Spring 1996 Common Ground page 3


is an active verb


 interactive is an understatement
 when describing the Southern
 Regional Training Workshop: Evaluat-
 ing Sustainability. Mickie Swisher and
 Anne Bockarie coordinated the project,
 which was a collaborative effort of six
 institutions: the University of Florida,
 the University of Arkansas at Pine
 Bluff, Auburn University, Clemson
 University, the University of Kentucky
 and South Carolina State University.
 At the two-and-a-half day workshop
 conducted simultaneously at four
 institutions, people from diverse walks
 of life came together to agree, disagree,
 watch videos, perform classroom
 exercises, read, debate issues in small
 and large groups, sketch field maps,
 count water critters and more.
 The mix of activities was designed
 to accommodate the many different
 learning styles of adults and to help
 participants close the learning cycle by
 moving from affective learning to
 discussion of abstract concepts and,
 ultimately, to on-the-job applications.
 The interactive discussion sessions
 were transmitted by satellite from the
 University of Florida to the University
 of Kentucky, South Carolina State



 certification and sustainable ag strategic
planning. Farmer panels presented
additional firsthand sustainable farm
experiences to the audience during the
sessions.
 How did the teachers take to being
taught? Very positively, according to
the detailed evaluation forms they
submitted after the programs. In fact
increased farmer involvement was the
top-ranked recommendation for future
training programs.
 That's no wonder, according to Bass.
 "The actual results of applied
research is the bottom line for Exten-
sion workers as well as for farmers," he
notes. "Results obtained under actual


University, Clemson and the Univer-
sity of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. At all
four training sites, local trainers led
participants through field exercises in
which two or more sets of comparable
farming systems were studied, such as
an organically and a conventionally
managed vegetable farm or a small
and large swine operation.
 They conducted five different kinds
of field exercises: biodiversity, energy
analysis, economic analysis, land use
capability and water quality. After
completing the five analyses, the
participants had fairly complete case
studies of two comparable farming
systems. They used the case studies in



field and economic conditions are more
palatable than controlled research
reports."
 In ranking the individual compo-
nents of the sessions, the participants
chose the farmer panel as second only
to Mike James' demonstration of
earthworms transforming industrial
waste into high-value compost,
detoxifying heavy metals in the process
(understandably a hard act to follow).
 Thanks to those enthusiastic
evaluations, agricultural advisors who
missed the two sessions will have future
opportunities to participate. The
evaluations and pretest results are being
used to refine South Carolina's strategic


 Clemson
 University
 entomology
 professor
 John Morse
 samples
 aquatic
 insects as
 part of a
 water
 quality

 Am session.
 o Photo by
 SJim Palmer.
 closure discussions to illustrate
 principles of sustainability and to help
 them decide which of the tools will be
 most useful in their work situations.
 Educational videos made for the
 classroom sessions, along with copies
 of the training manuals, are available
 to other agencies.
 The next use of the materials will
 be a graduate level course delivered
 via the Internet and World Wide Web
 to secondary teachers and ag profes-
 sionals at six institutions this fall. For
 more information call Mickie Swisher
 or Anne Bockarie at the University of
 Florida, Home Economics Depart-
 ment, (352) 392-1869.



 plan for sustainable agricultural
 training. The 1990 Farm Bill man-
 dated that each state must develop and
 implement such a plan.
 "This project was being completed
just as we were designing South
Carolina's strategic plan, so much of it
spilled over." says Palmer. "Both the
on-farm and classroom sessions will
be included, along with what we
learned through the protests and
project evaluations."
 The pretest and evaluation materials
are available for others designing their
own training programs.
 For more information request the
annual report for Project LST94-6.


Spring 1996


Common Ground


page 3