Source: RHODE ISLAND FOOD POLICY COUNCIL submitted to
ADVANCING EQUITY IN CAPITAL ACCESS FOR BEGINNING FARMERS
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1031326
Grant No.
2023-49400-40878
Cumulative Award Amt.
$737,929.00
Proposal No.
2023-04928
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
Project Director
Richman, N.
Recipient Organization
RHODE ISLAND FOOD POLICY COUNCIL
10 DAVOL SQ
PROVIDENCE,RI 02903
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The goal of Advancing Equity in Capital Access for Beginning Farmers is to build the strength and resilience of socially disadvantaged beginning farmers and ranchers through increasing their knowledge, skills, experience, and network accessing capital to grow their businesses. The objectives for the project are:Objective 1: To develop and deliver a thorough and practical financial literacy and capital access curriculum combining one-on-one coaching, workshops, and peer-to-peer learning and mentoring.Objective 2: To strengthen a collaborative network of business and farm support organizations to participate in curriculum development and delivery, including networking and funder matchmaking events.Objective 3: Build the capacity and sustainability of a network of service providers through a rigorous evaluation plan to track outputs and outcomes, regularly communicating with and gathering the network of project partners to share learnings and make improvements to ensure project success.RIFPC is uniquely situated to perform this work. We are trusted partners of the federal and state agencies and we work regularly with the community-based organizations that work directly with our state's underserved farmers. We have established effective partnerships with technical assistance and business service providers. Our work in this area to date has been well-regarded by all parties.A rigorous evaluation plan will track outputs and outcomes surveys and key informant interviews. This project will result in 100+ underserved RI farmers receiving individualized technical assistance, allowing them to overcome barriers to accessing capital and funding programs. Long term impacts include increased economic viability and a more just and resilient local food system.
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
90360303020100%
Knowledge Area
903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery;

Subject Of Investigation
6030 - The farm as an enterprise;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;
Goals / Objectives
Goal: To build the strength and resilience of socially disadvantaged beginning farmers in Rhode Island through increasing their knowledge, skills, experience, and network accessing capital to grow their businesses. The objectives for the project are:Objective 1: To adapt, develop, and deliver a thorough and practical financial literacy and capital access curriculum tailored to socially disadvantaged communities combining one-on-one coaching, workshops, and peer-to-peer learning and mentoring.Objective 2: To strengthen a collaborative network of business and farm support organizations to participate in curriculum development and delivery, including networking and funder matchmaking events.Objective 3: Build the capacity and sustainability of activities performed under Objectives 1 and 2 through a rigorous evaluation plan to track outputs and outcomes, regularly communicating with and gathering the network of project partners to share learnings and make improvements to ensure project success.
Project Methods
EffortsReview, adapt, and develop curriculum with key partners that is tailored to the specific needs of socially-disadvantaged farmersTranslate curriculum materialsDeliver workshops and one-on-one coachingPackage curriculum materials to be shared through farmanswers.org (BFRDP resource database)Coordinate and host a series of regular networking and peer-to-peer learning events designed to better connect farmers with one another and resource providers.Plan and execute annual funder matchmaking events including public and private funders, lenders, and investorsMeet regularly (monthly to start developing curriculum, then quarterly) with farm and business support partners and farmer advisory group to share learnings to create a continuous feedback and improvement loopDevelop and execute annual survey of participants and key informant interviewsCreate a final report to share findings with key state, regional, and national stakeholders.EvaluationRIFPC has established effective partnerships with leading technical assistance and business service providers and has skills and experience in federal program evaluation. A rigorous evaluation plan will track outputs and outcomes via pre- and post-evaluation tools with clients and key informant interviews with staff from partners including state agencies, business support organizations, and nonprofits.All objectives and activities have been planned in partnership and communications with partners, including direct input from socially-disadvantaged farmers themselves. We held an ad-hoc farmer advisory meeting on April 6th at the Sankofa Community Room in the West Elmwood neighborhood of Providence with about 20 staff members, community members, and farmers affiliated with partnering organizations, where key information was provided directly from farmers that has guided project conceptualization and design. This level of partnership and communication will extend through project execution and evaluation through regular meetings and interviews with socially-disadvantaged farmers.RI Food Policy Council will work with Sharp Insight on the outcome-based evaluation component of this project. Sharp Insight will work with staff closely, leading the support development and implementation of evaluation tools, analyze data, and provide reports for review and publication.The methods and resources used to document and evaluate these outcomes and impacts is as follows:The expected number of new farm startups that would result from the projectStaff will track this data in an Excel spreadsheet as reported by new farmers themselvesThe expected number of new farmers (i.e., those who are already farming but in their first ten years of operation) who will make beneficial changes (and describe those changes) as a result of the project.Staff will track this data in an Excel spreadsheet as reported by new farmers themselvesIncreased understanding of financial (grant and loan) opportunities of the part of target farmers.Pre and Post event surveys will be implemented after each event outlined in Objectives 1 and 2. Implementation of surveys will be done either on paper or via a QR code provided to participants at the start and end of each event. Data will be transferred to Sharp Insight for analysis and reporting purposes.New grant and loan funds acquired by target farmers.Staff will track grant and loan TA provided to each participant in an Excel spreadsheet. Names of grant and loan programs to which farmers successfully submit applications will also be tracked. Grant and loan awards will also be tracked.Evaluation will be performed in a participatory manner whenever possible.

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

Outputs
Target Audience:Audience Emphasis African American Asian or Pacific Islander Hispanic or Latino Immigrant producers Limited resource producers Small farms Specialty crop producers Urban producers Women Participants Served Record the total number of unique participants who participated in your program: Total Number of Participants: 311 Enter the actual cumulative number of participants who as a result of your program: Started Farming: Target - 15, Actual - 3 Helped prepare to start farming: Target - 0, Actual - 0 Improved farming success: Target - 80, Actual - 0 Changes/Problems:This project frames partnerships with farm and business technical assistance service providers as one of the tools that will help underserved RI farmers receive individualized technical assistance. We've also learned that this project would be improved by incorporating resources for ensuring technical assistance providers have the skills and support needed to successfully provide assistance to underserved beginning farmers. This project focuses on appropriately adapting curriculum and capital to farmer participants, but upskilling service providers or offering more train-the-trainer opportunities would better reach all stakeholders who underserved beginning farmers rely on. This project has spent more time than anticipated incorporating the 10 project partners' existing programs. A farmer committee was developed to incorporate farmer input into workshops, courses, and coaching; we have learned that these needs don't always line up with what all partners are already doing. An ongoing change to this project is the project management. In addition to hiring a project director who joined 6 months into Year 1, project management tools have been updated or overhauled. Changes to the project management have happened for a few different reasons. One was partner feedback and the need for clarifying partner responsibilities and reporting channels. Another reason was the need to expand tools to meet the needs and styles of 10 project partners. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Delivery Total Meetings: 19 Total Meeting Participants: 291 Total Webinars: 1 Total Webinar Participants: 28 Total Website Visits: 0 Total Online Course Participants: 0 Meetings 11/9/2023: Providence, RI -- Number of Attendees 8 3/10/2024: Providence, RI -- Number of Attendees 20 3/12/2024: Providence, RI -- Number of Attendees 15 4/24/2024: Westerly, RI -- Number of Attendees 10 5/18/2024: Johnston, RI -- Number of Attendees 20 5/25/2024: Rehoboth, MA -- Number of Attendees 24 6/28/2024: Dartmouth, MA -- Number of Attendees 15 7/20/2024: Saunderstown, RI -- Number of Attendees 15 7/18/2024: Providence, RI -- Number of Attendees 17 8/8/2024: Portsmouth, RI -- Number of Attendees 23 9/10/2024: Cumberland, RI -- Number of Attendees 33 3/5/2024: Providence, RI -- Number of Attendees 22 3/12/2024: Providence, RI -- Number of Attendees 23 3/12/2024: Providence, RI -- Number of Attendees 23 1/26/2024: Providence, RI -- Number of Attendees 7 1/26/2024: Providence, AL -- Number of Attendees 5 2/4/2024: Providence, AL -- Number of Attendees 8 1/24/2024: Providence, RI -- Number of Attendees 2 4/24/2024: Providence, RI -- Number of Attendees 1 Webinars 10/23/2024: Number of Attendees 28 How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Promotional Materials Community Farming Farm Tour Registration This form provides overview of the purpose of the tour of Open Farms Retreat and TransFARMatctive Community Garden and describes the services included. This form was created by Young Farmer Network to be shared with members of the general public. Young Farmer Night at Hawk and Handsaw & Cloverbud Ranch Registration This form provides an overview of the goal of Young Farmer Network's Young Farmer Nights and describes the event at Hawk and Handsaw & Cloverbud Ranch. This event and the promotional materials are intended for young, beginning, and prospective farmers. SANKOFA Initiative Young Farmer Night Registration This form provides an overview of the goal of Young Farmer Network's Young Farmer Nights and describes the event at Sankofa Initiative. This event and the promotional materials are intended for young, beginning, and prospective farmers. Young Farmer Night at Luckyfoot Ranch Registration This form provides an overview of the goal of Young Farmer Network's Young Farmer Nights and describes the event at Luckyfoot Ranch. This event and the promotional materials are intended for young, beginning, and prospective farmers. Sharing The Harvest Young Farmer Night This form provides an overview of the goal of Young Farmer Network's Young Farmer Nights and describes the event at Sharing the Harvest. This event and the promotional materials are intended for young, beginning, and prospective farmers. Young Farmer Night at Rosasharn Farm Registration This form provides an overview of the goal of Young Farmer Network's Young Farmer Nights and describes the event at Rosasharn Farm. This event and the promotional materials are intended for young, beginning, and prospective farmers. Tours of Gather Farms and Lucayda Farm Registration This form provides overview of the purpose of the tour of Gather Farms and Lucayda Farm and describes the services included. This form was created by Young Farmer Network to be shared with members of the general public. Movement Workshop with Labor-Movement Flyer This flyer was created by Young Farmer Network to provide information about the Movement Workshop with Labor-Movement. It was shared on the Labor-Movement website. Monthly Newsletter - The Carrot Project This newsletter section provided an overview of the event session held by The Carrot Project as part of the Southeastern New England Agriculture Conference and Trade Show. This was shared with The Carrot Project's email list to encourage farmers and fishermen to attend. LASA Grant Application Information and Support In-Person This document is a promotional media graphic for an in-person workshop held by RIFPC in partnership with the Southside Community Land Trust to support prospective applicants to the 2023-2024 LASA Grant Program. LASA Support Promotion This document is a promotional media graphic for free one-on-one training and support for prospective applicants to the 2023-2024 LASA Grant Program. This graphic was shared with RIFPC's list serv. Last Uploaded: 11/27/2024 What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Steps Steps taken to help participants Established contracts and reviewed BFRDP project timeline and objectives with each partner organization. Focused partner meetings on identifying target participant audiences, incorporating farmer input on topics, adaptation and interpretation needs, and alignment with partner programming, capabilities and capacity. (ongoing) Developed an interview protocol for gathering farmer input on workshop and coaching topics that builds on the farmer committee created in development of this project. Built shared understanding among partners around curriculum adaptation: frameworks for decision making, processes, participant barriers to capital, and defining success. (ongoing) Hired a dedicated project director. Partner organizations functioned as liaisons with their communities of farmers, opening up two-way communication about the project. This managed the amount of meetings and surveys required for input and feedback. (ongoing) Outside evaluator conducted key informant interviews and provided an anonymous report to all partners. We used this information as a baseline for project progress and as feedback to incorporate into project planning and management. Ensured that all workshops and events included opportunities for follow-up, including one-on-one coaching or referrals to appropriate service providers for participants. (ongoing) Started with the basics for workshops. Not all beginning farmers have the same reasons for becoming farmers so structuring curriculum as building blocks has been the best way to build on what people already know without overwhelming some or wasting the time of others. Coordinated with organizations and individuals who provide business technical assistance and business services required to access grant and loan programs. For example, at a networking event where a state grant program for farmers was discussed, this BFRDP project was also supporting technical assistance for farmers who wanted help to apply. (ongoing) Developed sound data collection and metrics tracking tools so that partners can see project progress and gaps in achieving metrics are more readily identifiable. For example, noticing a gap between the number of farmers who may report they increase their understanding of financial opportunities and the number of farmer participants who acquire funding. (ongoing) Continued to update and build out the landscape of capital opportunities - both education about and availability of - for beginning farmers in Rhode Island. This is critical for ensuring that appropriate information is being shared and expectations are realistic. (ongoing) After identifying the role of technical assistance providers in supporting Rhode Island farmers in applying for capital, planned a meeting of farm funder and business technical assistance providers to happen in September 2024, the beginning of Year 2, and as preparation for future farm funder and farmer matchmaking events. Coordinated partner and evaluator conversations to plan survey question framing and outreach to capture responses to farmer participant reported outcome progress. Farmer participant reported outcomes include: 1) New farmer participants will increase understanding of financial opportunities, 2) New farmer participants will make beneficial changes (new products, new markets, equipment/land purchase and improvements, etc), 3) Participants will develop stronger relationships and connections with farm and business support organizations, and Performance Metric 3: Project participants who improved their farming success.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Outcomes: What Producers Learned, Achieved, Applied Result 1. Participants will start new farm businesses. Producer action: Implement, Topic: Business and strategic planning When measured: End of each year and cumulatively at end of project Estimated Number: 15, Actual Number: 3 How verified: Staff and partners will verify with participants and track in a spreadsheet. Result 2. New farmer participants will increase understanding of financial opportunities Producer action: Understand, Topic: Acquiring and managing credit When measured: End of each year and cumulatively at end of project Estimated Number: 80, Actual Number: 0 How verified: Participants will be surveyed in years 2 and 3 and asked about changes in their understanding of financial opportunities. Result 3. New farmer participants will acquire funding. Producer action: Implement, Topic: Acquiring and managing credit When measured: End of each year and cumulatively at end of project Estimated Number: 45, Actual Number: 29 How verified: Staff and partners will verify with participants and track in a spreadsheet (grant and loan TA provided, number of new grants obtained, number of new loans obtained) Result 4. New farmer participants will make beneficial changes (new products, new markets, equipment/land purchase and improvements, etc) Producer action: Develop, Topic: Business and strategic planning When measured: End of each year and cumulatively at end of project Estimated Number: 80, Actual Number: 0 How verified: Participants will be surveyed in years 2 and 3 and asked about changes in their farm operations regarding the topics above. Result 5. Participants will develop stronger relationships and connections with farm and business support organizations. Producer action: Develop, Topic: Business and strategic planning When measured: End of each year and cumulatively at end of project Estimated Number: 40, Actual Number: 0 How verified: Project participants will be surveyed in Years 2 and 3 and asked about changes the connections they have made with business and farm support organizations. Result 6. Participants will develop stronger relationships with funders. Producer action: Develop, Topic: Acquiring and managing credit When measured: End of each year and cumulatively at end of project Estimated Number: 40, Actual Number: 0 How verified: A post-event survey from funder matchmaking event and interviews of funders.

Publications