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9 Ways That The Market Gardener Institute Gained an International Reputation

Jul 25, 2024

Market Gardener Institute Market Gardener Institute is on the mission to help people learn more about organic agriculture so that they become efficient market gardeners.

The institute was founded with the founding of Quebec and was founded in the year in 2000, by Jean-Martin Fortier, an organic farmer, who has been regarded as a trail-blazer in the field of human-scale, regenerative agriculture. Fortier has dedicated his entire time to spreading the gospel about sustainable agriculture through the online courses he runs which now have students across 90 countries across the globe.

The most popular course, The Market Gardener Masterclass began in the year 2017--five years ago, after Fortier created his novel, The Market Gardener, which was published in 9 (soon to be 10) languages, and has sold more than 230,000 copies. Fortier made the decision to translate his book's ideas into a class to be able to engage the greatest number of students. The author took 5 years to write down every method used in the book to prepare more than 45 vegetables and at the time that the course was first introduced, there were 600 people who were signed up. The team has added seven more courses to the site that has more than 7,000 learners around the world.

We sat down Frederic Senez, the institute's director of partnerships to discuss details of how The Market Gardener has created international exposure and has helped students to cultivate food in a responsible way at a massive scale without using machinery or chemical substances.

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They created personas for their audience.

The organization grew organically until 2021 when they increased the number of class to eight --all delivered in the same location . The major reason for the growth was due to being able to have the right individuals on board and 10 employees were recruited to help establish a efficient business model that allowed market gardeners to be interested in the program.

To expand their business, the team wanted to know more about the customers they cater to. Together, they defined three audience personas: the young generation between 16 to 25; those between the ages of 25 to 45 who farm for a living; and those that are in a career transition--typically between 35 to 55--who are now buying a farm to grow food for their community.

"We invest a significant amount of effort into knowing the lifecycles of our customers for every one of our organizations," explains Senez. "They're distinct because they're not pursuing similar goals or needs ."

"The the most damaging thing you can make is to present the incorrect information to the wrong people," says Senez. "You'll not be able to connect with the people you want to reach and will require at least five to seven times more effort to find someone lost to you instead of with them and continue to build and grow the relationship ."

While developing a profound comprehension of their audience they tailored their presentation according to their intended viewers.

Most of the course content can be written in both written as well as a video format. The students also have the option to wear headphones and listen to the material when they are working. In two of their courses such as The Market Gardener Masterclass and The The Flower Farm courses, they employ a model of cohorts. It allows them to mix live and interactive elements in the curriculum so that participants can ask questions and engage with fellow students. Other classes are taught in a perpetual design.

When learners complete a course after which they're given a second option according to what the team believes will benefit learners.

The goal was to reach an international market

The team at the institute was deliberate in conceiving an international strategy for marketing. Senez recommends other designers approach the task in the similar manner. "Most online companies want to target everyone--internationally," explains Senez. "The reality is that for certain countries, there exist specific cultural concerns that can't be ignored. It was imperative to ensure that we understood those culture and find partners in those areas that could assist us ."

The writer calls these cultural aspects 'agricultural realities.'

"Based the location you're in across the world, some veggies won't be growing, even if methods and principles are usually universal." says Senez.

They are also attentive to their language. "We pay attention to how we speak about profit and managing teams, the design of one's farm, and the state resources that are available to local authorities that can be used to assist small-scale farmers since nations are different in this regard," he continues. "Even the kinds of questions that students are asked indicate that they are going through different reality, and sometimes, even in the same nation ."

As an example, the people in the northern and the southern US have very different experiences. "Nature does not express itself in exactly the same way across the world," he says. "In certain regions, there are the season of fire. In other areas, there are flood seasons in other areas. The effect of this is direct and affects agriculture. Weather is likely to be the primary element to be considered for all farmers in the world. ."

While the company has expanded organically to 91 different counties, it's preoccupied with their main market which covers the following regions: Canada as well as Canada as well as Canada, the US, West and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand. One of the issues faced by the group when they set up their international plan was coming to an agreement on what they'd make use of English and French for their material, as they're based in Quebec. "We consider language extremely important" the author says. "Obviously English is an international language. However, we would like to help the French-speaking communities of France, Belgium, Switzerland and the regions of Africa as well as Canada ."

They tested their efforts in the vicinity of their home

In response to a question regarding how other artists are able to be more deliberate in connecting with an international audience Senez suggests that they start by looking at their own home market. "Test your marketing in your home area to determine what it's doing to reach the people you're trying to connect with, and whether your products and services are gaining traction," he advises.

Lesser steps offer people the opportunity to tackle smaller issues, before moving to a more global public, according to Senez.

"Early adopters may help to push your boundaries and consider things have never occurred to you," he shares. "We've implemented a variety of changes to how we share our content, based upon the opinions of our readers ."

They formed strategic alliances

After creators have expanded to the world, it is crucial to work with organizations that share the same principles According to Senez.

In the case of The Market Gardener The team formed alliances with municipal officials as well as equipment and school manufactures, along with organisations that are not-for-profit and are directly associated in organic agriculture. "We want to partner with public and private institutions across the globe to offer educational materials to everyone," shares Senez.

They support a variety of their partners using its affiliate tools which help the company to grow. They have more than 150 people they work daily in various ways.

"We aren't on our own in the journey, and we don't intend to be that way," says Senez. "We would like to join forces with other individuals that share the same beliefs as we do and are situated in places which we're not to strengthen us together ."

They considered carefully what they would use for their tech

In terms of technological advancements, Senez says that the institute is fortunate to find an integration platform which works with other programs that they use, including Active Campaign, Stripe and Circle.

" allowed us to keep creating, particularly with regards to scaling and content packaging for our target audience. Without it, we could have potentially had a alternative narrative" CEO says.

Senez describes the procedure of choosing the right technology, similar to the process using plants.

"Plants are a symbol of transition," the scientist explains. "They're in a position to survive however, if they're exposed to the changes happening in their environment excessively, this could result in a chain reaction, which is often extremely. Or, they can grow to a size they've never been before or, they'll die in a short ."

"I could not resist comparing this same issue with regard to technology" The author adds "where certain technology can make your company suffer on its own, whether because you don't use it properly or because it is priced above your budget capabilities."

Each social media platform differently

To establish them as an expert in education about market gardening, they targeted social media to spread the message.

The majority of their users are towards Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. They have recently introduced TikTok. Further, they're soon launching Podcasts and this, Senez states will allow them to partner with experts from various organizations to aid in the global trend towards healthy eating, food security and assisting with one another.

The group has a distinct public for each platform as each one's group of users is different. The team uses Facebook for sharing information and events as well as the power of thoughts. Instagram to share the stories of his life and inspirations, YouTube for sharing longer format information, which is linked to the course or books as well as TikTok for sharing short video clips.

Senez recommends that course designers consider their intended audience in developing their social media strategy. Having a deep sense of what they're like as individuals and the things they're seeking can help to create the most targeted. In the end, he recommends that designers engage their audiences in the journey.

"Don't post something just on social media and not make the need for action" Senez advises. Senez. "Offer small surveys, or request them to give an thoughts on a particular issue. This will help create rich discussions, as well as provide you with diverse material and often, better understanding of different phenomena ."

The writer also suggests they discuss topics that go outside of their studies, such as the team frequently talks about subjects like the mental health and selling products as they are vital subjects for the entire community.

They focused on the sales aspect but without being "salesy"

According to Senez the moment someone becomes curious about any of their courses and courses, they can either sign up for an open workshop for free or sign up for their newsletter or check out their website. Based on the person's interest or desire and interest, their staff could suggest a particular study or book that aligns to what they feel they're seeking. "It's not more complicated than the idea," he says. "We take a keen eye at what we could provide our customers based on where they are in their journey. We are very mindful of their experience as a user ."

"In the midst of financial difficulties or even adversity, it's typically education that's the first area that is cut," He continues. "We're striving to assist those who value education as part of the customer experience by leading customers to the appropriate actions for a start in markets gardening ."

He thinks that a strong focus on education can increase the success of a business in the long run. "The challenge with marketing gardening is the fact that, if you make a mistake during one year, it could cost you the entire year" the author says. "We think that the average person will get three to five years in their lives making use of our tips as we've developed it in an approach that is scientific and technique-driven ."

They gave their customers a range of prices

To cater to the needs of three distinct audiences, our team has a wide range of classes at various cost points.

In this case, The Market Gardener Masterclass will cost $2,250 USD. Market Gardening Organic market gardening and farming for Beginners costs just $129 USD. "We know the fact that different people are faced with different budgets," The author says, "and most of all they're in various stages of their learning journey ."

To help those who have problems with finances The team has launched a variety of initiatives to aid the future crop farmers including students, or NPO. The team also offers an annual scholarship program that will help those in need. "We want to be able to help the needs of as many individuals as we can from a financial perspective," says Senez. "We do not want financial aid to become a barrier ."

According to Senez that his team is looking forward to developing courses and books in collaboration with various partners. The courses and books aren't just geared toward semi-professional and professional market gardeners, but to everyone who must consume food every day.

They taught something they were able to master.

When asked for advice to first-time creators of online courses, Senez has some words of wisdom. "Create something that you have learnt," he says. "Don't pretend."

Nowadays, anybody is in a position to claim themselves as an 'expert on the internet. But, Senez insists that the price that comes with it is costly.

"If you come up with improvised ideas, you could be creating false information," he warns. "If you do come up with something be sure to not make it appear fake, as it may negatively affect your community ."

Are you willing to convert your knowledge into useful knowledge to assist others? Start now -- and for no cost.

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