Learning Circle

Project Goals

1. Women landowners view implementing conservation practices on their land as both an economic and environmental benefit and a worthy goal that they are able to successfully accomplish.
2. This pilot project field tests this model of conservation extension as a first step in developing the foundation for a scalable program to reach a growing number of women landowners in the coming years.

Objectives

1. Women farmland owners acquire the knowledge, skills, attitude and contacts needed to access the information financial and technical resources to plan and implement conservation practices on their land.
2. Women who participate in the learning circles implement at least one conservation practice on their land by the end of the project.
3. Women farmers and landowners receive communication outreach to stimulate interest for this assistance.
4. Project partners are able to enroll the support of agencies, organizations and individuals that will commit to working to establish an on-going women landowner conservation program in Maryland.

Target Audience

• Commodity and “table” crop and animal operations in Queen Anne, Talbot and Kent Counties owned by women living in the local area. Both operator and non-operator landowners should be represented but with a higher percentage of the latter. 
• Women representing this audience will be contacted through various means in order to create a pool of prospective participants for the future
• Representatives of federal, state, local agencies and organizations as well as interested individuals will be included will be included in an outreach and engagement strategy. 

For more information

• Shannon Dill, sdill@umd.edu
• Jennifer Rhodes, jrhodes@umd.edu