Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The number of farms and farmers in the United States is shrinking, and the implications for our rural communities, environmental safety, and national food security are alarming. To address this issue, organizations across the country are training immigrant farmers and supporting them in their transition into the agricultural sector. One of the leading projects in this movement is the New Farmer Development Project in New York. The NFDP's mission is to educate and support immigrants with agricultural experience to become successful local farmers in the northeastern United States. Over the past nine years, we have assisted 20 project farmers in establishing farm businesses, including two farmers who purchased their own farmland. These farmers represent the next generation of regional food producers, and their success will help preserve local farmland. Our goal is to provide socially disadvantaged farmers participating in the NFPD with access to the resources they need to overcome the considerable language, cultural, and financial barriers they face when starting a farm business. With support from CSREES, we will achieve this goal by providing farmers with the training, education, and resources necessary to establish a sustainable farm business; support in finding appropriate farmland for rent or purchase; access to government loan opportunities and conservation programs; and on-farm support necessary to maintain a profitable farm business. The result of these activities will be that NFDP staff works with local, regional, and national partners to provide support for 20 underserved farmers; facilitate the start of three new economically viable farm businesses; collaborate with FSA and NRCS to provide risk management information and services to all participants; and create a model for immigrant farmer programs that can be reproduced throughout the country.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
OBJECTIVES Provide project farmers with the training, education, and resources necessary to establish sustainable farm businesses, including information on government programs designed specifically to benefit small, new, or socially disadvantaged farmers. Provide project farmers with individual support in finding affordable farmland, and facilitate the rental or purchase of farmland. Provide project farmers with access to loan opportunities, and help prepare the financial records required for eligibility for government loan programs, other loan possibilities, and various conservation programs. Provide project farmers with the on-farm support necessary to maintain ownership of a profitable and sustainable farm business. Evaluate the effectiveness of the support provided as part of this grant in the ability of project farmers to utilize government programs available to them to own and maintain ownership of independent farms using specific, quantifiable indicators. EXPECTED OUTPUTS 15 new participants will graduate from La Nueva Siembra each year. 20 farmers will attend at least 5 out of 6 advanced training sessions each year. 50 project members will attend five workshops each year. 25 project members will attend conferences each year. The project's immigrant farmer toolkit will be posted online. 200 local farmers will be surveyed for available farmland each year. At least 5 new farm sites will be visited each year with local extension agents to assess the suitability of the farmland. 3 project farmers will purchase their own farmland over the grant-period. All farmers that choose to purchase land will consult with local Farm Service Agency representatives to discuss farmer loan opportunities. All farmers that choose to rent land will work with an experienced agricultural lawyer to create formal, written land use agreements. All project farmers with their own farm business will meet with their local FSA and NRCS representative at least once a year during the grant period. 1 project farmer will apply for a federal farm loan and 1 farmer will enroll in NRCS conservation programs each year of the grant period. All project farmers will receive ongoing individual financial management training on their farm with NFDP staff. 15 new microcredit loans will be made to project farmers over the 2-year grant period and at least 12 previous loans will be successfully repaid. 30 farm and market visits will be made to project farmers each year. 20 project farmers will sell their products at local farmers markets, restaurants, community supported agriculture organizations, and small groceries in 2010 and 25 farmers will sell through these direct marketing outlets in 2011. All farmers will participate in profitability analyses of their farm businesses to help NFDP staff evaluate the efficacy of their services. An annual project evaluation with input from both project participants and other stakeholders will be performed. 6 NFDP Farmer Advisory Committee meetings will be held each year of the grant period for farmers to assist with project development and evaluation, approve and monitor loans, and give feedback.
Project Methods
The NFDP will undertake the following activities: Provide project farmers with the training, education, and resources necessary to develop farm businesses. We will achieve this by offering business planning and agricultural training to new project farmers through La Nueva Siembra, an introductory training course (15 new participants to graduate from the class each grant year). NFDP will also offer advanced agricultural workshops to the project's established farmers (all farmers will participate in at least 5 advanced training sessions each grant year). NFDP will provide additional on-farm workshops and conference scholarships to project members (50 participants to attend workshops and 25 to attend conferences during each grant year). Finally, NFDP will post the project's immigrant farmer toolkit online (all NFDP farmers and partners will have access to the toolkit). Provide project farmers with individual support in finding affordable farmland, and facilitate the fair and equitable rental or purchase of farmland. NFDP will identify affordable farmland for project farmers using our network of contacts (all farmers that choose to rent land will have formal, written leases with their landlords). NFDP will also assist project farmers in acquiring land (4 NFDP farmers will buy farmland during the grant period). Provide project farmers with access to loan opportunities, and help them prepare the financial records required for eligibility for various programs. NFDP will facilitate relationships between project farmers and local NRCS and FSA representatives (all project farmers will meet with their local FSA and NRCS representative at least once a year during the grant period). NFDP will also offer record-keeping training to project farmers to prepare them to apply for government loan programs and conservation programs (all independent NFDP farmers will receive individual record-keeping training and ongoing support during the grant period). And NFDP will provide project farmers with access to a peer-monitored microcredit fund (15 loans will be made and 12 previous loans repaid during the two-year grant period). Provide project farmers with the on-farm support necessary to maintain ownership of a profitable farm business. NFDP will visit project farmers with staff and local extension (30 farm and market visits will be made to NFDP farmers during each year of the grant period). NFDP will also identify markets and marketing opportunities for project farmers (increase in direct sales for project farmers each year of the grant period). And NFDP will provide individualized training and materials as needed. Evaluate the effectiveness of the support provided as part of this grant in the ability of project farmers to utilize government programs available to them to own and maintain ownership of independent farms using specific, quantifiable indicators. NFDP will measure indicators throughout the grant period. NFDP will also conduct an annual profitability analysis with each project farmer. And NFDP will conduct a project evaluation with project farmers and stakeholders and request ongoing input and feedback from the projects Farmer Advisory Committee.