Growing a Niche for Specialty Crops

Obed Quaicoe has a big heart for small farmers, no matter where in the world they labor for a living. As a young man growing up in Ghana, he witnessed first-hand how hard they had to work to make ends meet. His father and grandfather both worked the family farm.

“I saw how farmers rise early in the morning to go to work and come home late in the evenings, and when market day comes, they aren’t able to sell everything. The bigger markets will be in a bigger city nearby, but the farmers have no transportation,” recalled Quaicoe, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Agribusiness, Applied Economics, and Agriscience Education at N.C. A&T.

“The middleman makes the most money because they are buying the product from the farmer and adding to its value by transporting it from the farm to the cities and selling it at higher prices — sometimes three or four times what they paid for it. But they did not stay in the sun all day to work the farm. The farmer that stayed in the sun all day makes peanuts.”

Farmers attend an Industrial Hemp Field Day at the N.C. A&T University Farm. Although hemp can be a productive crop, there are risks associated with its production, too, Quaicoe said.

Quaicoe’s latest research topic — “Economics of Expanding Specialty Crop Production in NC for Small and Socially Disadvantaged Farmers” — seems a natural extension of his life experiences.

“The practices of agriculture are different here than where I come from, but when it comes to the problems that small farmers face, they are basically the same globally,” he explained. “Essentially, they are a lack of resources, lack of finances and lack of technical know-how.”

Quaicoe said that understanding farm economics is critical to the sustainability of improved agricultural and food systems — and yet largely ignored in the scientific process.

“The interest is more in developing new varieties of this crop or that crop,” he said. “But at the end of the day … it’s not just about generating new systems of production or new specialty crops, it’s about whether farmers can make money producing them.”

Over the next three years, with a USDA grant of $350,000, Quaicoe plans to examine the economic feasibility, market potential, and factors that influence small and socially disadvantaged farmers to participate in specialty crop production. In the end, he hopes to provide them with valuable insights into the profitability and sustainability of new and emerging specialty crops in North Carolina.

His research team includes collaborators Kenrett Jefferson-Moore, Ph.D., a professor and chairperson of the Department of Agribusiness, Applied Economics, and Agriscience Education; Jarvetta Bynum, a lecturer at A&T, and research associate Mecca Straughter, who are assisting with the project.

The team held its first virtual focus group July 19, drawing a cohort of 16 small farmers. They answered questions about the specialty crops they currently produce, if any, and the challenges they face in growing, marketing and selling them. Those who are not producing specialty crops discussed the factors that discourage them from doing so. Participants also were asked what additional resources or support would help them succeed in the specialty crop market.

Most of the participants farm full time and have dabbled in specialty crops, among them micro greens, ginger, mushrooms, bok choy and Christmas trees.

Small farmers can sell specialty crops at a premium, Jefferson-Moore noted, but marketing is a huge factor in success.

“One of the farmers was talking about producing a particular product but not having a market for it,” she recalled. “The pathway to marketing has to be intentional before you even plant. That is one of the things that we’ll focus on. Until that product gets to that end consumer, it really doesn’t matter. You must have a supply chain.

“So that’s our goal, to provide the research they need to implement in their practices and be more informed before jumping in.”

Quaicoe’s research on hemp as an alternative crop to tobacco already is helping farmers navigate a new field. Hemp will be among the specialty crops included in his current research, as will others yet to be identified.

“There are a lot of studies showing the potential of hemp. But farmers are always left hanging when figuring out if the specialty crop being promoted can earn them money. They are told this is a good crop, but how to make money from it they are not told,” Quaicoe said.

Additional focus groups and surveys with consumers are planned to gauge the market for specialty crops. And finally, the team will assess the economic viability of producing certain crops using key financial metrics such as internal rate of return (IRR) and benefit-cost analysis (BCA).

“The idea is to have economic information about some of these crops that farmers are being encouraged to produce so they can make informed decisions,” Quaicoe said. “We’ll also run workshops for small farmers to discuss the results of the findings of the research and direct them to resources that are available that can really help them.”

In the end, Quaicoe hopes this project will contribute to the development of the agricultural industry in North Carolina and improve the livelihoods of small and socially disadvantaged farmers, especially Black farmers.

“The job of interacting with farmers one-on-one to know first hand the kind of challenges that they are facing is very fulfilling to me. I don’t just want to be a researcher and publish, I want to make a difference in the lives of these farmers.”