Harvest and Post-Harvest Food Safety Education for Hmong Farmers

Michele Schermann, Research Fellow
John Shutske, Professor and Extension Agricultural Safety and Health Specialist
Robert Gravani, Professor of Food Science, Cornell University
Elizabeth Bihn, Senior Extension Associate, Department of Food Science, Cornell University

Objective

Provide education to Hmong farmers and gardeners about sources of food contamination and how to minimize risks of food contamination in all phases of vegetable production, including harvesting, post-harvest handling, and marketing.

Need or Impact

Because many of the Hmong growers neither speak nor read English, it is difficult for them to get information that mainstream Minnesota farmers encounter regularly. Much information available to farmers about food safety and food production is in written form. These materials are distributed through commonly accepted channels such as Extension educators, farm magazines, press releases to newspapers, and farm commodity groups. Some of these materials have been translated into other languages, most commonly Spanish and sometimes Hmong, in an attempt to reach those specific audiences. A culturally and linguistically appropriate curriculum and DVD has been created to use for workshops for Hmong farmers and gardeners based on the “Food Safety Begins on the Farm” and “Good Agricultural Practices” manual created by the USDA and Cornell University.

Status

In progress. A “Good Agricultural Practices” DVD has been recorded in the White Hmong language. A curriculum outline has been finished, and two workshops are scheduled and two other workshops are tentatively scheduled for Hmong farmers and market gardeners.