BFRDP Projects

Pathways to Farming: Facilitating land access, technical assistance, and cooperative development for beginning farmers of color
[Final Report]

Award Amount: $300,000
Grant Program: 2018 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Director: Heather Ellis
Email: grants@oregonfoodbank.org
Organization: Oregon Food Bank

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  • Overview
  • Results
  • Materials
  • Delivery Area
  • Comments

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

Results

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