Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** this research project aims to study…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** this research project aims to study how and how well local small farmers in north/central florida use social media for their agricultural businesses, and find out how to optimize their specific operational strategies using advanced social media marketing techniques. The strategic use of social media by small farmers can significantly boost regional economies as they represent the majority of the local farm and rural community. IT fosters sustainable agriculture, economic growth, and vitality in rural areas in north/central florida. This project will conduct comprehensive interviews and collect specially designed surveys to understand social media adoptions among local small farmers. IT will also leverage AI, machine learning, and operations research methods to create tools and approaches for small farmers to fully take advantage of social media to improve their businesses. The goal of this research projectis to assist small-scale agricultural enterprises in northeast and central florida in optimizing their operational strategies through the utilization of advanced social media marketing techniques and subsequently enhance their incomes. If successful, this project is expected to help increase the economic activities in the region, drive sales in local rural agriculture businesses and benefit the local community by increasing farm income and circulating money locally. The direct results and social benefits will be three folded. First, the project will help increase the adoption of social media among small to medium farmers to help them reach out to customers; second, IT will help small to medium farmers increase engagement of local consumers of agricultural produces and services; third, eventually IT can help enhance the connection between small to medium farmers and local consumers among the local communities in the northeastern and central florida region.