Progress 09/01/09 to 08/31/12
Outputs
Target Audience: (1) Current and potential food producers in low-income urban, rural and tribal communities; (2) potential Community Food Project applicants, particularly individuals and organizations of color; (3) experienced and fledgling community-based food system and social justice organizations; (4) current and future local food system leaders, both individuals and organizations. Changes/Problems: The Community-to-Community Mentoring Program jointly conceived and implemented by Growing Power and WhyHunger changed its name to the Community Learning Project, and became more of a peer learning vehicle than the mentor-mentoree approach as initially conceived. The creation of the Alliance for Building Capacity in 2010 (described in Growing Power' 2012 CRIS report), and GP’s involvement in ABC, was not part of the initial project intent, but its organizational goals were consistent with GP’s goals for its own CFP-T&TA award. The ABC was initially supported primarily through CFP T&TA funds awarded to the Community Food Security Coalition. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? (1) Trainings at Growing Power: The core training activities during the three project years were the 18 “From the Ground Up” weekend workshops (monthly January through June, 2010-2012) and the Commercial Urban Agriculture (CUA) program held annually from January through May. Both of these training programs were held at GP’s Community Food Center in Milwaukee. CFP funding supported a total of 176 ‘From the Ground Up” attendees and 23 CUA participants over the three years. Each weekend workshop offered a menu of hands-on trainings in GP’s intensive food production methods; specifically, composting & vermicomposting, hoophouse (“high tunnel”) construction, microgreen production, community food project planning, mycology and alternative energies. Workshops focused on planning a community-based food project were also conducted. The CUA program, essentially a five-month extended version of the ‘From the Ground Up’ project planning workshops, asked each participant to develop a plan for a viable commercial farm business, with special attention devoted to marketing and accounting/financial management. CUA participants came from across the United States, and were predominately inexperienced at farming. (2) Trainings away from Growing Power: Over the 2009-2012 period, GP began establishing a nationwide network of Regional Outreach Training Centers, or ROTCs. By August 2012, the network involved 15 community partnerships in 13 states. GP’s goal was that – with GP’s technical assistance – each ROTC become a significant food and compost producer in its community, while maintaining their individual organizational missions. During the three years of CFP T&TA funding (September 2009 – August 2012), Will Allen and GP staff made a total of 15 trips to 11 of the ROTCs (two were visited twice, one was visited three times). During these visits, GP staff conducted two-day (normally weekend) hand-on trainings similar to the “From the Ground Up” workshops in Milwaukee, with most of the same workshop offerings – composting/vermicomposting, hoophouse construction, aquaponics, microgreen production and mycology. Attendance at the trainings ranged from 15 to 75, on average. (3) Growing Food and Justice Initiative: Since 2008, GFJI has hosted regular conference calls on pertinent topics and conducts Intensive Leadership Facilitation Trainings (ILFT) for established and emerging community-based food system leaders. The primary GFJI activity is its annual Gathering held in Milwaukee each Fall. CFP funds supported attendees at the three Gatherings held during the project period. From October 30 - November 1, 2009, 370 attended the Second GFJI Gathering in Milwaukee. The 2010 Gathering was incorporated into GP's Urban & Small Farm Conference on September 8-12 with over 1,100 attendees. A separate GFJI track made up 19 of the conference's 92 breakout sessions. The 4th GFJI Gathering, held September 9-11, 2011 in Milwaukee, was attended by 225 people – 14 of whom were supported by the CFP project. A total of 23 breakout sessions were offered. The 2011 Gathering had eight such events, ranging from daily Sunrise walks, to drumming and singing around a perpetually burning fire, to the Bembe ceremony, to the communal closing ceremony. In addition to the Gatherings, GFJI hosted regular “Community Calls” on topics addressing community organizing, food sovereignty and food system literacy. 4) Community Learning Project: In 2011 and 2012, GP partnered with Why Hunger to implement the Community Learning Project for Food Justice (CLP), designed to match peer mentoring partners for a year of relationship building, knowledge and skill sharing, problem-solving, strategizing and networking to support their capacity to effect change within the community food justice movement. WhyHunger staff conducted the program with supervision and guidance from GP. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
GOAL 1 STRATEGY: PROVIDE DIRECT CFP GRANT PLANNING AND WRITING ASSISTANCE. During each of the three project years GP outreach coordinator Martin Bailkey worked build the capacity of applicants to understand and complete CFP applications. A special emphasis was placed on providing direct assistance to socially disadvantaged organizations led by persons of color. The assistance Bailkey provided paralleled a similar activity conducted by the Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC) under its own CFP-T&TA award. To better coordinate CFSC and GP efforts, WhyHunger developed an in-house referral system through a dedicated e-mail address and toll-free phone number. A CFP informational meeting with 40 attendees was held at the October 2009 GFJI Gathering. Telephone assistance was provided by Bailkey to six organizations; of these one was recommended for funding. GP, WhyHunger and CFSC improved the referral protocol for 2010. WhyHunger received 135 requests for technical assistance. Bailkey provided assistance to 43 referrals. Of these, roughly 25 percent were individuals or organizations representing communities of color. The next year, 2011, WhyHunger staff received 148 inquiries. Bailkey provided direct technical assistance to 28 referrals. Four proposals from this group received funding in FY 2012. Assessments of the referral process by GP, CFSC and WhyHunger revealed that while it was mostly effective at tracking requests for assistance and making referrals, the intake process placed great time demands on WhyHunger staff. As for Bailkey’s specifically providing technical assistance for disadvantaged organizations or persons-of-color-led organizations, WhyHunger attempted to direct those directly to him. But this was not strictly followed, nor was the socioeconomic situation of the organization requested as part of the intake process. GOAL 2 STRATEGY: CAPACITY BUILDING THROUGH A VARIETY OF STRUCTURED, HANDS-ON OPPORTUNITIES. (1) Trainings at Growing Power: The core training activities during the three project years were the 18 “From the Ground Up” weekend workshops (monthly January through June, 2010-2012) and the Commercial Urban Agriculture (CUA) program held annually from January through May, both held at GP’s Community Food Center in Milwaukee. CFP funding supported a total of 176 ‘From the Ground Up” attendees and 23 CUA participants over the three years. Each weekend workshop offered hands-on trainings in GP’s intensive food production methods. Workshops focused on planning a community-based food project were also conducted. The CUA program asked each participant to develop a plan for a viable commercial farm business, with special attention devoted to marketing and accounting/financial management. (2) Project Planning: Over the 2009-2012 period, GP began establishing a nationwide network of Regional Outreach Training Centers, or ROTCs. By August 2012, the network involved 15 community partnerships in 13 states. GP’s goal was that each ROTC become a significant food and compost producer in its community. During the three CFP years, GP staff made 15 trips to 11 ROTCs, conducting two-day hands-on trainings similar to the “From the Ground Up” workshops with most of the same workshop offerings. Attendance ranged from 15 to 75 on average. CFP funds helped offset GP’s costs for staff travel and materials. (3) Growing Food and Justice Initiative: The Growing Food and Justice for All Initiative (GFJI), a program hosted by Growing Power, is a national membership effort to dismantle racism and empower communitiesthrough an active engagement in local food systems. Since 2008, GFJI has hosted regular conference calls on pertinent topics and conducts Intensive Leadership Facilitation Trainings (ILFT) for established and emerging community-based food system leaders. The primary GFJI activity was its annual Gathering held in Milwaukee each Fall. CFP funds supported attendees at the three Gatherings held during the project period. In 2009, 370 attended the Gathering, bringing together a socially- and age-diverse group who met for plenary sessions, breakout presentations, dances and performances. The 2010 Gathering was incorporated into GP's Urban & Small Farm Conference on September 8-12 with over 1,100 attendees. A separate GFJI track made up 19 of the conference's 92 breakout sessions. The 2011 GFJI Gathering on September 9-11, was attended by 225 people – 14 of whom were supported by the CFP project at $350 each. A total of 23 breakout sessions were offered. Session topics were largely practical, and addressed issues of race, gender, spirituality, workers’ rights, partnerships and capacity building. In addition to the Gatherings, GFJI hosted regular “Community Calls” on topics addressing community organizing, food sovereignty and food system literacy. (4) Community Learning Project (WhyHunger): In 2011 and 2012, GP partnered with Why Hunger to implement the Community Learning Project for Food Justice (CLP), designed to match peer mentoring partners for a year of relationship building, knowledge and skill sharing, problem-solving, strategizing and networking to support their capacity to effect change within the community food justice movement. WhyHunger staff conducted the program with supervision and guidance from GP. Fifteen community-based food system organizations nationwide were selected from a candidate pool of 55 applicants; these were then organized into six peer groups. Peer assignments were based on each organization’s identified learning interests, capacity building needs and specific expertise they wanted to share. Between February 2011 and March 2012, members of the six groups conducted “site visit exchanges” to their group partners. At the visits, participants engaged in a variety of observational, assistance and hands-on activities; these included tours, receiving guidance by one group on the expertise area of another, conducting technical workshops, making retail produce deliveries, participation in local cultural activities, and other forms of movement building. In addition, the six groups convened together at the 2011 GFJI Gathering in Milwaukee. In its CLP summary report WhyHunger stated that all of the programmatic goals of the program had been met. As for shortcomings that hindered full attainment of CLP objectives, Why Hunger cited the distance between partners, a perception among CLP participants that WhyHunger could have been more engaged in direct facilitation of their partnerships, and how the lack of available resources limited the length of the site exchange visits and the number of organizational representatives able to make the visits. GOAL 3 STRATEGY: BUILD EVALUATION CAPACITY. GP'S staff Evaluator, Martin Bailkey, was involved in varying degrees in all aspects of the GP's CFP T&TA project, including serving as a connection to the Community Food Security Coalition and WhyHunger. His evaluation work covered the following: 1) Bailkey participated in each Project Planning workshop offered during the 18 'From the Ground Up' trainings and the three Commercial Urban Agriculture programs held during the project period, using these opportuities to offer guideline for basic project evaluation as part of project conceptualization. In his one-on-one assistance to CFP applicants, Bailkey made sure to discuss the Evaluation section of the CFP proposal, its importance, and how to develop an effective evaluation concept. 2) Bailkey complied a report on the effectiveness of Growing Power's training methods, including its utilization of staff and facilities. 3) Bailkey worked with CFSC Staff Evaluator, Jeanette Abi-Nader, through the development and implementation of the Indicators of Success (IOS) process as a common output reporting mechanism for CFP grantees.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/10 to 08/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: During this reporting period Growing Power (GP), in collaboration with WhyHunger (WHY) and the Growing Food and Justice Initiative (GFJI), conducted these activities: (1) CFP Application Assistance. The process begun in 2009 to create an intake/referral structure for technical assistance to CFP applicants was more fully executed by WHY, in collaboration with GP and the Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC). WHY staff passed on referrals to either Martin Bailkey of GP or Zy Weinberg of CFSC. A key criterion for referring requests to Bailkey was if the individual or organization was from a community of color. WHY staff received 135 requests for technical assistance prior to the Nov. 17 CFP submission deadline. Bailkey provided assistance to 43 referrals. Of these, roughly 25% were individuals or organizations representing communities of color. (2) Hands-on Training, Project Planning and Mentoring Exchange. "From the Ground Up" Workshops. Between January-June, 2011, six two-day trainings on GP's intensive food production methods were held in Milwaukee. Project funds subsidized 29 total attendees at $350/attendee. Commercial Urban Agriculture Program. Between January-May 2011, 4 of the 35 participants in GP's CUA program were subsidized at $2,500 each. Participants produced plans for community-based commercial food projects with the intent of being implemented during the following year. Regional Outreach Training Centers. GP staff conducted outreach trips to six of its Regional Outreach Training Centers: Women's Environmental Institute, Minn. (Oct.), D-Town Farm, Detroit (Oct.), Mississippians Engaged in Greener Agriculture (Feb.), Our School at Blair Grocery, New Orleans (Feb.), Rid-All Green Partnership, Cleveland (March), Seven Harvest, Forrest City, Ark. (April). The attendant workshops drew as many as 100 participants, and enhanced the food production and educational capacity of each hosting organization. (3) Partner Activities: WhyHunger. Under its subcontract with GP, WHY, specifically its Grassroots Action Network, worked in two areas, the intake/referral process for CFP applicants, and day-to-day management of the Community Learning Project (known in the previous project year as the Community-to-Community Mentor Program). For the referral service, WHY created an internal protocol for assistance referral, built an organizational infrastructure, produced a summary report, and participated in conference calls before, during and after the CFP application period. For the Community Learning Project, WHY worked with GP to create six peer mentor partnerships involving 15 organizations. Partner Activities: GFJI. The primary GFJI activity during the year occurred when its annual Gathering was incorporated into GP's Urban & Small Farm Conference, Sept. 8-12, 2010 with over 1,100 attendees. A GFJI track made up 19 of the conference's 92 breakout sessions. Post-conference survey respondents cited the GFJI track as one of the more popular. In Spring 2011, GFJI trainers facilitated a one-day Dismantling Racism training in Milwaukee attended by representatives from the NIFA/AFRI grant awarded to UW-Madison, UW-Extension and GP in 2010. PARTICIPANTS: Growing Power: Will Allen (Principal Investigator), Erika Allen (Project Director), Martin Bailkey (Project Assistant and Evaluator, and CFP T&TA Provider). WhyHunger: Alison Cohen, Brooke Smith, Lorrie Clevenger, Candice Comisi (Grassroots Action Network/T&TA Assistance Intake & Community Learning Project); Growing Food and Justice Initiative: Gary Griggs, Maureen Kelly (Dismantling Racism Workshop Trainers) TARGET AUDIENCES: (1) Current and potential food producers in low-income urban, rural and tribal communities; (2) potential Community Food Project applicants, particularly individuals and organizations of color; (3) experienced and fledgling community-based food system and social justice organizations; (4) current and future local food system leaders, both individuals and organizations. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: The Community-to-Community Mentoring Program jointly conceived and implemented by Growing Power and WhyHunger changed its name to the Community Learning Project, and became more of a peer learning vehicle than the mentor-mentoree approach as initially conceived.
Impacts
Primary project impacts during the reporting year include: (1) Initial discussions about the creation of a national technical assistance referral system linking the major assistance providers across the community food movement. To some extent, the CFP Assistance referral structure between Growing Power, WhyHunger and CFSC served as a pilot for an envisioned national network of those providing general and more specific assistance for both grant proposal writers and sustainable farming practitioners. Representatives from a number of community food organizations (including GP, WHY, GFJI and CFSC) met in September 2010 to begin outlining such a national network. This conversation, facilitated by CFSC staff, continued at the October CFSC meeting in New Orleans and into 2011. One outcome was a change in terminology from the commonly-used "training and technical assistance" to "training and community building." CFSC is now seeking funding for this nationwide effort. (2) The greater dissemination of GP's food production methods into urban, rural and tribal communities through its "From the Ground Up" trainings and CUA program continued as an outcome of the second year of CFP funding. (3) GFJI continued to mature as a democratically-run national effort to address issues of food injustice and racist practices with the US and global food system. In particular, GFJI members increased their capacities to conduct trainings and workshops on dismantling racism within society as a whole and within the food system in particular.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 09/01/09 to 08/31/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: During this reporting period Growing Power (GP), in collaboration with WhyHunger (WHY) and the Growing Food and Justice Initiative (GFJI), initiated activities aimed at achieving the CFP T&TA project goals during this first of three funded years. These goals are as follows: Goal 1: To build the capacity of community food project applicants to understand and complete the Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Applications. Strategy: Provide direct CFP grant planning and writing assistance. Goal 2: To provide hands-on training, project planning and mentoring exchange for emerging CFP leadership. Strategy: Capacity building through a variety of structured, hands-on opportunities. Goal 3: Build evaluation capacity and resources for grantees and potential applicants to conduct effective and meaningful outcome-based and dialogue-based evaluation. Strategy: Emphasize evaluation standards and provide referrals to resources. During this first year, project activities primarily addressed Goals 1 and 2, and were conducted consistently throughout the 12-month period by representatives of the three partner organizations. A delay in receiving CFP funds deferred some activities. But by the end of Year 1 most project activities were underway. PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
During Oct. and Nov. 2009, GP and WHY facilitated and conducted telephone assistance to organizations developing CFP applications. WHY developed a referral process through a dedicated e-mail address and toll-free phone number. A CFP informational meeting was held at the Oct. 2009 GFJI Gathering with 40 attendees. Due to the timing of the 2009 CFP application period, there were fewer assistance opportunities than expected. Telephone assistance was provided to six organizations: FRESH New London (CT), Community Services Unlimited (Los Angeles), We Grow Dreams (VA), Mississippians Engaged in Greener Agriculture (MS), Billings Ford Community Works (CT), Indianhead Community Action Agency (WI). The first three submitted CFP proposals by the November deadline; of these, one - CSU - was recommended for funding the following May. During Summer 2010, GP and WHY, joined by the Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC), improved the referral protocol to include the T&TA assistance provided by CFSC. This led to an enhanced referral process through WHY beginning in Sept. 2010. Growing Power Training: "From the Ground Up" Workshops: Between Jan.-June, 2010, six monthly weekend trainings were held at GP in Milwaukee. Project funds subsidized 120 attendees, at $350 each. Participants learned the basics of sustainable food production, including composting/vermicomposting, aquaponics, hoophouse construction and project planning. Commercial Urban Agriculture Program: Between January and May 2010, 15 of the 35 participants in GP's CUA program were subsidized at $4,000 each. Participants produced a variety of viable community-based food projects to be implemented the following year. Regional Outreach Training Centers: GP staff conducted outreach trips to four of its twelve Regional Outreach Training Centers: Seven Harvest, Forrest City, AR (Sept.), Feed Denver (Nov.), Lynchburg Grows, Lynchburg, VA (March), D-Town Farm, Detroit, MI (June). The attendant workshops drew as many as 50 participants, and enhanced the food production and educational capacity of each training center. These three training and leadership development programs were designed to foster involvement across each one. For example, D-Town Farm hosted a GP training after three of its representatives completed the CUA program. Partner Activities: WhyHunger: WHY worked in two areas: T&TA referrals and mentoring. For the referral service, WHY created an internal protocol for T&TA and mentorship referral, and built an organizational infrastructure. For their mentorship role, WHY completed planning/structure documents, and identified and began building - through its Community-to-Community Mentor Program - a partnership between the Jones Valley Urban Farm in Birmingham, AL and Mississippians Engaged in Greener Agriculture. Partner Activities: Growing Food and Justice Initiative: From Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 370 attended the Second GFJI Gathering in Milwaukee, bringing together a socially- and age-diverse group who met for plenary sessions, breakout presentations, dances and performances. During the rest of the year, the GFJI Steering Committee organized facilitated Community Calls.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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