Source: UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA submitted to NRP
OVERCOMING BUSINESS AND LAND CHALLENGES: ASSISTING REFUGEES, INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, AND OTHER LIMITED RESOURCE BEGINNING PRODUCERS IN ARIZONA
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1031286
Grant No.
2023-49400-40871
Cumulative Award Amt.
$750,000.00
Proposal No.
2023-04913
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 15, 2023
Project End Date
Sep 14, 2026
Grant Year
2023
Program Code
[BFRDA]- Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, Standard
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
888 N EUCLID AVE
TUCSON,AZ 85719-4824
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
This proposal targets beginning farmer refugees and people of color in the urban areas of Tucson (IRC & UACE) and Phoenix (Spaces of Opportunity & UACE) plus Indigenous Peoples and other limited resource beginning producers in rural areas of northern (Flagstaff Foodlink & UACE), central (San Carlos) and southeast (UACE) Arizona. 18+ BF refugees, the first of which arrived in Tucson in 2017, are growing on .6 of an acre and the UA Campus Ag Center has 3-5 acres plus high tunnels that they can lease through this project to expand their production and markets. Making small-scale agricultural production more economically viable will be addressed by providing education and assistance on BFRDP priority areas of business and entrepreneurship training, innovative land acquisition strategies, basic production practices, diversification and marketing strategies, climate smart agriculture, acquiring ag. credit and risk management, recordkeeping and food safety, and mentoring. We will deliver a series of 5 workshop trainings annually for 6 locations in AZ that will complement ongoing assistance to beginning farmers provided by nonprofit partners and UACE personnel located in each of the 6 areas. We expect to provide education and assistance to 270 unique beginning producers, very intensively for 50 (daily/weekly assistance), ongoingly for 95 (monthly/quarterly education), and intermittently for 125 (bi-annually/annually).
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
6016030301050%
6021430310025%
1110210301015%
1030199302010%
Knowledge Area
601 - Economics of Agricultural Production and Farm Management; 602 - Business Management, Finance, and Taxation; 103 - Management of Saline and Sodic Soils and Salinity; 111 - Conservation and Efficient Use of Water;

Subject Of Investigation
1430 - Greens and leafy vegetables; 0210 - Water resources; 0199 - Soil and land, general; 6030 - The farm as an enterprise;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education; 3010 - Economics; 3100 - Management;
Goals / Objectives
Major goals of this project are to: 1) Provide education to beginning farmer refugees and people of color in the urban areas of Tucson (IRC & UACE) and Phoenix (Spaces of Opportunity & UACE) plus Indigenous Peoples and other limited resource beginning producers in rural areas of northern (Flagstaff Foodlink & UACE), central (San Carlos) and southeast (UACE) Arizona, 2) Provide better land access to 18+ BF refugees at IRC through 3-5 acres of land plus high tunnels that will be leased from the UA Campus Ag Center, funded by this project, so they can expand their production and markets, 3) Make small-scale agricultural production more economically viable by providing education and assistance on BFRDP priority areas of business and entrepreneurship training, innovative land acquisition strategies, basic production practices, diversification and marketing strategies, climate smart agriculture, acquiring ag. credit and risk management, recordkeeping and food safety, and mentoring, 4) Deliver a series of 5 workshop trainings annually for 6 locations in AZ that will complement ongoing assistance to beginning farmers provided by nonprofit partners and UACE personnel located in each of the 6 areas. We expect to provide education and assistance to 270 unique beginning producers through this training with 50 beginning farmers very intensively (daily/weekly assistance), ongoingly for 95 (monthly/quarterly education), and intermittently for 125 (bi-annually/annually), and 5) Building connections and relationships with beginning producers to established producers in their respective regions.
Project Methods
A key methodology for this project is the recruitment strategies for our proposed in-person trainings. To this end, we have identified beginning producer audiences that are already essentially "captive audiences" with the refugess at IRC-Tucson, POC working at SOO's icubator farm, and nearby beginning farmers working with Flagstaff Foodlink (see letters of commitment). Many of these BFs have been farming for 2-6 years. However, we will still recruit all BFRs using established listserves, social media sites, and posting flyers at agricultural outlets like Tractor Supply Stores. Newpaper ads and local radio stations will also be taken out as determined appropriate for an area. UACE county and tribal agents will rely on established listserves, social media sites, posting of flyers at chapter houses and agricultural businesses along with relevant public media. Having a history of conducting BFR classes, we can advertise through other non-profits we have partnered with in the past (e.g., Future Forward Foundation) to connect with producers that have been farming for more than 6 years. For individuals wanting to start farming or ranching, UACE receives a steady inflow of calls from these individuals that are contacting their local extension office for information and assistance.Partnerships are also a critical methodological component of our proposal. The relationships and arrangements that are made through this project will be very valuable and we will work to sustain these working relationships beyond the project period. While we can't speculate on University policies, we believe that good public support will exist for allowing the refugees at IRC-Tucson to continue farming the land at UA-CAC after the project is over. A combination of lease payments through donors, BF generated profits, and other IRC-Tucson projects plus connections with the Tucson Village Farm will likely keep this land lease arrangement going into the future. Funding for this project will serve as a catalyst to get everything in place and working with the refugees farming at UA-CAC and displaying this activity through appropriate announcements and signage will greatly help this relationship and land lease agreement to continue into the future. Another critical component of our proposal is connecting and networking BFRs with those in their region that are more experienced. Getting BFRs connected with other more experienced producers that can serve as mentors for them will be invaluable for our project, and the continuation of these relationships after our project is over makes them even more lasting and valuable. Connections that are made with BFRs to campus experts that conduct trainings, will also be very valuable to these BFRs going forward. Knowing and listening to a presentation from someone who is one of UA's resident experts on say Food Safety or Business Plans will help these beginning producers get in touch with the right expert well after the project is over. The videos that are uploaded from hybrid trainings will also be a good resource for these and other BFRs going forward.

Progress 09/15/24 to 09/14/25

Outputs
Target Audience:This proposal targets beginning farmer refugees in the urban areas of Tucson (IRC & UACE) and Phoenix (Spaces of Opportunity & UACE) plus Indigenous Peoples and other limited resource beginning producers in rural areas of northern (Flagstaff Foodlink & UACE), central (San Carlos) and southeast (UACE) Arizona. 18+ BF refugees, the first of which arrived in Tucson in 2017, are growing on .6 of an acre and the UA Campus Ag Center has 3-5 acres plus high tunnels that they can lease through this project to expand their production and markets. They will be utilizing 3 acres this November 2026. Making small-scale agricultural production more economically viable will be addressed by providing education and assistance on BFRDP priority areas of business and entrepreneurship training, innovative land acquisition strategies, basic production practices, diversification and marketing strategies, climate smart agriculture, acquiring ag. credit and risk management, recordkeeping and food safety, and mentoring. We are working to deliver 5 workshop trainings annually in 6 locations in AZ that will complement ongoing assistance to beginning farmers provided by nonprofit partners and UACE personnel located in each of the 6 areas. We expect to provide education and assistance to 270 unique beginning producers, very intensively for 50 (daily/weekly assistance), ongoingly for 95 (monthly/quarterly education), and intermittently for 125 (bi-annually/annually). Changes/Problems:There have been difficulties in keeping all of the original partnering individuals involved as some have changed job duties, out of Ag and Natural Resources, and others have left their organizations. Some transitions are easier than others, but a post doc has been providing some personnel relief even though he does not live in the same area. Difficulties in delivering education have also been incurred due to the severe drought this summer, causing wildfires and producers needing to either fight against a wildfire and/or stay close to their animals and plants daily, so that participation at in-person trainings was limited more than usual. Getting non-profits paid on a timely basis with ACH payments has been an issue as well, although these mechanisms should all be in place now. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Thirteen in-person trainings were provided to our target audiences at the following locations (dates): Tucson, AZ (10/28/24); Tucson, AZ (11/4/24); Phoenix, AZ (11/7/24); Flagstaff, AZ (11/8/24); San Carlos, AZ (1/16/25); Phoenix, AZ (2/6/25); Flagstaff, AZ (3/6/25); Benson, AZ (4/4/25); Benson, AZ (4/25/25); Tucson, AZ (5/22/25); Tucson, AZ (6/24/25); Tucson, AZ (11/12/25); and San Carlos (11/16/25). Six webinars were provided targeting mainly northern AZ producers on dates of: 4/22/25; 6/10/25; 6/17/25; 6/24/25; 7/8/25; and 8/5/25. A link to many of these recordings is:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvZP3TPhico_V59K01GZD12FRk1Azhbke One-on-one assistance was provided regularly to 10 IRC refugee farmers and another 30+ producers in northern AZ. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Advertisements on educational events were disseminated to communities of interest and materials have been posted on Spaces of Opportunity and International Rescue Committee internal communication folders. Advertisements were sent through the local newspaper promoting the trainings in SE Arizona. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?While some personnel changes have occurred with partners, we now have the ACH numbers and payments to non-profits in place with UA COI policies and forms so that more timely payments and education should occur. While proactive communication with partners on scheduling dates is needed, some partners may need to be substituted with individuals that are willing to put more effort into delivering the educational programs proposed. We anticipate asking for a 1-year NCE during the spring/summer of 2026 to help make up for the delays caused by weather and UA COI policies and procedures.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? This proposal targets beginning farmer refugees in the urban areas of Tucson (IRC & University of AZ Cooperative Extension, UACE) and Phoenix (Spaces of Opportunity & UACE) plus Indigenous Peoples and other limited resource beginning producers in rural areas of northern (Flagstaff Foodlink & UACE), central (San Carlos) and southeast (UACE) Arizona. We were able to conduct trainings in all 6 areas proposed this year. Difficulties in delivering education were incurred due to the severe drought this summer causing wildfires and producers needing to either fight against a wildfire and/or water their animals and plants daily, so that participation at in-person trainings was limited more than scheduled for. In September it rained with downpours in several areas so that flooding occurred and a training had to be post-poned. Non-paved roads were not driveable and producers were cleaning up from the flooding. Four more BF refugees started growing on the UA Campus Ag Center this fall (November 2025). One-on-one education and assistance has been the primary instruction mode of operation for IRC farmers. Making small-scale agricultural production more economically viable is addressed by providing education and assistance on BFRDP priority areas of business and entrepreneurship training, innovative land acquisition strategies, basic production practices, diversification and marketing strategies, climate smart agriculture, acquiring ag. credit and risk management, recordkeeping and food safety, and mentoring. We have currently reached about 115 of the expected 270 unique beginning producers proposed in our first 28 trainings.

Publications


    Progress 09/15/23 to 09/14/24

    Outputs
    Target Audience:Target audience is small farms, urban producers, limited resource producers, Native Americans, and specialty crop producers. Changes/Problems:Getting sub awards approved through UA financials was very difficult and an unexpected obstacle of the project thus far in addition to one of our younger county agents having a serious health issues and insurance companies not wanting to do the heart valve/hole surgery her doctors were recommending. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Fifteen in-person trainings were provided to our target audiences at the following locations (dates): Phoenix, AZ (2/14/24); Flagstaff, AZ (3/21/24); Tucson, AZ (4/5/24); Flagstaff, AZ (4/11/24); Flagstaff, AZ (4/24/24); Phoenix, AZ (4/30/24); Flagstaff, AZ (5/9/24); Tucson, AZ (8/5/24); Tucson, AZ (8/12/24); Show Low, AZ (8/23/24); Phoenix, AZ (8/29/24); Tucson, AZ (10/28/24); Tucson, AZ (11/4/24); Phoenix, AZ (11/7/24); and Flagstaff, AZ (11/8/24). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Advertisements on educational events were disseminated to communities of interest and materials have been posted on Spaces of Opportunity and International Rescue Committee internal communication folders. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We have educational personnel and dates all lined out now since UA COI policies have been satisfied and they will no longer restrict us from conducting educational programs as planned.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? This proposal targets beginning farmer refugees and people of color in the urban areas of Tucson (IRC & University of AZ Cooperative Extension, UACE) and Phoenix (Spaces of Opportunity & UACE) plus Indigenous Peoples and other limited resource beginning producers in rural areas of northern (Flagstaff Foodlink & UACE), central (San Carlos) and southeast (UACE) Arizona. We were able to conduct trainings in 4 of the 6 areas proposed this year. Difficulties in delivering education were incurred due to the health of one of the agents and other scheduling conflicts. Six BF refugees started growing on the UA Campus Ag Center this fall (October 2024) and we are arranging for them to utilize some high tunnel space this winter. One-on-one education and assistance has been the primary instruction mode of operation for IRC farmers. Making small-scale agricultural production more economically viable is addressed by providing education and assistance on BFRDP priority areas of business and entrepreneurship training, innovative land acquisition strategies, basic production practices, diversification and marketing strategies, climate smart agriculture, acquiring ag. credit and risk management, recordkeeping and food safety, and mentoring. We have currently reached about 100 of the expected 270 unique beginning producers proposed in our first 15 trainings.

    Publications