Project Overview
The
overall goal of this project was to develop the ability of beginning farmers of
color in the Pacific Northwest to own farms and participate in an agricultural
cooperative. This project has completed the following objectives: (1) develop the technical
capacity of 21 beginning farmers to launch and develop their agricultural
business through training in agricultural business management; (2) facilitate
access to land and provide farm-based mentorship and agricultural production
training to support the launch of 21 small agricultural businesses; (3) convene over 200 farmers of color and industry stakeholders to facilitate mentorship and
provide technical assistance to launch an agricultural cooperative; and (4)
develop the capacity of beginning farmers of color to start an agricultural
cooperative. Oregon Food Bank and its main partner Mudbone Grown, an African
American owned farm enterprise with expertise in food production models for
communities of color, prepared socially disadvantaged farmers of color to
participate in Oregon's agricultural economy through the following activities:
(1) hands-on
farm-based education and mentorship, (2)
facilitation of stakeholder relationship building for POC farmers (3) and develop community partnerships and resources towards diversity of agricultural small
business models and land acquisition. The target
audience for this project was beginning farmers of color, with a focus on African American communities. This program sought to address economic hardships disproportionately affecting communities of
color that serve as a barrier to securing the training, relationships, and
investment capital needed to fully participate in the agricultural economy.
Number of Participants: 21
Promotional Materials
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Educational Materials
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Reports & Evaluations
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Individual Stories / Examples of Success