Producer Risk Assessment

in Plant Biosecurity Management

What is meant by the term

“risk assessment”?

Question:

Answer:

For the purpose of this course:

Risk assessment is defined as a

producer process to identify existing

threats, conditions, and practices that

are potentially conducive to theft,

vandalism, or a plant biosecurity event.

A risk assessment is one of producers’ first

steps to preparedness planning and

mitigation activities in plant biosecurity

management.

Note: You may also see the term “risk assessment” applied to other segments of the

agricultural sector, including for financial planning purposes. Broadly defined,

risk assessment is a process to detect the likelihood of exposure to any type of

hazardous condition or undesired event that could result in loss of assets.

Is the term “risk assessment”

synonymous with the term

“vulnerability assessment”?

Question:

Answer: The terms are closely related.

Vulnerability assessment includes estimations on the

Probability of an undesirable occurrence

Potential impact of an event on humans

Potential impact of an event on property and

the environment

Potential impact of an event on income and

the agricultural sector

Inventory of available internal and external resources

to respond to an event

Sources: FEMA; amanet.org

For example . . .

In Lesson One, you learned that experts in governmentagencies, private businesses, and nonprofit organizationsbelieve that the agricultural sector is “highly vulnerable” toan agroterrorist attack. Those opinions are based uponvulnerability assessments.

Your role as an Extension educator is to help producers

lower their vulnerability to the threat of agroterrorism.

To do this, you will teach producers how to identify risksthat can lead to intentional and unintentional biosecurityproblems, by having them complete a plant biosecurity riskassessment checklist.

What to tell producers:

Difference between the two processes

Risk Assessment . . . a process to identify hazards, conditions, and

practices that potentially threaten an agricultural

operation

Vulnerability Assessment . . .a process to evaluate (a) the probability of an

undesirable event caused by an identified risk, and

(b) the consequences of an event on family members,

employees, buildings, machinery, crops, and income.

As Extension professionals often serve in leadership capacities for local communities, it isimportant for you to better understand the elementsof a vulnerability assessment.

Therefore, you will be asked to read a section ofFEMA’s Emergency Management Guide forBusiness and Industry later in this lesson. You willfind that the concepts in this reading are alsoapplicable to agribusiness companies andagricultural operations.

For your information . . .

Your teaching resources included with this lesson have

simplified versions of a risk assessment checklist

and vulnerability assessment form, both designed for

agricultural producers. Because the introductory-type

materials target only basic skills, your learners will not

become “experts” in these processes.

However, after producers have applied these materials to

their own operation, they will have achieved an understanding

of essential concepts, and become engaged in initial

preparedness planning efforts.

FYI – continued . . .

What does a plant biosecurity

risk assessment entail?

Question:

Using a risk assessment checklist, you will teach producers how to evaluate:

the safety and security of their entire farming operation, including equipment, structures, and rules for visitors

routine practices in fields, nurseries, orchards, and vineyards

adherence to security measures, and

use of their current biosecurity plan, if one has previously been established.

How will producers use the

results from their

risk assessment checklist?

Question:

Answer:

The findings from the risk assessment checklist will help producers

understand the need for best practices in

plant biosecurity management

outline plant biosecurity mitigation

activities for their operation

Later in this lesson you will have anopportunity to learn how

• a risk assessment process is one part of a comprehensive preparedness plan.

• to relate the results of a risk assessment process to a vulnerability assessmentprocess.

Now return to Lesson 3, Teaching Scenario 1

For your information . . .

References

American Management Association (2003, February). Elements of Emergency Planning. Retrieved from AMA at http://www.amanet.org/../../books/catalog/pdfs/0814407188_part1.PDF

Federal Emergency Management Agency (2004, January). Emergency Management Guide for Business and Industry. Retrieved from FEMA at http:

Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service (2004, June). Rural Security Planning: Protecting Family, Friends, and Farm. Document Number PPP-64.

University of Arkansas (2003) Arkansas Farm Biosecurity Plan. Retrieved from U of A Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service at http://www.uaex.edu/biosecurity/producer/farm_plan/default.asp