Project Overview
The G.R.O.W.E.R. Apprenticeship program -“Generate Real Opportunities through Earth’s
Resources”- was a planning grant to develop a training program for BIPOC
beginning farmers and ranchers to hone their skills in sustainable farming techniques, to develop
sound business practices that will facilitate their success, and to be embedded in a community of
support in the early stages of their venture. The program is focused on developing these skills for individuals in Southern California. In this project, CSUSM's professors, CSUSM Extended Learning, and community partner Garden 31 created a curriculum catering to disadvantaged communities that aim to generate wealth via agriculture. We also created a map of resources of agriculture to be used in the full program as well as by any organizations in the area (see website in the promotional materials). To test out curriculum, we implemented a pilot project of 10 workshops. While are goal was to have 5 students, we ended up having 20 students. The pilot program was delivered by Christopher Burroughs and associates from Garden 31. The goal is to implement the full G.R.O.W.E.R. program to “Generate Real Opportunities through Earth’s Resources” providing training oriented towards
BIPOC communities to successfully run a business focusing on agriculture or landscaping and
will culminate by offering students the opportunity to collaborate in a farming cooperative to
support their continued success.
Number of Participants: 20
Promotional Materials
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Educational Materials
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Reports & Evaluations
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Individual Stories / Examples of Success