Recipient Organization
Latino Farmers Cooperative of Louisiana, Inc
216 West Oakland Drive
Saint Rose,LA 70087
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The Farmers Incubator Program as a component of the Community Food Security System for Latino families of Orleans Parish will address 75 percent socially disadvantaged Latinos and 25 percent limited resources Latinos including farm workers, Latino women farmers and Latinos currently farming who have difficulty competing in the market due to restricted access to economic resources, racial and ethnical discrimination as well as language barriers. The project will address production and management strategies using mentoring, apprenticeship and internship activities, curriculum development, whole farm planning. Formed in February 2008 in the middle of the rebuilding process of New Orleans, the Latino Farmers Cooperative of Louisiana (the Cooperative) emerged in response to growing poverty and hunger needs faced by the rapidly expanding Latino population. Since then, the Cooperative has provided access to resources, education and training in agriculture so Latino members can grow healthy food in urban farms while developing micro-horticulture enterprises. During its first year of operation, LFCL grew 3,000 pounds of produce on a vacant lot garden visited by 600 local, nationwide supporters and media; distributed 8,000 pounds of non-perishable food to 300 Latinos per months; provided seeds, garden tools, transportation, fertilize, and soil to over 50 community members, recruited and managed over 1000 volunteers; participated 60 times at 8 different outdoor farmers markets; testified and provided recommendations before the USDA-Latino/Hispanic Farmers, Ranchers & Farm workers Civil Rights and Rural Developent Stakeholder Meeting, managed the Weston A. Price Foundation New Orleans Chapter; and was named "2009 Inovator of the Year" by New Orleans City Business. This Project is based on the duplication of ALBA's Farmers Education Program (PEPA) model and guided by the National Immigrant Farming Initiative (NIFI).
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
50%
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
50%
Goals / Objectives
The Cooperative's goals for the BFRDP Development Grant are the implementation of new ideas and pilot programs to assist Latino farmers of whom 75% are economically and socially disadvantaged and 25% are of limited resources in Orleans Parish (Louisiana)including women farmers, farm workers currently working for other farmers, and those Latinos who have begun farming but have had difficulty competing in the marketplace due to ethnic and racial discrimination. The goal is to address crop production and management strategies using mentoring, apprenticeship and internship activities, curriculum development, and/or whole farm planning. Educational programs will empower participants through self-reported and observed knowledge and attitude and behavior changes among its members, program participants, food recipients, customers, and partner organizations. The objectives are: A.provide availability & access to farmland - use of 2.1 acres of urban farmland for five (5) years (e.g., 2011-2016; B.creation of a Latino Farmer Incubator Program -combining training, education and technical assistance in the Cooperative's demonstration farms. The Latino Farmers Incubator Program utilizes a combination of classroom studies, and hands-on field-based training, farmer mentorship, and field trips; C.development of a culturally sensitive curriculum - utilizing farm field-based training sessions; D.creation of advocacy & support network - encouraging the creation of both formal and informal advocacy and inter-farmer support for farm-centered challenges (e.g., crop, soil, water, etc.) and off-farm issues (e.g.,finance, marketing, transportation, etc.). Measurable Outcomes A.Participating farmers: A.1 Land use & tenure (50); A.2 Sustainable agriculture (100); A.3 Farm business management (75);A.4 Pest management (100);B.Participating Famers Skills Acquisition:B.1 Land Use & Tenure (e.g., use rights, control rights,transfer rights, private,communal, open access, state; B.2 Sustainable Agriculture (e.g., conservation & preservation,biodiversity, animal welfare, economic viability, social justice; B.3 Farm Business Management (e.g., counsel, economic analysis,finance, record keeping, specialists; B.4 Pest Management(e.g., action thresholds, monitoring & identifying pests, prevention, control) C.Project Management Activities: C.1 Conduct of readiness assessments; C.2 Development of a bilingual application for PEPA; C.3 Establishment of Incubator enrollment requirement and rules; C.4 development of multicultural outreach strategies reflectingthe service area multiethnic communities; C.5 Evaluation of Incubator applications and conduct of applicant interviews; C.6 Recruitment of three(3) apprentices for a one-year Incubator-centered "service-learning" program These measurable outcomes translate to an investment of $316-$330 per participating farmer (e.g., total service population of 325 and 312 respectively), utilizing two (2) in-house bilingual staffers (e.g., FTE/50%) and five (5) partners, collaborators and/or advisers (e.g., FTE/10%-FTE/25%).
Project Methods
The Latino Farmers Incubator Program's methodology is both a duplication and an adaptation of two nationally recognized models: A. Farmers Education Program (Agriculture and Land-based Training Association - (ALBA)B. National Immigrant Farmers Initiative The ALBA and NIFI models emphasize inclusive educational, hands-on training for Latino adults seeking to begin or enhance their knowledge and skills in small-scale, sustainable agriculture. These models focus on providing access to all necessary resources including: access to farmland, tools, equipment, seeds, water, storage, coolers, and transportation; and customized technical assistance. With NIFI and ALBA guidelines, the Cooperative will prepare a small pilot curriculum of three (3) farm field trip and three (3) workshops. The field trainings/workshops will be conducted on Saturdays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The Cooperative's Project Team will develop a series of print materials to communicate with members, participants, and the general public. Some of these printed materials will be prepared based upon the need and demand of the target audience. The Program evaluator will also evaluate the registration applications. The goal of this application is to evaluate if potential participants of the Farmer Incubator Program are eligible and to see if the program is a good fit for them. By filling out this application, participants will supply data that offers insight into understanding participants' behaviors, values, skills, needs, perceptions, attitudes, and practices related to farming, business and future plans, and thereby will help shape the project and allow the Project Team to create a more useful program that more directly targets participants' needs. By gathering information about what participants hope to learn, the type of crops they intend to grow, and their previous experience in both farming and business, the program can become more focused on areas that will most practically assist them. Similarly, questions about concerns allow the Project Team to create a pilot curriculum that can directly address these needs. Other questions, such as employment, income, and the number of people in their household provide insight into why people are interested in receiving a farming education as well as their level of need and their availability. Finally, questions related to personal behavior illustrates how committed participants believe they will be to the program and helps participants to recognize the level of commitment that is required while also suggesting positive behavior. It is anticipated that an internal on-going evaluation will be recorded using tools such as a survey, telephone interviews, etc, to collect testimonies, comments, and demographic data.