Pasa Sustainable Agriculture

The Challenge

Pasa Sustainable Agriculture (Pasa) is a Pennsylvania-based 501(c)3 nonprofit that cultivates sustainable and equitable farms and food systems across the Mid-Atlantic, Northern Appalachia, and Northeastern US. For more than three decades, Pasa has worked with its network of over 20,000 farmers, changemakers, and food systems professionals to advance sustainable agriculture with their advocacy and programming centered on farmer-driven training and education, research and community.

Pasa used WIDS and the DACUM process in the past to develop their highly successful Diversified Vegetable Apprenticeship. When they sought to develop a new training program for Agroforestry, they once again turned to WIDS. Their key concern was how to address the five distinct agroforestry practices, their related sub-fields, and areas where practices overlap.  Could a DACUM help to uncover the common training needs for all practices and capture the details distinguishing sub-fields?     

The WIDS Solution

WIDS proposed using a modified DACUM process. First, the team of agroforestry practitioners representing each of the practice areas would identify the duties and tasks shared in common. Then, experts from each practice area would break out into individual groups to identify the unique tasks in each area: essentially, they would create six DACUMs—all in two days. This solution checked all the boxes for Pasa’s requirements.  

During the DACUM process, a group representing high performers from the target audience areas was convened to identify the broad duties and tasks performed in all agroforestry areas. On the first day of the DACUM, Pasa worked with a trained WIDS facilitator and practice area experts to articulate the key tasks of agroforestry generally. On Day 2, the group was divided into subgroups by agroforestry area to identify unique differences represented by their practice areas and to identify existing training materials.  

Using the DACUM results, WIDS designed and aggregated a survey to validate the job duties and tasks with a broader audience of agroforestry practitioners. WIDS also facilitated a review of the survey results to finalize the DACUMs. 

The Result

The common DACUM showed many tasks that crossed agroforestry areas, setting Pasa up to define an agroforestry training program that would suit all. When talking about the common DACUM, Pasa noted, “We weren’t sure there would be overlap but the extent of the overlap surprised us ”Essentially, the DACUM provided a framework for Pasa to develop training modules, identify existing training materials, and determine where gaps may exist. It also provided the details necessary for addressing unique training components by sub-field area. 

The results exceeded Pasa’s expectations: “I must admit, I was skeptical at first. I wasn’t sure the process could capture the essence of what needs to be developed,” said Dylan Heagy, Pasa’s Agroforestry Training Program Coordinator.

“[But] the really exciting thing for me is realizing that the full collection of tasks that we captured is the skillset of an excellent Agroforester. This is a critical takeaway for me. It also makes the DACUM results incredibly powerful,” Heagy noted. 

In addition, participating in the DACUM strengthened Pasa’s notable sense of community.

“After we facilitated the DACUM, I remember how excited the subject matter experts still were: they were smiling, laughing, and still talking shop. The DACUM provided a powerful opportunity for them to network as practitioners,” Owen Smith, WIDS Learning Design Consultant, observed.

"This work has excited me very much and has filled me with enthusiasm for the challenges ahead,” Heagy concluded.