Through a partnership with the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, North Carolina State University/North Carolina Cooperative Extension faculty conducted research in 2011 and 2012 to evaluate and quantify the barriers that small-farm operators face in attaining food safety certification.

The project documents real-world examples of how small, diversified farms could cost-effectively manage food safety risk, and meet the standards set in the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification program. The intent of this manual is to share tips and strategies learned from this research that other small, diversified produce farms can employ to meet GAP certification requirements imposed by potential buyers. In addition, the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association has launched a series of videos to supplement the “Good Agricultural Practices for Small Diversified Farms: Tips and Strategies to Reduce Risk and Pass an Audit” manual. This video series continues to document real-world examples of how small, diversified farms can employ these tips and strategies to meet GAP certification requirements.