On-Farm Produce Safety: A Review of Needs Assessments of Small- and Medium-Sized Growers in the United States

Abstract

With the voluntary adoption of good agricultural practices and the regulatory requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act, produce growers have a continued need for educational programming. To understand these needs, the administration of produce safety needs assessments has increased. A summary of all available needs assessment research is needed to inform educational programming that addresses the complexity and range of produce safety requirements based on farm size and market access. This semisystematic review of 34 needs assessments from 2005 to 2020 summarized known produce safety needs and how those were influenced by a variety of factors among small- and medium-sized producers in the United States. Although growers face the needs of training, knowledge, time, capital, and mindset, the factors of farm size, region, market, and farm type influence how growers prioritize and are impacted by these needs. Therefore, educational programming cannot take a one-size-fits-all approach. It is essential to tailor education to the specific needs of producers while considering the various ways in which those needs can differ among specific groups of stakeholders because of influencing factors.