Publications

Just Foods Program
(Organic agriculture, organic integrity, biotech, social justice in agriculture, seeds & breeds)

Farm Sustainability
(Access to credit, crop insurance programs, farm bill, disaster programs)

Contract Agriculture Reform
(Corporate concentration, contract poultry, GIPSA, landowner rights & fracking)

RAFI Publications
(sorted by date of publication)

• When Diversity Isn’t Enough: Experiences of Board Members of Color at Agricultural and Environmental Nonprofits (9/28/2020) - We are proud to share this new report in which Dr. Fatimah Salleh, interviewer and lead author, lifts up the words of eleven people of color who serve on the boards of predominantly white agricultural and environmental nonprofits, highlighting the dynamics, rewards, and challenges that they have experienced in that role.
• Food Solutions Forum Toolkit (2/21/2020) - Our partners at National Family Farm Coalition have created the Food Solutions Forum Toolkit to walk 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations through hosting a Food Solutions Forum to educate those running for public office, the media, and the public.
• North Carolina Pollinator Toolkit (8/20/2019) - The North Carolina Pollinator Toolkit is a new resource for establishing and maintaining pollinator habitats.
• A Poultry Grower’s Guide to FSA Loans (10/2/2017) - This comprehensive guide provides help to farmers who are considering buying a contract poultry or livestock farm, or making a significant upgrade.
• Disaster Recovery Resources (9/13/2017) - Here are some resources and fact sheets that we hope are helpful early in the recovery process.
• Case Study: Direct Mailing as a SNAP/EBT Outreach Strategy (12/2/2016) - This case study highlights an example of how a direct mailing campaign can be an effective strategy to promote a market’s SNAP/EBT program.
• Case Study: Farmers’ Market Challenges in a Rural Setting (12/2/2016) - This case study highlights the challenges faced by rural markets in recruiting and retaining vendors and in attracting customers.
• Case Study: Sustaining a Farmers’ Market through Diverse Funding Strategies (12/2/2016) - This case study highlights an example of a market successfully using a variety of funding strategies to support its market and programs.
• Case Study: Farmers’ Market Manager Turnover (12/2/2016) - This case study reviews issues and experiences involved with farmers’ market manager turnover and captures lessons learned at four farmers’ markets in North Carolina. The findings presented here are based on existing research, our surveys of past and current managers, and informal conversations with market stakeholders.
• Farmer Guide: Floods and Organic Producers (10/17/2016) - During a flood or other natural disaster there will be a series of challenges facing every farmer. For an organic farmer, the flood or other natural disaster will have results that can be unique to organic production. This booklet presents a short summary of some of the issues that organic producers may face during a natural disaster – and in particular with a flood.
• Fact sheet: Crop Insurance for Organic Farming Practices (3/6/2016) - Organic farming has become one of the fastest growing segments of U.S. agriculture. The USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) recognizes organic farming practices as good ones, and continues to improve crop insurance for organic producers and producers transitioning to organic. Regulations governing the insurability of organic and transitional practices are generally the same as conventional.
• Bridging the Gap: Examining Small and Medium Scale Farmers’ Perception of Selling to Low Income Consumers (6/17/2015) - About In 2015, RAFI’s staff and NC State University embarked on a farmer interview project to better understand the barriers and opportunities for farmers selling to low income communities. We’ve produced a short report based on these interviews.  Read the reportBRIDGING THE GAP: Examining Small- and Medium-Scale Farmers’ Perceptions of Selling to Low-Income Consumers Background  […]
• Revised & Updated: The Farmer’s Guide to Agricultural Credit (4/5/2015) - Accessing capital is one of the many challenges facing farmers. This guide is aimed at helping farmers get ready to ask a lender for the financing needed to expand or to establish new on-farm ventures.
• The Farmer’s Guide to the Development of New Farm Enterprises (4/4/2015) - The Farmer's Guide to the Development of New Farm Enterprises includes information on developing value-added products, identifying new farm opportunities, on-farm processing, selling your products, and more.
• Come to the Table Guidebook, Second Edition Released (2/27/2015) - The original Come to the Table guidebook created the framework for Come to the Table. It describes with compassion the complexity of a food system full of bounty, but also broken; while many go hungry, nearby family farmers struggle to connect to markets that enable them to sell their produce and make a living.
• Scott Marlow’s Statement at 2014 Farm Aid in Raleigh, NC (9/10/2014) - I want to welcome Farm Aid to North Carolina and we’re very excited that you are here. Farm Aid started 29 years ago to address the pain of farmers and farm families losing their farms. Some of our folks here were at that concert and have been at most of them since.
• Managing Specialty Crop Risk in North Carolina (11/15/2013) - Over the past year, RAFI worked with specialty crop farmers across North Carolina to research and write Managing Specialty Crop Risk in North Carolina.
• Hydraulic Fracturing: Where are we Now? (Presentation) (9/13/2013) - Because of the NC’s compulsory pooling law, RAFI and other advocates were concerned about the potential threats to landowner rights. The “Hydraulic Fracturing: Where Are We Now?,” presentation embedded below provides a brief overview of hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”, as well as in-depth analysis of compulsory pooling. The presentation was authored by RAFI Research & […]
• North Carolina Organic Grain Guide 2013 (8/28/2013) - The North Carolina Organic Grain Production Guide for 2013 was created by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, North Carolina State University, North Carolina Organic Grain Project and the NCSU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
• Community-Supported Agriculture Fact Sheet (4/15/2013) - Come to the Table's Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Fact Sheet.