The 2024 Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA) annual meeting was held July 28-30, 2024, in New Orleans, LA.

Dr. Eric Owusu presented a policy-relevant study he and Dr. Clare Narrod conducted, titled “Aid Not Replace? Produce Safety Rule Supplemental Training and Grower Learning in Latin America.” The study examined the effectiveness of supplemental training via a digital platform in enhancing knowledge of the Produce Safety Rule among Latin American growers. The main finding was that exposure to supplemental training resulted in robust increases in food safety knowledge for owners and/or managers, as well as supervisors. The implications are that mainstreaming this type of training, either as a compulsory or optional add-on to the traditional grower training, may bolster growers’ compliance capacity with the Producer Safety Rule. Additionally, a digital platform can expand flexibility in accessing training materials, which could be leveraged by training stakeholders to reach a larger clientele.