The goal is value for producers of all sizes and types completing an EFP
More than 7,000 Alberta producers have completed an Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) since 2002 and every one of them has helped drive changes to the EFP delivery process.
EFP workshops introduce producers to the EFP process, and the EFP workshops that started this fall's season have been streamlined from previous years, says Alan Pasolli, EFP Regional Team Leader (RTL) for the South Region and a workshop facilitator for the Alberta Environmental Farm Plan Company (AEFP).
"These workshops have been well received because all of those involved in managing the program work hard to listen to past participants to make sure future participants get the most value from the program," he says. "For example, this past summer we again looked at and streamlined the roles of workshop facilitators and technical assistants (TAs), who work together to deliver workshops."
Workshop facilitators serve a number of roles in the EFP program.
Organize and deliver workshops. Facilitators organize, tailor and deliver workshops on the request of local producers in communities across the province. For this reason, facilitators are usually local producers themselves, says Pasolli.
"Alberta producers made it clear during the formative stages of the EFP program that they wanted the program's delivery system to be rooted in the local community," he says. "They wanted to make sure the people who delivered the program understood the unique needs and challenges involved in making on-farm environmental improvements in their regions and their communities."
Explain the EFP workbook. The primary role of facilitators in the workshop setting is to walk participants through the EFP workbook, the key tool all producers use in the EFP process. This involves explaining to participants how to use the workbook to get the most value from the EFP process.
Answer questions at workshops. "Facilitators are also there to answer questions pertaining to the EFP process," says Pasolli. "However, because facilitators are generally not trained in technical matters, they cannot provide participants with assistance in putting Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs) in place on their farms and ranches or answer questions of a technical nature. Instead, this role is filled by TAs."
Represent producer in review process. In addition to their roles in workshops, facilitators also play a role in the EFP review process by representing EFP participants before the EFP review team. "The review process, in which EFPs are either 'deemed appropriate' or sent back to the participant with suggestions for improvement, is an anonymous one," says Pasolli. "That's the reason facilitators answer the review team's questions and explain individual circumstances surrounding the EFP."
Connect to communication. They also provide participants with an ongoing link to the EFP program and environmental sustainability information. "AEFP has a strong information program which connects producers to further opportunities to participate and facilitators explain how participants can sign up to receive this information in the future."
TAs, comprised of technical resource people from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada – Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (AAFC – PFRA), Alberta Agriculture and Food (AF) and a number of other prominent players in Alberta's agricultural industry, are the technical "go to" people of the EFP program. They also serve some specific roles.
Answer producers' technical questions. At the workshop level, TAs are on hand to answer participants' technical questions or put them in touch with resources that can help them find the answers they require.
Provide on-farm assistance. Unlike workshop facilitators, whose responsibility is off the farm, most TAs are available to help producers make the on-farm environmental improvements identified in their EFPs.
"Because they are qualified to provide technical advice, TAs offer an invaluable resource to the EFP program," says Pasolli. "They help extend the value of the program to producers by providing ongoing guidance. Producers sometimes face roadblocks in the development of their EFPs, and TAs can often provide answers. From that perspective, they also help keep participants associated with the program over the longer term."
Provide program technical foundation. TAs provide ongoing input into the EFP process, periodically helping to adjust the program from a technical perspective to better meet the needs of participants. "Many of the articles on the AEFP Web site, for example, draw on the TAs' knowledge," says Pasolli.
"As facilitators and TAs, our goal is to get producers instantly comfortable at the workshops," says Pasolli. "Again, this year we will be asking all participants for their ideas and comments on the program and the workbook to make sure we continue to do that."
Information on EFP workshops, as well as general information on the EFP program, is available by visiting the AEFP Web site at www.AlbertaEFP.com or by calling the AEFP toll-free line in Alberta at 1-866-844-2337.
This article is reprintable with credit to AEFP as follows "Reprinted courtesy of the Alberta Environmental Farm Plan Company; www.albertaEFP.com".
