Photo courtesy of UF/IFAS.
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Center for Public Issues Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (PIE Center) has partnered with the UF/IFAS Industrial Hemp Pilot project to conduct a survey to identify the public’s perception of hemp cultivation in Florida.
Hemp pilot projects were initiated through the 2014 Farm Bill to establish research across the United States. The UF/IFAS Industrial Hemp Pilot Project began in 2019 following university, state, and federal approvals with research to test hemp production and development in a variety of ways.
As part of this project, scientists like UF assistant professor of agroecology Zack Brym wanted to know the public’s knowledge and perceptions of hemp production in the state.
“I noticed the impactful social science research and educational materials coming out of the PIE Center early on in my orientation at UF/IFAS, and I was inspired to find ways to work together,” Brym said. “(PIE Center Director) Ricky Telg and his team were involved in some early efforts to articulate the need to understand the public knowledge and perception around hemp, which we have had the opportunity to work on through this study.”
The PIE Center worked with Brym to complete a public opinion survey to understand the public’s current knowledge of hemp, as well as their attitudes and perceptions of the plant. The PIE Center will work with Brym to conduct a focus group session with licensed hemp farmerspartnering with the research program to learn about their experiences with hemp cultivation this year. Commercial licenses for hemp cultivation became available in Florida May 2020.
“The next step is to conduct a focus group with on-farm trial partners in order to understand their experience with hemp growth. We want to know what worked, what did not work, and what their concerns are,” PIE Center research coordinator Shelli Rampold said. “This project is a great example of social and field science coming together to develop relevant information that can have a positive impact on the industry.”
Brym is also looking forward to continuing his work with the PIE Center to complete the next steps of this research.
“Integrating social science early on with agricultural research surrounding a new crop is critical,” Brym said. “We don’t yet know how the public and industry will accept and adopt hemp cultivation, but the work with the PIE Center will help us follow along. Communications and community development are critical aspects of a new crop introduction.”
More information about the UF/IFAS Industrial Hemp Pilot Project can be found here, and the final report on this research can be found on the PIE Center’s website.
