Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23

Outputs
Target Audience:RISE's target audience for its work during this reporting period was New American beginning farmers living in and around Syracuse, NY. RISE's farmers range in age from approximately 35-70 years and are split between male (68%) and female (32%). Many of these individuals travel to the farm with relatives (including spouses, children, and extended family) and other members of their communities. RISE's farmers represent communities from Nepal, Bhutan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Sudan, and Afghanistan. All of RISE's farmers are People of Color qualifying as historically underserved. As an organization serving diverse refugee needs in the Syracuse area, RISE reaches its target audience through linguistically-appropriate outreach and training tailored to the unique skills and needs of the immigrant and refugee community. Changes/Problems:RISE's program underwent an enormous amount of change in the 2023 season, almost all due to the unexpected property donation that the organization received in the second half of 2022. While the donation was a blessing in terms of program potential and sustainability, a number of major challenges arose from the quick timeline on which RISE had to adjust its programming to accommodate this major structural change. The positives of this change were numerous and will be long-lasting: Whereas RISE previously needed to balance program priorities within the context of partner organizations and the owners of its leased farmland, RISE now has full decision-making authority about the use and development of its farm property. The property has enormous potential for production expansion, and farmers are universally optimistic and excited about accessing more land and increasing the sizes and diversities of their operations. One of the main challenges was the increased distance between RISE's new farm, which is in northern Oswego County, and Syracuse, where RISE is headquartered and all of its participant farmers live. The increased distance to the farm added costs to the program in terms of fuel and staff time, and was a prohibitive factor for farmers, whose time performing work in their fields was sacrificed in the extra commuting burden. Having historically worked with many individuals without ready access to their own transportation, RISE has sought to make its incubator farm accessible by offering a shuttle to the farm from Syracuse on a set schedule several times per week and was able to offer this service with some success in 2023. However, the incubator farm's distance added strain to the viability of the vehicle-sharing arrangements with other RISE departments that had sustained the program in years past. The Agriculture Program is exploring options for acquiring its own vehicle for future use, but the dynamic of farmers being reliant on the program for transportation to and from their farm is inherently difficult and may need a long-term solution that reduces the burden on RISE. The difficulty of executing program activities while simultaneously figuring out the particularities of the new property led to some recurring clumsiness throughout the season that RISE and program participants handled with as much grace as possible. The soil at the farm, though highly fertile, was also exceptionally rocky, presenting a challenge for traditional tillage equipment. Staff also struggled to be adequately prepared, at times, to provide appropriate technical assistance in the face of new challenges that they, themselves, were still figuring out. The farm's geography led to an unexpected cold snap in May that was damaging to unprotected plants, deer became a significant, difficult pressure late in the season, and various irrigation and equipment issues arose as staff worked to understand how aging tools and infrastructure that came with the property could or could not be applied to serve RISE's goals. The program suffered again in 2023 from staff turnover. Many of the staff involved in the project either changed their roles from 2022-2023 or left the organization entirely and had to be replaced. The lack of staff continuity has made it difficult for the program to set and adhere to strict priorities. The Program Educator, employed through a partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension, left her position in the middle of June, throwing off the schedule for curriculum delivery to first-year farmers, requiring alternate staff to temporarily step into the teaching role. Routine turnover appears to be due to relatively low compensation and a personally demanding and sometimes chaotic work environment. Turnover has had a definite effect on program quality year-over-year. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?RISE's curriculum for first-year and returning farmers, as described above, falls under the category of training and professional development for potential careers in agriculture. In 2023, four past or present RISE New American farmers were employed in program support roles at RISE or Salt City Harvest Farm, a demonstration of a secondary way that the program functions as an entry point into agricultural careers. This first year at the new farm was a unique challenge for the program, but also an opportunity for farmers to participate in a process of active problem-solving, alongside staff, similar to the type they would be likely to encounter in future independent agricultural endeavors. Rather than entering into an environment where many decisions had already been made for them, farmers in 2023 collaborated with staff on field layout strategies, bed preparation techniques, irrigation layout and management, and pest strategies. Farmers have been active in this participatory process and demonstrate a sense of ownership over the land, as many have already begun outlining production expansions into 2024 and beyond, including increased vegetable acreage and exploration of animal agriculture opportunities afforded by the size and scope of the property. During this reporting period, RISE staff also attended the National Incubator Farm Training Initiative's 2023 Field School, a conference for incubator farm managers, and a virtual several-day networking event for organizations facilitating Refugee Agricultural Partnership Program grants through the Office of Refugee Resettlement. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?RISE's primary means of communicating about the project has been through monthly publications of the Syracuse Refugee Agricultural Program (SyRAP) email newsletter. The newsletter is distributed to over 2,500 individuals representing past participants, donors, and food systems professionals both locally and nationally. RISE is a well-respected nonprofit in Syracuse with significant community ties. Agriculture Program staff at RISE participate in the local Syracuse-Onondaga Food Systems Alliance, a hub of organizations working to advance local food security. RISE's incubator farm is well-known in the community by virtue of close relationships between RISE staff and other members of the food system. Program participants speak highly of the incubator farm and routinely tell staff that they know of community members who would like to join the farm. RISE's network of current and former farmers living in Syracuse is its strongest tie to the community and means of sharing information and opportunities with those who might be interested in participating. Additionally, program staff and farmers have given presentations and worked with interns from various local universities. This reporting period, staff and farmers have coordinated with Syracuse University, Le Moyne College, and Cornell University. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1: RISE underwent a major program change between the 2022 and 2023 season that had a significant impact on certain program participation metrics. At the end of a long negotiation process with a dissolving nonprofit, in late 2022 RISE acquired its own parcel of farmland through a donation, leading to a location change for BFRDP programming in 2023. As RISE elected to develop its own farm as its programming hub for the foreseeable future, former host and partner Salt City Harvest Farm chose to continue operating independently as an incubator site for New Americans. Many farmers, including the Deaf New American community, who had been formerly members of RISE's programming, chose to stay at their current location and continue farming under the umbrella of Salt City Harvest. Nevertheless, 14 returning farmers elected to make the transition to RISE's new farmland, while RISE recruited eight new farmers, five of whom completed the first-year introductory program and will begin receiving 1/8th-acre plots to manage independently in 2024. These five farmers are from the Nepali, Bhutanese, and Afghan communities. In the last progress report, RISE reported a total of 56 farmers having participated in incubator farmer activities over the course of the project period. Although RISE can only report 19 farmers currently enrolled in its programming at the conclusion of 2023, the reality is that the number of New American farmers in Syracuse engaged in agriculture is much higher, given that multiple different programs are now operating simultaneously, facilitated by RISE, Salt City Harvest Farm, and the Deaf New American community. Objective 2: RISE and its farmers spent 2023 breaking ground in a transition of the program to RISE's new farm property. RISE's 14 returning and 5 new farmers together turned 2.5 acres of pasture to mixed vegetable cultivation. Returning farmers all maintained, at a minimum, 1/8th-acre plots of mixed vegetable production while a smaller cohort expanded their footprint up to ¼-acre to accommodate increased production of corn, squash, and other less labor-intensive crops. In total, RISE farmers produced over 10,000 lbs of produce on their farm plots in 2023. In the winter, returning farmers attended classes held at a local library on a weekly or biweekly basis on topics related to farm management. Curriculum included the following units: Units of measurement Standard vs metric Area calculations and their relation to seeding requirements Extrapolating volumes for fertilizer applications Farm record-keeping Seeding/transplanting records Harvest dates/quantities IPM activity and effects Market Basics Direct-to-consumer vs wholesale What is a CSA Market techniques Profitability and Scale Yield projections Relationship between input expenses and price Case studies with crops of interest Indoor Seed-starting Tour and demonstration of RISE's indoor seed-starting facility Seed-starting best practices by crop (carried out over multiple weeks) Five first-year farmers received weekly one-on-one instruction with staff on their smaller (roughly 900 sq ft) plots. The mid-season departure of the Cornell Cooperative Extension Educator created some difficulties maintaining strict class routines, but the program curriculum was distributed to first-year farmers and delivered individually through hands-on teaching by alternative program staff. First-year curriculum included: Orientation and Introduction to NYS Agriculture What is agriculture? How is farming different in the United States? Where do small farms fit into the picture? Season & Climate, Indoor Seed-Starting Crop seasonality Cool season vs warm season Seed-starting tutorials Farm Tour & Bed Preparation Site tour Bed layout and seed bed requirements Working with rocky soil Farm Safety Coping with weather and hydration Tool safety and body awareness Environmental threats and how to respond Planting Basics & Units of Measurement Seeding vs. transplanting Benefits of thinning Plant spacing and how to read seed packets Watering & Irrigation Watering and soil types How to use drip tape Watering routines to encourage plant health Harvesting Basics & Wash Station Harvesting for market Processing for market Soil Basics Organic matter and soil type Soil life and microorganisms Soil Health & Conservation Cover cropping Crop rotation Minimal tillage strategies IPM & Weed Control Insect identification IPM strategies (pesticides, row covers) Weed strategies (landscape fabric, mulch, maintenance) Objective 3: RISE introduced new modules into its winter curriculum this year to help farmers understand the relationship between pre-season planning and financial viability. RISE worked one-on-one with each farmer in January and February to map their farm plots and build seed orders to match production goals, while classes in winter and spring focused on building theoretical understandings of concepts beyond technical production skills. RISE also undertook a new approach to market assistance by facilitating individual wholesale opportunities for interested farmers through connections with other local farms and emergency food distributors.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Minkoff-Zern, L. A., Walia, B., Gangamma, R., & Zoodsma, A. (2023). Food sovereignty and displacement: gardening for food, mental health, and community connection. The Journal of Peasant Studies, 1-20.

Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/23

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience reached throughout this project are former refugees in the greater Syracuse area. These individuals involved throughout the project period ranged from 30-75 years in age. In total, 61 different individuals participated in the program throughout the grant period. Many of these individuals farm the land with help from their families - such as partners, siblings, cousins, and children. Slightly more females participated in the program than males. Throughout the grant period, participants' countries or origin included Nepal, Bhutan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Burundi, Somalia, Cuba, and Afghanistan. This target audience spoke and signed many different languages including but not limited to: Nepali, Nepali Sign Language, Somali, Swahili, French, Kirundi, Arabic, Kinyarwanda, English, and American Sign Language. All of RISE's farmers are People of Color qualifying as historically underserved farmers. ? Changes/Problems:This BFRDP project has encountered a variety of challenges and changes throughout the 4 years of implementation. These changes and challenges fall into four categories: Covid-19, transportation, production space / partnerships, and staff turnover. Covid-19 began midway through year 1 of this project, with the most severe complications occurring in years 1 and 2 of the project. Recruitment, class implementation, sales, and transportation were all impacted by Covid-19. Many program participants were at an increased vulnerability to Covid-19 due to their family living situations, essential worker statuses, and limited resources to utilize in the face of challenges that arose. Because of this, many participants were wary of indoor activities or transportation in a van with other participants. Additionally, with food shortages more common in the first 2 years of the pandemic, many participants opted to take home a larger portion of the food that they grew in order to provide for their families. RISE therefore worked to host more classes outdoors during the summer months, stagger van transport times, provided PPE, and pointed participants towards medical resources that were available should they need it. Transportation was impacted by Covid-19, the number of participants involved in the program, and the location(s) of farmland. As discussed above, Covid-19 prompted a staggering of van times to ensure social distancing. Beyond Covid-19, the majority of program participants required transportation to be available in order to participate in the program. RISE therefore utilized a 15 passenger van to accommodate this need. However, during the height of the growing season, the van did not have enough space to fit all the participants and produce that would travel to the farm on any given day. Throughout the project, farmers utilized land at different RISE and partner owned farming locations. Staff therefore offered additional days for travel to the farm, encouraged carpooling, and continues to look for additional funding to support the purchase of a larger vehicle. Throughout years 1-3 of the project, programming occurred in coordination with Salt City Harvest Farm and Matthew 25 Farm. In year 4 of the program, however, a donor unexpectedly gifted RISE a large farm property. This prompted a speedy shift in programming locations. The positives of this change were numerous and will be long-lasting, including the agency to plan for long term farm programming on land owned by RISE, as well as the expansion of farmland available. However, this change came with the challenges of a further travel distance, navigation of new soil conditions, management of existing property infrastructure, and a quick transition of operations into a new space. Finally, staff turnover has been a challenge for the program. Throughout the course of the project, amidst many of the challenges and changes outlined above, the primary staff implementing this project have changed. This impacted the institutional knowledge that could be shared amongst the team, as well as introduced inconsistency in relationship building among program participants. As RISE establishes programming on a new, RISE-owned piece of farmland, and reflects on the successes and challenges of this project, we hope to ameliorate this trend for the future. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?As described above, SyRAP farmers have received significant professional development opportunities through participation in the program that better equips them for careers in agriculture. Annual BFRDP reports outline the schedule, content, and farmer attendance of classes for each reporting period. These classes enable farmers to have the skills to farm within the US, as well as serve as an entry point for agricultural careers. Throughout the project, staff have had professional development opportunities, with some modifications made due to Covid-19. Each year of the project, 1-4 staff members attended the National Incubator Farm Training Initiative Conference. Additionally, during two years of the project, staff were able to attend a conference hosted by the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York. Staff also participated in various webinars hosted by leading organizations including New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and American Farmland Trust. Finally, staff attended quarterly meetings of the Syracuse Onondaga Food System Alliance to network and learn from other local organizations working on intersecting programs. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Project results have been disseminated in a variety of ways. Firstly, the SyRAP program has a newsletter that goes out to over 2,500 people each month that allows RISE to share program successes, challenges, and learnings with RISE's direct community. Additionally, the SyRAP program shares information via a social media account and website. Next, throughout the project period, staff and farmers have been invited to speak about the program at various universities. This has included classes and events hosted by Syracuse University, Le Moyne College, Cornell University, and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Next, staff have given presentations at the Syracuse-Onondaga Food System Alliance, a community partner described above. And finally, word of mouth among program participants and volunteers is a powerful mechanism for sharing information. Participants and volunteers speak highly of the incubator farm and routinely tell staff that they know of community members who would like to join the farm or contribute to the work RISE is completing. ? What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?This is the final reporting period. RISE is currently implementing programing with support from the Office of Refugee Resettlment's Refugee Agricultural Partnership Program. RISE will continue to provide support for New American beginning farmers and seek additional streams of revenue to support the work. RISE has made several changes to its programming, moving forward, to increase opportunities for farmers to be independent. Since the population served by RISE faces unique challenges (linguistic, financial, and cultural) to independence, several needs emerged during the project period that RISE believes it can meet to further assist farmers with navigating the path towards greater autonomy in their farming operations. In 2024, RISE is piloting new programs to (A) help farmers locate leasing opportunities beyond the incubator farm and (B) to develop a centralized aggregation and distribution operation to more easily facilitate sales opportunities for farmers who are leasing from RISE.?

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Refugee and Immigrant Self-Empowerment (RISE), through it's Syracuse Refugee Agricultural Program (SyRAP), and in collaboration with Salt City Harvest Farm, Matthew 25 Farm, and Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Onondaga County, have successfully completed a Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program project spanning from 09.01.2019 to 08.31.2023. This project provided culturally appropriate and accessible outreach, education, training, resources, and mentorship for beginning farmers in the New American community in and around Syracuse, NY.? Objective 1: To expand the number of Syracuse area refugees and other legal immigrants who choose farming as an income-generating occupation, from 30 at project start to 45 by the end of the three-year project Throughout the project period, a variety of strategies were used to connect with interested beginning farmers. These strategies included door-to-door outreach, outreach within other RISE departments, distribution and posting of over 500 fliers, outreach among community partners, information sessions, word of mouth among existing farmers, RISE's newsletter, and through direct texts/phone calls. Outreach occurred in six different languages throughout the project and was successful at increasing the number of participants involved throughout the project period to 50, which exceeds the goal of 45. The rate of expansion and attrition has varied throughout the project period based on concerns about Covid-19, scheduling/availability, and farmland distance. Many farmers involved in the project had increased vulnerability to Covid-19 based on their socioeconomic positionality. The formatting, location, and timing of classes and transportation options were adapted to accommodate farmers' needs throughout the project period, but Covid-19 nevertheless impacted the retention of farmers and administration of project activities. The number of farmers who participated in the program grew over the course of the project period. By the end of the first year, 33 farmers were enrolled. In year 2, that number grew to 40, with ten new participants (three had to leave the program). In Year 3, the program as a whole saw some attrition due to scheduling conflicts with the Deaf New American community, but still welcomed seven new farmers into the program. In total, the number of people who participated in the program increased to 50 from the projected starting point of 33. Although RISE exceeded the goal in terms of individual participants, since there was some attrition throughout the project period, we estimate this objective to have been 80% successful. Objective 2: To enhance 33 farmers' knowledge and skills in vegetable production, farm business and financial management, and marketing and provide them with related incubator experience to show measurable, year-over-year success Throughout the project period, over 200 hours of classes and 5,000 hours of technical assistance were provided to 50 New American beginning farmers. Each class focused on a specific subject surrounding themes of mixed vegetable production, farm business and financial management, and marketing. Technical assistance occurred in the production field, processing station, and at the market. Education and technical assistance occurred throughout the project period, as follows: Year 1: 65 hours of beginning farmer training, 1,500 hours of technical assistance Year 2: 45 hours of beginning farmer training, 980 hours of technical assistance Year 3: 40 hours of beginning farmer training, 1,723 hours of technical assistance Classes were primarily led by an educator hired through Cornell Cooperative Extension, but were conducted by a multilingual staff team with interpretation arrangements made as needed. Class content prioritized the inclusion of visual and hands-on materials in order to be as accessible as possible to participating farmers. Technical assistance was primarily provided by the educator, market manager, and program coordinator. Participants completed comprehension quizzes following classes and participated throughout the season in feedback sessions with program staff to ensure information was understood and any new needs could be addressed. During Year 3 of the project, RISE received a supplemental BFRDP award. This award allowed RISE to increase the specificity of technical assistance to each farmer, as well as facilitate an urban agriculture program in Syracuse to introduce new participants to production in closer proximity to their homes. For many participants during Covid-19, this option was preferable. More information about the activities performed during the Supplemental period can be found at the end of this report. Farmers' education progressed year-over-year, especially between Years 1 and 2. First-year farmers received a highly structured curriculum that covered basic botany, soil science, market strategies, and production techniques. In Year 2, these same farmers received access to more land and opportunities to sell their produce at the CNY Regional Market. During this year, education shifted more to technical assistance as farmers learned about market harvest and processing procedures and worked one-on-one with the Program Educator to troubleshoot issues happening in their fields. This pattern continued in Year 3. Beginning Year 2, farmers also began paying small fees for the land and tools. RISE estimates this objective to have been met with 90% success. Programming reached more farmers than the projected 33, with all farmers participating in first-year programming advancing in their second years to increased production independence. Objective 3: To facilitate the financial sustainability of at least ten participating farmers' enterprises by offering tools and extending resources that promote long-term business The project has benefited participants' income in two primary ways. Firstly, 28%, or 17 individual farmers, participated in formal produce sales channels facilitated by RISE such as the CNY Regional Market and the pilot Harvest Share program. As farmers grew more produce and increased their skills in selling produce, some farmers sold produce through channels outside of RISE such as to international grocery stores or within their ethnic communities. Total sales within RISE channels amounted to approximately $13,505, though sales outside of these channels is unknown as it is personal to each farmer. Year-over-year produce quantities grown were as follows: In Year 1, 14,172 pounds ($3,571 in sales) In Year 2, 10,564 pounds ($3,026 in sales) In Year 3, 20,888 pounds ($6,908 in sales) While the full trajectory of harvest weight and sales were positive, the dip in Year 2 in both metrics can be explained by a prolonged rainy spell in Central New York that challenged farmers generally.?? RISE estimates that it was 70% successful in achieving this objective. Although the dollar value of produce sold within the confines of program channels may appear relatively small, that number does not tell the entire story. Many RISE farmers grew vegetables either for family subsistence purposes or for sale through non-formal channels within their communities. These sales, due to being so decentralized, were impossible for the program to track, but farmers proudly shared their value to program staff throughout the project period. As this project awared to RISE was serving a "disadvantaged" community, it is important to keep in mind that the availability of food for themselves and their communities was an important way that this community's need was met, even if these sales could not be measured in traditional market terms.?

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Minkoff-Zern, L. A., Walia, B., Gangamma, R., & Zoodsma, A. (2023). Food sovereignty and displacement: gardening for food, mental health, and community connection. The Journal of Peasant Studies, 1-20.

Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience reached during this reporting period are former refugees in the greater Syracuse area. These individuals range from 30-75 in age. The demographic is split evenly between males and females. Many of these individuals farm the land with help from their families - such as partners and children. Currently, the participants come from Nepal, Bhutan, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Burundi, and Somalia. This target audience speaks and signs many different languages including but not limited to: Nepali, Nepali Sign Language, Somali, Swahili, French, Kirundi, Arabic, Kinyarwanda, English, and American Sign Language. Changes/Problems:An ongoing problem that has led to difficulty in programming was balancing limited transportation resources with variable farmer schedules. On a weekly basis, up to 19 farmers would rely on the program's single passenger van for rides to and from the farms. Transportation was arranged in a way that could accommodate the bulk of farmers' schedules each week. However, it was impossible to provide it across the board, especially for those who lived in the suburbs and did not always have a way to get to the central pickup location in the city. Beyond transportation access, instances would often pop up outside of farming that resulted in farmers having to miss out on classes and farm time (caring for other family members, car trouble, schedule conflicts with work, etc.). While it was rare to have full attendance for a given class due to the above mentioned issues, the educators were able to change their approach to provide individual make-up lessons and/or schedule multiple days or times for one class topic as much as possible. Another ongoing problem associated with the COVID-19 pandemic was an inability and/or unwillingness from staff and farmers to participate in many indoor gatherings related to programming. This resulted in another off-season where it was unsafe to hold classes that had to be pushed back and crammed into the growing season. Ideally, staff would have hosted classes and one-on-one sessions on topics like crop planning, financial literacy, business and marketing best practices, soil conservation, etc. in the off season so that farmers are better prepared for the upcoming growing season and more time is available to focus on hands-on/in-field curricula. The educators did their best to make up for this gap in training over the winter and prioritized as many production and market topics as possible. During the growing season, farmers are reluctant to pull their time away from the farms for too long, so it was a challenge to provide thorough training in business/finance topics. With the threat of the pandemic significantly weakened from the start of this reporting period to now, staff are reinstating fall and winter classes so that farmers are able to better capitalize on their time in the field and apply concepts learned ahead of the growing season. A positive change was the addition of the Assistant Program Coordinator/Educator from the BFRDP COVID-19 Supplemental funds whose presence drastically increased staff capacity. This person made a huge difference in the amount of technical support the program was able to provide in addition to the quality of and attention to educational initiatives. Simultaneously, the Program Coordinator and Director were able to spend more of their time investing in program development and expanding marketing initiatives, for example. The supplemental funds also increased the amount of support given to farmers in the form of improved tools and other farm supplies. Another major positive change was the launching of the Harvest Share pilot program. This initiative came about because some farmers have been expressing their desire to sell more vegetables and generate more income from farming for some time, and the program finally had the added staff capacity to act upon those expressed needs. The Harvest Share enabled farmers to sell a consistent amount of vegetables each week to a small group of recurring and dedicated customers. Based on the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model, but with minor tweaks to adjust to the unique circumstances of the program, the Harvest Share resulted in a reliable, though small in its first season, source of income for participating farmers. Both farmers and staff learned a lot this season through the implementation of this program on the demands and planning required to run this type of market initiative. With the pilot season complete, the goal for future seasons is to continue expanding the Harvest Share customer base and improve crop planning until it resembles a larger CSA. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Due to ongoing constraints from the COVID-19 Pandemic, staff members did not have very many opportunities to participate in training or professional development. That being said, the Agriculture Programs Director, Agriculture Program Coordinator, Assistant Agriculture Program Coordinator and Educator, and the Community Garden Coordinator were all able to participate in virtual seminars via the National Incubator Farm Training Initiative Conference. Farmers in the program received training and classes from the Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Urban Agriculture Educator in collaboration with RISE's interpreters and Assistant Agriculture Program Coordinator and Educator. The CCE class report for this reporting period is as follows: Class content summary 1st and 2nd year group (April - October 2022) @ Matthew 25 Farm 7 1st year farmers 1 2nd year farmers Class structure Met every week for class 30 minute to 1.5 hour classes followed by 2 hours of field work and demonstration Class content April Program orientation Filled out applications for new cohort of farmers Scheduled class times Introduced program scope Farm introduction Developed seasonal goals with farmers Matthew25 Farm orientation and introduced farmers to their planting spaces May Farm safety How to safely use and store hand tools with demonstrations on farm Lectured on tick safety and presented materials on toxic plants, removal, and safety Direct seeding and transplanting Taught the difference between direct seeding and transplanting Demonstrated how to start transplants in the greenhouse and how to care for transplants indoors Demonstrated how to transplant and direct seed in the field along with plant spacing Soil basics Introduced the 3 different components of soil texture (i.e., sand, silt, and clay) Showed desired soil type and its characteristics Companion planting Taught the benefits of diversified planting Presented good examples of companion planting Introduced biological controls for pest management June Irrigation and water requirements Lectured on plant uptake of water, transpiration, and soil evaporation (i.e., loss of water from bare soil) Taught critical watering times for different types of crops and signs of under- and overwatering Demonstrated in the field how to install a drip tape irrigation system Pest and weed management Introduced integrated pest management and multiple strategies for controlling insect pests Presented pest ID slides to farmers for identifying common vegetable crop pests Introduced pesticides, their uses, storage, and safety Introduced integrated weed management and multiple strategies to control weeds in the field Compost making Taught methods to produce quality compost Compost making field demonstration July Mid-season review session Quizzed farmers about content Asked farmers program evaluation questions and collected feedback Organic farming Introduced organic vs. non-organic and conventional farming, certification process, and how to market organic and non-organic produce Harvesting Introduced best practices for harvesting produce, ripeness, and timing Lectured on food safety and best practices for keeping farmers and customers safe Showed farmers size classes for different produce and how to do a quality check on produce Introduced farmers to weighing produce and recordkeeping August Post-harvesting procedures Lectured on food contaminants, methods for washing produce, and appropriate washing station design Introduced cold storage and shelf life Lectured on appropriate temperatures and humidity to keep different types of produce Bed turning Distributed cool season crop seeds to farmers Demonstrated how to clean up warm season crop beds and direct seed cool season crops along with appropriate plant spacing September Soil Reviewed soil textures and introduced other physical, chemical, and biological properties that make up healthy soil Showed properties of soil health through a water infiltration and slake test Introduced best management strategies to prevent soil erosion, maintain organic matter in soil, avoid disturbing soil, and cover soil throughout the year Cover Crops Reviewed the benefits of cover crops and how they can meet many of the soil health goals Lectured on the timing of including cover crops in vegetable rotations, the different types of cover crops, mixes, and how to terminate cover crops Showed farmers the USDA Cover Crop Chart with commonly used cover crops in North America Field clean up Explained steps of field clean up and assisted farmers in harvesting the remaining crops in their beds Older Cohorts - 3rd to 6th year farmers (June 2022 - October 2022) @ Salt City Harvest Farm (SCHF) 10 Deaf New American Nepali farmers - interpretation provided by SCHF farm manager 9 hearing farmers Class structure Met on an as-needed basis (i.e., either monthly or bi-monthly) 30 minute to 1.5 hour classes followed by 2-3 hours of field work or demonstration Farmers had frequent access to the farm with transportation to the farm 3 days a week Class content June Farm planning Reviewed direct seed vs. transplant and plant spacing Introduced farmers to online tools to calculate expected yield and determine seed orders Showed farmers examples of planting plans of beds with transplanting/seeding dates and expected harvest dates Integrated pest management Reviewed different ways to control for pests in field Lectured on pesticide safety and use July Irrigation and water requirements Reviewed plant uptake of water, transpiration, and soil evaporation (i.e., loss of water from bare soil) Reviewed critical watering times for different types of crops and signs of under- and overwatering Explained use of rain gauge and how to determine when to use irrigation system and when rain is enough Succession planting Introduced farmers to different forms/strategies of succession planting Lectured on the different crop families and good crop rotations (i.e., heavy and light feeders) Pest management (continued) Demonstrated setup, use, and cleanup of backpack sprayer with organic pesticide sprays Presented pest ID slides to farmers for identifying common vegetable crop pests Showed farmers examples of pesticide spray records and demonstrated how to keep records of spraying times/dates, name of sprayer, area sprayed, and restricted entry interval (REI) August Harvesting Reviewed best practices for harvesting produce, ripeness, and timing Reviewed food safety and best practices for keeping farmers and customers safe Showed farmers size classes for different produce and how to do a quality check on produce Post-harvesting procedures Reviewed food contaminants, methods for washing produce, and appropriate washing station design Reviewed cold storage and shelf life Lectured on appropriate temperatures and humidity to keep different types of produce September Soil Reviewed the physical, chemical, and biological properties and how they affect healthy soil Demonstrated properties of soil health through a water infiltration and slake test Reviewed best management strategies to prevent soil erosion, maintain organic matter in soil, avoid disturbing soil, and cover soil throughout the year Field clean up How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? A primary method for disseminating results from this project is through the Syracuse Refugee Agricultural Program newsletter. This is a platform to share monthly program updates and photos to over 2,500 subscribers who represent volunteers, donors, students, and other interested community members in the area. RISE staff also participate in quarterly meetings with the Syracuse-Onondaga Food Systems Alliance (SOFSA) where updates on program activities and successes are shared with the dozens of SOFSA members who are leaders in the local food system. Results are also shared to the farmers in the program and their communities through word of mouth, which continues to be one of the strongest ways to disseminate information among the refugee and immigrant communities served by RISE. Success stories from farmers, vegetables, and other information about program activities are shared with the community which further disperses results.? What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?This is the final reporting period of the 3-year project and the goals of the project have been met. However, RISE received a 1-year extension in order to utilize the remaining funds that were leftover as a result of COVID-19 programming barriers. These internal funds will help support program operations during the new fiscal year in addition to other federal and local grants awarded to RISE. ?

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1: With the threat of COVID-19 slightly lessened, recruitment activities were expanded this year from the previous reporting period. Instead of holding one information session, two in-person information sessions with interpreters were held in late March and early April for about 10 people interested in joining the program. Leading up to the information sessions, fliers translated in 5 different languages were disseminated at both RISE offices as well as other resettlement agencies and community organizations such as Catholic Charities, Interfaith Works, Hope Print, and the Northside Learning Center. Recruitment information was also shared in e-newsletters and on social media, and by word of mouth to communities of the existing program participants and RISE staff. Recruitment efforts resulted in 7 new participants entering the first year of the program. Unlike the previous reporting period where many participants started the first year but could not finish, all 7 new farmers were retained for the entire season. Of these 7 farmers, 6 have expressed their intent on continuing for a second year in the program. Despite successfully maintaining a cohort of 7 new first year participants, the program experienced an attrition of its Deaf New American participants in the 4th year cohort due to external scheduling conflicts or decreased interest in farming. This brought the number of enrolled and active farmers down from 40 in the previous reporting period to 29 for this year. Nonetheless, the program has exceeded its target goal of reaching 45 Syracuse area refugees and other immigrants by the end of the 3-year project. To date, there have been 56 people who have participated in the incubator farming program. Objective 2: Major activities include 40 hours of classes administered to 27 farmers in the areas related to crop planning, crop management, harvest/post-harvest handling, and marketing. There was a total of 1,723 hours of on farm/at market technical assistance by staff and partners of SyRAP for the 29 active beginner farmers in the program. A total of 25 unique classes/training events were held during the reporting period from April - September. Most classes were accompanied by a verbal post-quiz to help measure retainment of the material. In all instances where a post-quiz was administered, farmers were able to score 80% or higher. One-on-one midseason review sessions were held with all farmers in the 1st and 2nd year cohorts, and each farmer answered the review questions with 80% or more accuracy. In Summary, 40 hours of training was given to farmers which is slightly less than the previous reporting period due to a shift in strategy for administering classes. Farmers in the first and second year cohort received scheduled weekly training sessions as per usual program guidelines. However, based on farmer and partner feedback, we began scheduling classes with farmers in older cohorts on an as-needed basis so that farmers could have more time to spend in their plots applying what they have learned in their previous years of training, which resulted in once or twice monthly classes rather than weekly as in past seasons. This proved beneficial because farmers were able to put more time into growing successful crops while still receiving training on the topics they requested additional help on. Additionally, we shifted how classes were administered for the Deaf New American farmers. Rather than holding a group session with live sign language interpretation, the Farm Manager (who is also deaf) would receive the lesson material from the Educator, and then go to each farmer one by one to relay the information in the field with accompanying visual print outs. This proved to be a more conducive learning environment for the deaf farmers in the program. In summary, on farm/at market technical assistance by RISE staff and partners increased from 980 hours in the previous reporting period to 1,723 hours in this reporting period. This was largely due to the BFRDP Supplemental award which allowed RISE to bring on a 30 hr/week Assistant Program Coordinator and Educator. With added staff capacity, RISE was able to provide extended hours of technical support for both farm and market activities. The data shows that tailored education strategies and increased staff capacity for providing technical support on the incubator farm contributed to greater farmer productivity. Despite experiencing an attrition of program participants, farmers produced more vegetables this reporting period than in any other. A record-breaking 20,888.25 pounds of vegetables was reportedly harvested by farmers across both partner farms, as compared to 10,564 pounds in the previous reporting period and 14,712 pounds in the first reporting period. Taking into account the damaging weather conditions experienced in the second reporting period, this data demonstrated the year-over-year success that farmers had in vegetable production. Objective 3: Major activities were continuing to offer farmers access to selling at the CNY Regional Farmers Market and extending market resources through a new RISE Harvest Share program. 10 participating farmers sold their produce for 10 weeks at the CNY Regional Market and 12 weeks through the Harvest Share program. This included additional market-based technical assistance from staff on harvest days and at sale locations. The data shows that farmer participation in market activities and overall sales significantly increased from the previous reporting period. Farmers produced $6,908 in total sales this year compared to $3,026 in the previous reporting period, more than doubling sales generated. The number of participating farmers also doubled from 5 people in the previous reporting period to 10 people this year. Whereas in the previous reporting period one single farmer accounted for $2,335 of the total $3,026 earned, there was a more even participation and distribution of sales for market activities this year; On average each farmer made $690.80 from produce sales. In summary, increased staff capacity allowed for a revamping of marketing efforts including providing more technical support to farmers to address their market goals and business needs, and launching a pilot season for the Harvest Share program. The Harvest Share pilot alone brought in almost as much as the total sales from the previous reporting period, with $2,745 earned. The consistent business from the Harvest Share program was a reliable option for farmers and sparked increased participation in marketing activities. Both farmers and customers have expressed interest in continuing their participation with the Harvest Share program in future seasons. Additionally, this year farmers who previously did not participate in marketing activities expressed interest in doing so, which increased the number of farmers who sold at both the CNY Regional Market and Harvest Share. The data also indicates that the vast majority of vegetables grown by farmers are not being sold in markets. This year 3,955 pounds of vegetables were sold while the remaining 16,932 pounds of vegetables grown were brought home. While it is known that some of the vegetables brought home by farmers is sold directly to their communities and therefore undocumented, it is still safe to say that most vegetables grown through the program meet subsistence-level needs of farmers and their families.

Publications

Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience reached during this reporting period are former refugees in the greater Syracuse area. These individuals range from 30-70 in age. The demographic is split fairly evenly between males and females. Many of these individuals farm the land with their families - including partners, children, and elderly parents. Currently, the participants come from Nepal, Bhutan, The Congo, and Somalia. This target audience speaks and signs many different languages including but not limited to: Nepali Sign Language, Nepali, Somali, Swahili, French and Kinyarwanda. Changes/Problems:There were several major challenges faced this year. COVID-19 continued to present challenges around recruitment, classes, and transportation. Recruitment in the winter was difficult because many people did not want to leave their homes. Only one recruitment session was held with all interested parties once it was warm enough to be outside. The most useful means of recruitment proved to be socially distanced and masked one-on-one discussions with people who showed interest in joining the program. Furthermore, similar to the previous year, it was not safe to have indoor classes over the winter so participants in the program used the winter to plan for the spring and to put together their seed orders instead. Classes took place on the farm over the year in weekly or biweekly schedules. Many solutions found the year before were continued this season, such as having meetings once a week with the American Sign Language interpreters and Nepali Sign Language interpreters in order to better teach them the class material ahead of time. The interpreters then taught the material to the deaf program participants during the week. Safety was still a main concern while providing transportation and oftentimes multiple vehicles were used or extra trips were made to maintain social distancing . Whenever possible masks were worn in the vans. The award of a grant from the Central New York Community Foundation to buy a new van was extremely helpful so that the agriculture program of RISE could have it's own vehicle independent of the other programs for reliably transporting farmers and produce each week. One natural challenge that was faced this year was an extreme amount of rain. In July and August, both critical farming months, there were record amounts of rainfall. For example, on August 20th in the town where Matthew 25 Farm is located, there was 8 inches of rainfall in just 2 days. This prevented many classes and work days from happening, damaged crops, and made weed management difficult with the wet soil. In the future, better amendments to the soil may help mitigate problems like this. Another challenge was with finding cold storage. Salt City Harvest Farm had received a grant in the previous grant year, but the scarcity of materials due to the supply chain disruptions from COVID-19 delayed construction, and there is still no functioning cold storage at the farm. Luckily, a new grocery store in Syracuse donated space in their cold storage for farmers to store their vegetables the night before the farmers market. The only difficulty with this solution was the limited hours of operation for the grocery store. This forced farmers to harvest earlier in the afternoon on Fridays than in previous years and the market manager had to start selling later on Saturday mornings. Ideally, in future years there will be better arrangements for cold storage. A positive change for the program was the award of a BFRDP Extension grant. With this grant many materials that are essential to farm such as seeds and a hoop house can be purchased in the next two years. In addition, this grant allowed for the hiring of an Assistant Program Coordinator/Educator and an Urban Agriculture Coordinator. The Assistant Program Coordinator/Educator will support the Agriculture Educator with creating and teaching classes and will also support farmers in the field. The Urban Agriculture Coordinator will increase the number of community gardens on the Northside of Syracuse and will also help create essential community connections to strengthen the program. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?SyRAP farmers participated in training ranging from farm production techniques to starting a business and financial literacy. These trainings took place on the farm and totaled 45 hours over the season. The farmers also had the opportunity to learn some of this material from experts from community organizations such as a staff member from Cornell Small Farms and nutrition educators from Cornell Cooperative Extension. Staff members did not have the opportunity for many in person trainings and professional development workshops due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, staff members attended a number of useful webinars put on by leading organizations such as the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems and New Entry. In addition, the Program Director, Program Coordinator and Market Manager were virtually able to attend the National Incubator Farm Training Initiative Conference and part of the Northeast Organic Farming Association winter conference. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results of this program have been disseminated to the greater Syracuse area through a presentation by the Program Director, Community Coordinator and the Market Manager to a global studies class at SUNY Oswego. Additionally, the Program Director gave a presentation to the Syracuse Onondaga Food System Alliance, which highlighted the program results to a large group of leaders in the local food system. There is a monthly agriculture newsletter that goes out to an audience of approximately 2,500 individuals who are volunteers, students, donors and interested community members to give updates, progress reports, and photos of program activities. Furthermore, the results are spread to the farmers in the program through word of mouth. Updates on the amount of vegetables harvested, how things are going, new farmers in the program and more are shared during classes and meetings throughout the year. Farmers share vegetables and stories of the program with people in their community further dispersing the results. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the next reporting period the following is planned to be accomplished: Staff members will hold 5 information sessions and distribute 500 linguistically appropriate flyers if it is safe to do so with the state of the pandemic. Staff members will continue to distribute flyers and hold information sessions with the staff members of partner resettlement agencies to help disseminate the information Existing beginning farmers will be re-enrolled in the program 40-60 hours of training and workshops will be given to farmers throughout the year with a stronger focus on starting a business and financial literacy 500-1000 hours of technical assistance will be provided At least 15 farmers will remain in the intermediate farmers incubator program At least 6 new farmers will join the 7 most recent farmers to total 13 individuals in the beginner farmer incubator program Work towards independence through increased classes and one-on-one discussions surrounding steps towards sustainability including realistic costs of running a productive farm

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The Syracuse Refugee Agricultural Program, a program of Refugee and Immigrant Self Empowerment (RISE), worked in collaboration with Matthew 25 Farm, Salt City Harvest Farm and Cornell Cooperative Extension to provide extensive resources and training to farmers in the greater Syracuse area. In the 2021 growing season, while dealing with the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, 40 farmers received 45 hours of classes. 10 new farmers joined the program and 6 of those farmers used incubator space for the first time this year. The majority of these farmers are interested in continuing in the program next year. Many farmers are continuing to opt for bringing their produce home to provide for their families and their communities in order to combat high supermarket prices and to decrease spending. The farmers who sold at the Central New York Regional Market managed to bring in a total of $3,026 this season with one farmer earning $2,545 of that total number. This year across the two incubator farms 10,564 pounds of vegetables were harvested. Objective One: To expand the number of Syracuse area refugees and other legal immigrants who choose farming as an income-generating occupation, from 30 at project start to 45 by the end of the three-year project. 1. The major activities this year for recruiting new farmers for the program included utilizing the staff members of RISE who interact with clients in the target audience every day. These multilingual staff members helped recruit many of the farmers in the program. Phone calls and home visits were used for providing information and translated written materials. Flyers were dropped off at Catholic Charities and Interfaith Works, two local resettlement agencies, to be dispersed to their clients. One socially-distanced event was held with interpreters to provide more information and register participants. 2. The data collected displays that the general interest in the program from new farmers was lower this year. This was likely due to the isolation of quarantining over the winter which resulted in many people who were not able to go to the places where the recruitment information was displayed. Initially there were 5 people who entered the first year of the program; however, in the first couple of months, 4 of those people had to drop out due to health and personal reasons. In the middle of the season 5 new people joined, which brought the number of new farmers in the program up to 6. There were 34 returning farmers who had participated in past years. This equates toa total of 40 farmers who were still enrolledat the end of the year. Since the beginning of the grant there have been a total of 49 people who have participated in the program. 3. This past year shows that the effects of COVID-19 are still influencing people's behavior. In the past, recruitment was much easier than this year. Many of the farmers are nervous about contracting COVID-19. Individuals with agricultural interests are not learning about the program because they are not going to the places where the information is posted and talked about. Of the farmers who did join the program, several had to drop out even though they showed a strong interest in farming because their health was not good enough for physical work. Other farmers who had participated in past years had poor health that restricted them from farming. 4.Key outcomes are that 6 new people overcame the obstacles that COVID-19 presents and were able to learn new skills while bringing food home to their families and their community. These individuals have already managed to recruit several people from their community to join the program this next season. Objective Two: To enhance 33 farmers' knowledge and skills in vegetable production, farm business and financial management, and marketing and provide them with related incubator experience to show measurable, year-over-year success. 1. The major activities administered this year have been the 45 hours of classes that the 40 farmers went through on production, marketing, financial literacy, business, food safety and nutrition. There was a total of 980 hours of on farm/at market technical assistance by staff and partners of SyRAP for the 40 beginner farmers. 2. The data showed that COVID-19 is slightly more understood now than before and can be better planned for. This past season, classes were more strategically planned in order to lessen the number of group gatherings needed each week while maintaining social distancing. Nevertheless, the third year farmers primarily made up of Deaf New American farmers still required significantly more farm time and technical assistance when compared with the hearing farmers which created a continued need for extra interpretation. 3. In summary, 45 hours of training were given which is less than the previous year due to better preparation for on-farm classes. 980 hours of classes were provided due to increased hours in the field and an increased number of participants from previous years. In addition, new farmers were relocated to Matthew 25 Farm to provide additional land for new farmers and experienced farmers who needed more space. This forced staff members to split their time teaching classes and providing assistance at two different locations approximately 30 minutes from one another. 4. Farmers received adequate amounts of training and produced a lot of vegetables to feed their families and to sell. The hours of training were lower this year as the effects of COVID-19 could be better prepared for after the previous year of problem solving. This year 10,564 pounds of vegetables were harvested, which is less than the ??14,712 pounds that were harvested last year, but more than the 8,500 pounds harvested two years ago. This is most likely due to a record breaking amount of rain in the crucial growing and harvesting periods of the summer. The damage from the rain on the crops made a significant portion unharvestable.? Objective Three: To facilitate the financial sustainability of at least 10 participating farmers'enterprises by offering tools and extending resources that promote long-term business self-sufficiency. 1. The major activities for improving the long term success of farmers is the improvement of farmers in managing their own farm plots and adopting techniques for production and business marketing. The organization of their plots and the amount of produce harvested indicates that farmers are understanding what they are learning in the classes and are able to apply those lessons toward increasing the productivity of their plots. This improvement of farm managing skills shows that farmers are ready for more advanced classes on topics like finances. 2. The data collected is the farmers reporting and demonstrating that they are implementing what they have learned. Farmers are asking more questions and wanting to learn more about different farming and nutrition topics. Farmers are choosing to increase the size of their plot and even moving to a different farm to practice their farming on a larger scale. More farmers are reporting wanting to sell to different buyers such as farmers' markets and small grocery stores. 3. Farmers are retaining a lot of information from the classes and are using their skills to improve their production. The one-on-one technical discussions are beneficial in helping people with specific problems. With these skills farmers are looking to improve the business side of their ventures. 4. The key outcomes are that 40 beginning farmers received training on the production and the business side of farming on land at Matthew 25 Farm and Salt City Harvest Farm. 6 beginner farmers received initial training at Matthew 25 farm. The group classes and one-on-one assistance the participants go through are linguistically and culturally appropriate. All of the farmers report that they will continue on in the program next year.

Publications

Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for the Syracuse Refugee Agricultural Program is the Syracuse refugee and immigrant community. The majority of the refugee and immigrant population is not only a minority by also economically disadvantaged due to language barriers, limited access to start up capital, limited transportation, limited literacy (in some instances), and approaches to agriculture developed overseas which may not be entirely transferable to farming in the Northeast United States Changes/Problems:The major change/problem was COVID 19. Many adjustments to the program had to be made to accommodate COVID 19 safety guidelines. The first of which was to postpone all in-person classes that were scheduled in March and April. It was determined that instead of holding the majority of classes in March and April in a classroom to instead hold them outdoors at Salt City Harvest Farm and Matthew 25 Farm from May-September where social distancing was much easier to follow. The larger second year farmer group had to be separated into two groups in order to provide transportation safely. RISE offers a 12 passenger van to those who need transportation, but because of COVID RISE could only have 5-6 people in the van at a time and there are 18 people in the second year group and the majority needed transportation. So one group was scheduled earlier in the day and the second group was scheduled for later in the day. This also proved difficult for the Agriculture Educator and American Sign Language Interpreter to do two of the same classes back to back. As a result once a week the Agriculture Educator, American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreter, and two or three Nepali Sign Language (NSL) Interpreters held meetings over Zoom to go over the class content for the week so that way the NSL interpreters had a better understanding of the content and how to interpret certain key words and present the content to the two different groups with minimal assistance from the Educator and ASL interpreter. Due to the food shortage and unemployment that was caused by COVID 19, farmers chose to not sell as much produce and either kept it for themselves or gave it away to friends and family in need. Transportation was also a challenge this year not only because of the aforementioned issues, but also because the van broke down and SYRAP's alternate mode of transportation, which was a mini-bus provided by Salt City Harvest Farm, also broke down at the same time so farmers had to resort to finding rides from friends and family. Eventually the van was repaired and this did not become an issue again. Cold storage was also an issue this year. Salt City Harvest Farm received a grant to build a new wash station and cold storage shed, but because of COVID 19 materials to build it became scarce and it did not get finished in time. As a result SyRAP partnered with Brady Farm, a local urban farm, and used their extra cold storage space for the season. Another challenge/problem, is that the Market Manager decided to take another position and quit. RISE posted the job description and was able to find someone to replace the previous Market Manager within a month. The new Market Manager is named Lucy Spence, she was evacuated from Panama after serving as a Sustainable Agriculture Systems Peace Corps Volunteer for almost two years due to COVID 19. She has a BS in Zoology from the University of New Hampshire with a minor in Spanish and knows some American Sign Language. She also volunteered as a COVID-19 Food Access Volunteer which involved, packing, organizing, and delivering food to those in need. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The 33 beginning farmers that are in the Syracuse Refugee Agriculture Program (SyRAP) received 65 hours of beginning farmer training on production, business and financial management, and marketing. 1,500 hours of on farm/at-market technical assistance with 33 beginning farmers to support their acquisition of production, business and financial management, and marketing skills. Due to COVID 19 not as many professional development opportunities arose for staff, but the Program Director and Market Manager were able to attend the three day National Incubator Farm Training Initiative Conference which happened to be hosted in Ithaca, not far from Syracuse, in November of 2019, and the Conference attendees toured Salt City Harvest Farm while the Program Director talked about SyRAP. The Program Director and Market Manager also have been attending virtual conferences on racial equality. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results of the benefits of the Syracuse Refugee Agriculture Program have been disseminated to local colleges and universities as well as other local non-profit agencies. The Program Director has spoken in classes at Syracuse University Falk College for their Food Studies department and at the State University of New York Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF) classes about SyRAP. The Program Director is also a member of the newly formed Syracuse-Onondaga Food Systems Alliance (SOFSA). This is a group of interested non-profits, consumers, producers, and distributors, formed to help bring together all interested and invested parties to help improve the food system in Syracuse. This will benefit SyRAP by opening up new outlets to sell farmers produce and make it easier for farmers and gardeners to garden in their yards and have small livestock such as chickens in the city. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period the following will be accomplished: SyRAP staff will focus on recruiting more farmers to join the program by holding five informational sessions, distributing 500 translated fliers. Staff will have to revise doing home visits since COVID 19 still poses a risk to staff and clients safety when going door to door. Virtual outreach meetings will be held with other refugee organizations. Existing beginning farmers will be re-enrolled. 40-60 hours of group training will be delivered to beginning farmers One-on-one/small group technical assistance hours delivered :500-1,000 There will be 18+ farmers at new farmer incubator There will be 10+ beginning farmers at intermediate farmer incubator Assist beginning farmers with tailored technical assistance to help them graduate to become independent or cooperative farmers.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Refugee and Immigrant Self-Empowerment (RISE), through its Syracuse Refugee Agriculture Program (SyRAP) provided outreach, education, training, and mentoring with refugee and immigrant beginning farmers in collaboration with Cornell Cooperative Extension, Salt City Harvest Farm, and Matthew 25 Farm. Despite the challenges of COVID 19, 65 hours of classes were taught to 40 farmers from the Syracuse refugee community, 1,500 hours of technical assistance were delivered, six farmers leased farm land, ten farmers used incubator or community garden space, and eighteen farmers farmed on incubator space for the first time. The farmers' countries of origin are Nepal, Bhutan, Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burundi. Many farmers chose to keep their produce and distribute it amongst the refugee community because of the impact COVID 19 had on their communities, despite this shift, $3,571 was made at the farmers market and one farmer made $2,426. 14,712 pounds of food was grown and harvested and many farmers are in a better position to grow and sell even more food during the next growing season. Many SyRAP farmers, who are socially disadvantaged, commented that being able to farm this year was good for their emotional wellbeing and health during a world pandemic that has kept many people at home. They also commented that because they were able to farm and grow their own food they did not struggle as much with food insecurity and that by sharing much of their harvest, their friends and family also had enough food to get them through the economic crisis and food shortages caused by COVID 19. • Objective 1: To expand the number of Syracuse area refugees and other legal immigrants who choose farming as an income-generating occupation, from 30 at project start to 45 by the end of the three-year project. 1) The major activities that were conducted to recruit more farmers were that RISE staff went door to door, five linguistically and culturally appropriate information sessions were organized and announced within the refugee community, and 500 fliers were handed out. Only three information sessions were conducted because the other two had to be cancelled because of the COVID 19 quarantine. A total of ten people attended the information sessions. Brochures and fliers were made and handed out to RISE clients. After adjusting the program to fit COVID 19 safety measures, orientation was held at one of the RISE community gardens for those that were interested in joining the program for the first time. 2) The data collected is that many people in the refugee community are interested in farming, but many have time limitations due to full time jobs or disabilities and have a hard time attending classes that are required. Ten people showed interest and signed up for the program, but once classes started only eight people came to the first class and then only two stayed in the program. There were 31 farmers at the start of the program, these farmers had been in the program for two, three, and four years respectively. By the end of the growing season there were 33 farmers enrolled in the program. 3) It was determined that because of COVID 19 many of the first time farmers were concerned about contracting the virus because the majority of them were from the Burmese community and many in their families had died from the virus after working in high production greenhouses north of Syracuse. After witnessing this they decided to leave the program because they were too worried to go out in public and risk contracting COVID 19. Only two farmers remained throughout the first year of the program, one is from Somalia, and the other one is from Bhutan. The farmers who had been with the program longer than one year, stayed in the program and followed the new COVID 19 guidelines and no one contracted the virus while at the farm in part due to social distancing, wearing masks, and washing hands frequently. 4) The key outcomes is that even though only two new farmers joined the program, that is two more people from the refugee community who are now empowered to grow their own food, share it with others, have a chance to start their own business enterprise, and learn new farming techniques that they might not have otherwise learned. Another outcome is that eight people reduced their risk of COVID 19 and they can now be contacted to join the program next year when hopefully COVID 19 will be less of a risk and they will feel safer. • Objective 2: To enhance 33 farmers' knowledge and skills in vegetable production, farm business and financial management, and marketing and provide them with related incubator experience to show measurable, year-over-year success. 1) The major activities that were conducted are: 65 annual hours of beginning farmer training on production, business and financial management, and marketing subjects for 40 beginning farmers. There were 1,500 hours delivered for on-farm/at-market technical assistance with 33 beginning farmers to support their acquisition of production, business and financial management, and marketing skills. 2) The data collected show that more training hours were needed for the second year farmers than expected because the second year farmers are all from the Deaf New American community and it takes twice as long to teach a class because they have two interpreters, one hearing interpreter to interpreter words into American Sign Language and one interpreter to interpret ASL into Nepali Sign Language. Multiple classes were held to ensure that there was enough time to interpret. 3) In summary, 65 hours of training were held instead of the anticipated 40 and 1500 hours of on-farm/at-market assistance was given instead of the predicted 500 hours. Both of these results conclude that the predicted number of hours needed to train and assist 33 beginning farmers, many of who are deaf, was not enough to help set the farmers up for a successful growing season. Many challenges resulted in these changes, namely due to COVID 19 and also not realizing how much time is needed to accommodate farmers with disabilities. 4) The key outcomes are that despite many setbacks because of COVID 19 and underestimating how much assistance beginning farmers with disabilities needed, farmers were given the training hours and assistance that made them successful growers. More pounds of food were grown than the previous year; 14,712 lbs compared to 8,500 lbs the year before, and the farmers are equipped with more knowledge than the year before. Staffing was adjusted to fit the needs of the farmers which will help better prepare staff and farmers for the following year. • Objective 3: To facilitate the financial sustainability of at least 10 participating farmers' enterprises by offering tools and extending resources that promote long-term business self-sufficiency. 1) The major activities that were conducted are the skills and knowledge of 33 beginning farmers were facilitated through participation in the program on the land of Salt City Harvest Farm and Matthew 25 Farm and promoting the graduation of five beginning farmers from SyRAP onto more sustainable and informed farm enterprises. 2) The data collected is that many farmers expressed how helpful the classes and on site technical assistance is to help them get closer to their goals of having their own farms. Many farmers have learned how to expand their production on a small space and what venues to sell their produce at more effectively. 3) In summary farmers benefit from extensive on site classes and one-on-one technical assistance to further their farm enterprises and allow them a better chance at starting a sustainable farm business. 4) The key outcomes are that 33 beginning farmers participated in farming land at Matthew 25 Farm and Salt City Harvest Farm and five beginning farmers received linguistically and culturally appropriate classes, training, and one-on-one technical assistance.

Publications