Project Overview
Prairie Rose Agricultural Institute for Research, Innovation and Education PRAIRIE was established as the non-profit educational/research arm of Prairie Rose Farm, LLC to offer a wide range of experiential education & training experiences while demonstrating climate smart vegetable production using season extension integrated with small scale livestock production. The mission of PRAIRIE is to “Unite compassionate hearts & skills from many cultures to renew agriculture, health & community.” PRAIRIE has developed partnerships to support urban & other beginning farmers seeking to diversify farm income streams which will directly address UN Sustainable Development Goal #2 for increasing the income & viability of small scale & BIPOC farming initiatives.
A SMALL FARM INNOVATION CENTER will create an ecosystem of support, a web of local partnerships for supporting historically marginalized producers that will provide “wrap-around services” for these beginning farmers & food makers & bring them in contact with local, regional & state agencies/organizations wanting to serve the unique needs of underserved/BIPOC beginning farmers. PRAIRIE began these introductions for service providers & new farmers to open up communication & awareness of services offered. To date, 9 immigrant refugee farmers have signed up with the FSA office requesting information about FSA & NRCS programs supported by staff from PRAIRIE & Renewing the Countryside. 5 have filed an IRS Schedule F for multiple years.
Using collective action & partnerships, the Small Farm Innovation Center takes a non-traditional approach to training new farmers to fill gaps in the regional food system & is addressing the issue of land access. In this model, urban & rural farmers:
a. Co-develop training opportunities that honor the cultural grounding of participants’ approaches to farming;
b. Build practical farm management & entrepreneurial skills for expanding from primary subsistence production to wealth-building opportunities;
c. Engage in participatory research on regenerative agricultural approaches: &,
d. Incubate their farming enterprises toward building a business sufficient to allow them to establish themselves on their own land.
All area beginning farmers & other BIPOC led farmer training & incubation projects in the region will be invited to access these resources. Primarily underserved individuals will be learning to lead & ways to achieve conservation goals while together developing a local climate-smart ecosystem of support for beginning farmers in our region. These farmers have expressed a need for more culturally-appropriate foods, access to land, support in accessing technical assistance, & spaces for shared learning with other farmers from across the Upper Midwest who are engaged in similar projects.
Our PARTNERS include:
UMN EXTENSION provides technical assistance to producers to develop capacity, skill, & scale to address institutional markets & cultivate a strong foundation for ongoing connections between buyers & small farms. They will also assist the participatory evaluation process.
RENEWING THE COUNTRYSIDE, providing funding for a new team of Community Connectors & Navigators including individuals experienced in farming & also capable of speaking multiple languages.
AGRICULTURAL UTILIZATION RESEARCH INSTITUTE (AURI) providing their services for on-site training introducing one to one mentoring for product development
LATINO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CENTER offers business planning, technical & lending resources.
MN PartnerSHIP 4 Health, FSA, Sustainable Farmers Association & MN Farmers Union will strengthen this innovative resource center concept with other partners. A proposed partnership contract with NRCS adds to this circle of trusted advisors. Hosting field days in partnership with other farmer-led non-profits, creating opportunities for attending NRCS sponsored fields days throughout the year & securing 1:1 consultation on best practice questions, the Small Farm Innovation Center becomes a resource hub serving both URBAN & RURAL small-scale agricultural development.
These efforts directly impact health equity, racial equity, & economic justice by allowing historically marginalized individuals with a background in farming in their home countries to build financially viable markets for themselves in a way that respects their own cultural orientation towards land stewardship.
PRAIRIE’s involvement in the development of Minnesota’s first regional food systems plan, anticipated for completion in late 2023, the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for Region 4 in 2021, & with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) in 2022 is helping inform regional & statewide initiatives regarding regional food systems funding design & the daily practices or the norms around how technical assistance providers (Farm Service Agency, University Extension, Small Business Development Center/SCORE mentors) work with underserved farmers. These strategies together are building the competence of BIPOC farmers in our region & allow for the development of good food.
PRAIRIE is working to create a more effective way to support historically marginalized producers. Serving as a ‘translator’ & ‘boots on the ground’ technical support system, PRAIRIE hopes to build a bridge to technical experts & a safe space for shared peer learning among refugee immigrant & other BIPOC farmers. Urban gardening in our community has been a feeder program/career pathway to stimulate interest in & active engagement in small farm training for beginning farmers.
The URBAN FOOD & ECOLOGY Initiative is supporting Indigenous/Native American & Immigrant-led urban gardening/farming initiatives in the Fargo/Moorhead metro area, involving beginning farmers interested in learning about/developing skills in small scale farming & urban youth & families seeking land access near their homes. Through the urban efforts, we are providing support for some of the least-resourced individuals in our community to provide food for their families & begin steps toward building their own farm enterprises.
Number of Participants: 100
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