Yellow Wood designed and administered a survey on evaluation metrics for the Farm to Plate Network Technical Assistance for Producers and Processors Working Group, which is facilitated by the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund. The need for improved program evaluation of technical assistance programs was identified as part of Goal 21 of the Farm to Plate Strategic Plan: that business planning and technical assistance services are highly coordinated, strategic, and accessible to food system businesses. The survey results provided valuable information regarding what data is currently being collected by technical assistance providers and how it is used, identified what data would be useful to collect and the potential for a network-based approach of collecting and sharing data with the goal of understanding and improving impacts across the network.
Innovators in Rural Community Economic Development
