, post a comment below with any questions or ideas you have about how the process went, and review what others have posted.