Recipient Organization
Fondy Food Center, Inc.
2242 N 17th St
Milwaukee,WI 53205
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Fondy Food Center is a non-profit food security organization serving Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Fondy?s centerpiece program is the Fondy Farmers Market, where 21 predominantly Hmong farmers sell fresh locally grown food to up to 3,500 predominantly low-income African American customers per week seasonally. In the past few years, the number of farmers vending at the market has been rapidly declining and the economic viability of these farmers is threatened due to low quality, expensive, and limited land availability; short-term leases; insufficient infrastructure and equipment; lack of rigorous business practices; and, racism, cultural misunderstandings and conflict. Without farmers, there will be essentially no fresh, local food in a community with already extremely limited food access. The Fondy Farm Project addresses these farmer-identified needs by developing an economically viable, socially just, environmentally healthy, culturally appropriate, model farming program. In partnership with a private land ?owner and with broad-based, cross-sector community support, the project includes securing 80 acres of peri-urban farmland on a long term lease; providing needed infrastructure for land access, quality and season extensions; providing training in business practices for farmers and forming a viable farm cooperative for ten small-scale local disadvantaged farmer enterprises; pursuing organic farmland certification; and creating mechanisms to address racial and cultural tensions. The Fondy Farm project will ensure long-term availability of high quality locally grown food provided at the Fondy Market. This will preserve food access to more than 74,000 low-income residents, providing the best quality, freshest food to the people who need it most.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
100%
Goals / Objectives
Overall goal: create a sustainable farm co-op for disadvantaged farmers to provide fresh food for low income residents on Milwaukee's North Side. GOAL 1: Start Fondy Farm: A) Secure high quality farmland near the Fondy Market. B) Ensure production of a diverse variety of vegetables for better market appeal. C) Increase farmer business skills. D) Create infrastructure to get more efficient and extended vegetable production. E) Organize farmers to create a cooperative as a structure for self-governance. OUTPUTS: A) Fondy Food Center leases farmland at fair market rates. B) Farmers introduce new produce requested by Market customers. C) Farmers assess their economic viability, create business plans, apply for farmer support programs. D) Labor saving/season extension structures built, farmers report more efficient operations, expanded output. E) Formation of Fondy Farmer Cooperative at project end. GOAL 2: Seek social justice for farmers serving Fondy Farmers Market: A) Recruit limited resource Asian farmers and emerging African American neighborhood gardeners interested in farming. B) Establish equitable policies and procedures for farm. OUTPUTS: A) Project farmers come from disadvantaged groups including Hmong, African Americans, immigrants, Latinos, beginning farmers and low income people. B) Fondy subleases land to famers at fair market rates, develops farmer-driven policies and procedures. GOAL 3: Healthy produce with low environmental impact. A) Create standards to preserve the health of the soil and quality of grown produce. B) Educate farmers about earth-friendly practices and implementation. C) Assist farmers in organic certification. OUTPUTS: A) Implementation of cover cropping and other sustainable practices; soil quality improves. B) Produce is free of pesticides, herbicides and GMOs. C) Farmers work to organic certification. GOAL 4: Create an environment of mutual respect and celebration of the cultures present at the market. A) Build mutual respect between the cultures present at the market. B) Create a venue for increasing customer-to-farmer feedback, resulting in increased sales of more culturally-appropriate foods. C) Create a venue for farmer-to-customer feedback, resulting in increased appreciation of farmers. D) Build a mechanism to address incidents of racial or cultural conflict at the market. OUTPUTS: A) Establish a Customer/Farmer Advisory group to promote intercultural understanding and respect. B) Discuss customer feedback and create a customer "wish list"; farmers introduce and sell at least four new varieties of produce. C) Create a plan to fulfill the wish list. Advisory group members visit the Fondy Farm quarterly during summer months to see progress. D) Advisory group is the mechanism for peaceful resolution of incidents of cultural conflict at the Farm and Market. GOAL 5: Create a replicable local food system model by demonstrating a viable collaboration between a land owner, small-scale farmers, and an inner city food market. OUTPUTS: Evaluators and project staff document the project. Results are presented to fellow CFP grant recipients and other food security orgs.
Project Methods
Project methods are in three basic categories: A) Instruction, B) Application of New Knowledge, and C) Measurement and Evaluation. A) Instruction: Teaching methods used will include formal classroom settings, group discussion sessions, hands-on group demonstrations, and one-on-one demonstrations. Given the array of cultural and non-traditional learning styles that will be present on the farm, instructional methods will rely less on classroom-based concepts and theories and more on more practical teaching styles such as illustration-based Power Point presentations and hands-on demonstrations. B) Application of New Knowledge: New practices and farming methodologies will be imparted to the farmers with a Learn-Do-Teach model, where farmers first LEARN a new skills, DO or implement the new skills, then finally TEACH others the new skills. Farmer-to-project feedback will be solicited and adapted throughout the life of the project. C) Measurement and Evaluation: An array of quantitative data collection tools will be employed, including: Farmer surveys (written, oral, anonymous), customer surveys (anonymous, market-based), pre- and post-instruction competency tests (demonstration, oral, or written), farmer self assessments, regular soil and water testing, direct observation, and farm production output counts. Qualitative assessment and anecdotal data collection methods will include pre-, mid-, and post-project focus groups, photo- and videographic documentation, and interviews. A number of subjects will be chosen for case studies to illuminate key project findings. Data will be collected and evaluated by a third-party PhD-level evaluator using both quantitative and qualitative evaluation methodologies.