New Directions Collaborative helped to facilitate a World Cafe dialogue at the New Entry Farmers’ Project Farmer-to-Farmer Conference. New Entry’s mission is to assist socially disadvantaged and other underserved individuals with agricultural backgrounds to successfully enter farming in Massachusetts. The theme of this one-day conference was “Fertile Ground – Connecting Farmers to Farmers to Promote Healthy Soil, Food and Community Health.” The event provided an opportunity for about 150 small-scale farmers to come together with their peers to learn best practices and share resources about how to grow a successful farming business.

The World Cafe offered participants an opportunity to explore what enables success in farming, common barriers, and what strategies are most useful in amplifying what works and overcoming barriers. Our facilitation team included a graphic facilitator who captured the ideas in colorful posters around the room. A conference archive collected quotes from participants and conference resources, including an index of valuable resources that participants contributed to at the event.