Statement of Intent
The Agribusiness Development Program of the Small Farm Development Center at Alcorn State University, in conjunction with the National Center for the Development of Natural Products at the University of Mississippi, will create technology that can be transferred to the small farmer in Mississippi by teaching the farmer how to grow high quality medicinal plants which will position the state to lead the nation in the rapidly growing medicinal plant industry.

Goal #1

Develop medicinal plants as an alternative agricultural enterprise producing high value cash crops to support the operation of sustainable small farms in Mississippi.

To do this, the Small Farm Development Center and the Natural Products Center will work cooperatively to:

1. Demonstrate and document the value of selected medicinal plants;
2. Assist the small farmer with start up and production costs for new crops;
3. Test the viability of crops on experimental small farms;
4. Correlate agronomic, cultivation conditions with biological effects and chemical composition;
5. Determine optimal harvesting and post-harvesting processes to maximize desirable properties;
6. Ensure quality control of cultivation and harvesting;
7. Conduct crop improvement studies and genetic manipulation;
8. Conduct transitional and market research designed to position our production in an economically viable sector of the industry. Identify obstacles to the introduction of new and emerging crops and design methodologies to overcome those impediments that present themselves.