Progress 08/01/16 to 07/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience: Audience Emphasis Hispanic or Latino Limited resource producers Military veterans Urban producers Women Participants Served Record the total number of unique participants who participated in your program: Total Number of Participants: 156 Enter the actual cumulative number of participants who as a result of your program: Started farming: Target - 16,Actual - 27 Helped prepare to start farming: Target - 14,Actual - 50 Improved farming success: Target - 60,Actual - 63 Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Delivery Total Meetings: 80 Total Meeting Participants: 1393 Total Webinars: 0 Total Webinar Participants: 0 Total Website Visits: 0 Total Online Course Participants: 0 Meetings 9/2/2016: Chaparral, NM -- Number of Attendees 17 9/13/2016: Chaparral, NM -- Number of Attendees 16 9/17/2016: San Elizario, TX -- Number of Attendees 24 9/20/2016: El Paso, TX -- Number of Attendees 15 10/14/2016: El Paso, TX -- Number of Attendees 14 10/19/2016: Chaparral, NM -- Number of Attendees 18 11/14/2016: El Paso, TX -- Number of Attendees 15 11/16/2016: Chaparral, NM -- Number of Attendees 17 12/11/2016: El Paso, TX -- Number of Attendees 14 1/11/2017: San Elizario, TX -- Number of Attendees 27 1/18/2017: San Elizario, TX -- Number of Attendees 28 1/19/2017: Clint, TX -- Number of Attendees 21 1/23/2017: El Paso, TX -- Number of Attendees 14 2/1/2017: San Elizario, TX -- Number of Attendees 22 2/8/2017: Chaparral, NM -- Number of Attendees 16 3/2/2017: Anthony, NM -- Number of Attendees 16 3/8/2017: San Elizario, TX -- Number of Attendees 24 3/22/2017: Clint, TX -- Number of Attendees 27 5/16/2017: Clint, TX -- Number of Attendees 21 6/28/2017: Clint, TX -- Number of Attendees 17 7/14/2017: San Elizario, TX -- Number of Attendees 28 7/15/2017: El Paso, TX -- Number of Attendees 17 8/2/2017: Chaparral, NM -- Number of Attendees 18 8/26/2017: Clint, TX -- Number of Attendees 38 9/15/2017: El Paso, TX -- Number of Attendees 15 9/21/2017: Chaparral, NM -- Number of Attendees 22 9/26/2017: Chaparral, NM -- Number of Attendees 18 9/30/2017: Anthony, NM -- Number of Attendees 17 10/2/2017: Chaparral, NM -- Number of Attendees 17 10/4/2017: El Paso, TX -- Number of Attendees 13 10/12/2017: Sunland Park, NM -- Number of Attendees 10 10/10/2017: Chaparral, NM -- Number of Attendees 22 10/14/2017: Clint, TX -- Number of Attendees 27 11/1/2017: El Paso, TX -- Number of Attendees 10 11/7/2017: Anthony, NM -- Number of Attendees 17 11/3/2017: Clint, TX -- Number of Attendees 10 11/10/2017: Clint, TX -- Number of Attendees 11 11/17/2017: San Elizario, TX -- Number of Attendees 17 12/8/2017: El Paso, TX -- Number of Attendees 10 12/12/2017: Chaparral, NM -- Number of Attendees 11 1/4/2018: San Elizario, TX -- Number of Attendees 11 1/18/2018: El Paso, TX -- Number of Attendees 12 2/16/2018: Clint, TX -- Number of Attendees 11 2/19/2018: El Paso, TX -- Number of Attendees 10 2/21/2018: Socorro, TX -- Number of Attendees 10 2/23/2018: Chaparral, NM -- Number of Attendees 13 2/27/2018: El Paso, TX -- Number of Attendees 20 3/2/2018: Chaparral, NM -- Number of Attendees 13 3/3/2018: El Paso, TX -- Number of Attendees 20 3/23/2018: Chaparral, NM -- Number of Attendees 13 3/24/2018: Horizon City, TX -- Number of Attendees 11 4/4/2018: San Elizario, TX -- Number of Attendees 21 4/6/2018: Chaparral, NM -- Number of Attendees 13 4/28/2018: Chaparral, NM -- Number of Attendees 11 5/2/2018: San Elizario, TX -- Number of Attendees 21 5/18/2018: Chaparral, NM -- Number of Attendees 17 5/30/2018: El Paso, TX -- Number of Attendees 12 6/15/2018: El Paso, TX -- Number of Attendees 11 6/27/2018: El Paso, TX -- Number of Attendees 11 7/18/2018: El Paso, TX -- Number of Attendees 20 7/20/2018: Chaparral, NM -- Number of Attendees 11 7/25/2018: San Elizario, TX -- Number of Attendees 11 8/18/2018: Socorro, TX -- Number of Attendees 20 8/11/2018: Clint, TX -- Number of Attendees 13 9/9/2018: El Paso, TX -- Number of Attendees 19 9/22/2018: Socorro, TX -- Number of Attendees 13 10/19/2018: El Paso, TX -- Number of Attendees 10 11/30/2018: El Paso, TX -- Number of Attendees 12 1/30/2019: San Elizario, TX -- Number of Attendees 21 3/20/2019: San Elizario, TX -- Number of Attendees 21 3/22/2019: El Paso, TX -- Number of Attendees 10 4/6/2019: San Elizario, TX -- Number of Attendees 30 4/13/2019: San Elizario, TX -- Number of Attendees 45 6/1/2019: Socorro, TX -- Number of Attendees 22 6/26/2019: Las Cruces, NM -- Number of Attendees 47 7/2/2019: Chaparral, NM -- Number of Attendees 13 7/10/2019: San Elizario, TX -- Number of Attendees 19 7/27/2019: El Paso, TX -- Number of Attendees 12 7/29/2019: Chaparral, NM -- Number of Attendees 14 7/30/2019: El Paso, TX -- Number of Attendees 18 I Services included 219 visits to individual farms to provide consulting, counseling, and tutoring to beginning farmers and ranchers that are low-income, Hispanic and veterans. Training and professional development opportunities for project staff included: Exhibitor at the 7thNational Small Farms Conference, Virginia Beach, VA 9/20/16; Attendance USDA 93rdAnnual Agricultural Outlook Forum, Arlington, VA, 2/24/17; Attendance to the New Mexico Organic Farming Conference February 16-17, 2018 in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Attendance to PAWC (Professional Agriculture Workers Conference) December 4-6 Opelika, Alabama; The Second Annual Texas Hispanic Farmer and Rancher Conference December 7-8 2018 in McAllen, Texas; Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group Conference January 22-26, 2019 in Little Rock, Arkansas; Cultivando una Comunidad Prospera (Michigan Family Farms Conference) February 3, 2019, Kalamazoo, Michigan; Minority Landowners Conference May 2-4, 2019 in South Padre Island, Texas. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Promotional Materials Fall Vegetables Program participants Financial Risks Program participants FSA programs Program participants NRCS Programs Program participants Tunnels 101 Program participants ID Insects and Entomophagy Program participants Information USDA Agencies Program participants Trellis in Vegetables Program participants Sheep 101 Program participants Plasticulture Program participants Organic fertilizers Program participants Chickens 101 Program participants Riesgos Financieros Program Participants Plant nutrition and soil testing Program Participants Fall/Winter Vegetable Gardening Program Participants Compost Tea Program Participants Hoop houses Program participants Irrigation Demonstration Program Participants Hydroponic Fodder Program Participants Fruit Trees Management Program Participants Veterans Farming Initiative Recruit Veterans for Agriculture course Biochar potential in arid agricultural soils Beginning farmers participants Guar as an alternate crop Beginning farmers participants Zeta mushroom production Beginning farmers participants Artisan soap workshop Beginning farmers participants Germination of seeds in coconut fiber Beginning farmers participants What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Results: What Producers Learned, Achieved, Applied Result 1. Limited resource beginning farmers and ranchers and farmworkerslearn Business and Strategic Planning, a small sub-set of these farmers are also military veterans. Producer action: Understand,Topic: Business and strategic planning When measured: At the initiation of the training and at the last workshop on the Subject. Estimated Number: 60,Actual Number: 63 How verified: Pre/Post Assessment Result 2. Educate fivementors as trainers of trainees to assistin the development of a model of best practices in small farm mentoring, apprentices and interns. Producer action: Develop,Topic: Mentoring, apprenticeships, and internships When measured: During the 3-day workshop Estimated Number: 5,Actual Number: 5 How verified: Facilitating the participatory self-review with the five mentors Result 3. Producers adopt financial records and analysis, learning by doing whileattending 4 workshops annually for the duration of this project. Producer action: Implement,Topic: Financial records and analysis When measured: After each of the 4 workshops. Estimated Number: 30,Actual Number: 15 How verified: Grading the financial records and corresponding analysis. Result 4. Participants learn in their language of preferencethe costof production and farm financialbench marking, as the bases to measure income increase or losses. Producer action: Understand,Topic: Cost of production and farm financial benchmarking When measured: After training Estimated Number: 60,Actual Number: 60 How verified: Written Evaluation from participants Result 5. Participants receive training and one-to-one advice, and as group from NIFI.s Field Coordinator for preparing NRCS/FSAEQIP and micro-loan applications. Producer action: Decide,Topic: Economics of input decisions When measured: at the end of the fiscal year Estimated Number: 30,Actual Number: 30 How verified: By the number of applicants submitting applications Result 6. Fourfinancial literacy manuals areadaptedin both English and Spanish meeting organizational training needs with beginning farmers at Paso del Norte Region. Producer action: Decide,Topic: Cost of production and farm financial benchmarking When measured: After training Estimated Number: 60,Actual Number: 23 How verified: Writing Action Plan Result 7. Farmworkerswill start up with the intent to purchase their own land and initiatefarm operations assisted by NIFI's field coordinator in this process. Producer action: Implement,Topic: Asset management, including leasing and renting When measured: at the end of the fiscal year Estimated Number: 10,Actual Number: 10 How verified: Personal interview and by observation of the farmworker new farmor ranch Result 8. Agricultural Service Providers who will develop new relationsand provide services to immigrant beginning farmers and limited resource farmers plus the ones they already serve. Producer action: Implement,Topic: Product and enterprise diversification When measured: 10 months after the project starts. Estimated Number: 30,Actual Number: 27 How verified: By an interview of the group of participants. Result 9. Participants state that they have improved considerably the use of their skills in agricultural production as a result of attending and participating in thisproject. Producer action: Implement,Topic: Organic production When measured: 12 months after project starts Estimated Number: 60,Actual Number: 63 How verified: Implementing the annual self-review and planning for the comingseason. Result 10. Producers express to haveimproved their knowledge in natural resource management by attending the presentations, demonstrations and one-to-one advicefacilitated by Count agents and NIFI. Producer action: Decide,Topic: Conservation When measured: 6 months from the start of the this project Estimated Number: 24,Actual Number: 63 How verified: By observation of conservation means in their farms Result 11. Participants learn Marketing training presented by the Cooperative Extension specialist,and facilitated by NIFI's Field Coordinator, MASstaff is invited to participate as instructor. Producer action: Understand,Topic: Marketing plans and strategies When measured: on-going project years. Estimated Number: 24,Actual Number: 24 How verified: Assignment completed by each producer Result 12. Agricultural service providers and partners in NIFI's Network who will provide services to immigrant farmers in addition to the ones they already serve. Producer action: Implement,Topic: Field Crops When measured: at the end of the farming or ranching cycle. Estimated Number: 20,Actual Number: 22 How verified: Analysis of harvest data provided by the Farm Service Agency. Result 13. Participants access new markets to diversify clients and improve profits Producer action: Decide,Topic: Local, regional, and direct marketing When measured: During marketing season, Estimated Number: 20,Actual Number: 22 How verified: Written action plan Result 14. Beginning farmers improve the soil fertility of their farms as learned in the 3 workshops provided by NIFI;s staff and partners in the region Network. Producer action: Implement,Topic: Soil management When measured: 12 months after project starts Estimated Number: 20,Actual Number: 22 How verified: Comparing before and after Soil Analysis ofproject participants' farms. Result 15. Participants state to have access to additional waterby implementingconservation practices for this three-year project; learned attending NIFI's workshops. Producer action: Implement,Topic: Water management When measured: 12 months after project starts Estimated Number: 20,Actual Number: 10 How verified: Comparing before and after water district dataof each participant.
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Progress 08/01/17 to 07/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:Target Audiences that were served by the project include: 1) Beginning farmers and ranchers that are limited-resource Hispanic producers and often immigrant and first-generation farm workers, living in food-desert areas or "colonias"; 2) Farm workers and other low income people seeking to become independent farm business owners, as well as farm owners operators with less than 10 years of experience; 3) Youth at community organizations; 4) Beginning farmers and ranchers that are Hispanic; 5) Veterans beginning farmers. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Activities include assessments, facilitating, teaching, and mentoring. Events included 43 workshops, field days, and training events. Of these 43 events, four events were in partnership with USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) and NRCS USDA Agency, these events specifically targeted beginning farmers that are low-income and Hispanic. This project provided 20 workshops on business planning and production planning and targeted 145 disadvantaged, immigrant, beginning farmers seeking to increase their knowledge and become sustainable. Services included 129 visits to individual farms to provide consulting, counseling, and tutoring to beginning farmers and ranchers that are low-income, Hispanic and veterans. Training and professional development opportunities for project staff included: Attendance to the New Mexico Organic Farming Conference February 16-17, 2018 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Dissemination included 20 classroom based presentations along with handouts in Spanish to mostly beginning farmers and ranchers that are low-income and Hispanic, covering topics including: Introduction to Organic Gardening, Seedlings, Spring Planting Schedule, Propagation, Introduction to Greenhouses, Hydroponics and Fodder production, Rain harvest, Fruit Tree's management, Soil Conservation, Financial Risks Series, Sheep 101 and Chickens 101. Materials produced to publicize and administer the program or recruit beginning farmers for training. Included: bilingual flyers created to disseminate and promote educational events; "Introducción a la Administración de Riesgos", "Agencia al servicio de los Agricultores - Prestamos" handout guides in Spanish. Website: www.immigrantfarmers.org, and Facebookwww.facebook/nationalimmigrantfarming Educational methodologies included: 1) The provision of training program to socially disadvantaged and limited resource beginning farmer most of whom speak Spanish as their first language and instruction, presentation and handout have been in Spanish; 2) The provision of training to beginning farmers and ranchers in a farm incubator with training events on a variety of subjects; 3) The provision of technical assistance to insure the successful adoption of techniques reviewed during training events. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Initiating the Paso Del Norte Immigrant Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Network project has been following a detailed action timetable design to accomplish its objectives. Along with relationship building among support organizations, beginning farmers and service providers is a key strategy that will be intentional in every aspect of this BFRDP. It will be important that not only agricultural skills are developed but that community capacity is built to withstand challenges such as poor economic conditions. If every community NIFI (National Immigrant Farming Initiative) works on develops greater resilience in producing its own food therefore by taking care of itself this project will be successful and demonstrate its effectiveness.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
NIFI through Initiating the Paso Del Norte Immigrant Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Network educates about USDA programs hosting meetings with USDA program service providers specially NRCS, FSA and RMA. Schedule the service providers with the different groups of socially disadvantaged groups we serve. We also have available the Introduction to Risk Management booklet from RMA and the FSA loans handbook createdby The National Young Farmers Coalition translated to Spanish by NIFI and use for trainings and workshops. During this second-year reporting period, the project accomplished its essential tasks and objectives, and is on track to meet or exceed all end-of-project milestones.Initiating the Paso Del Norte Immigrant Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Network project has been following a detailed action timetable design to accomplish its objectives. Along with relationship building among support organizations. To accomplish this; first, we seek the background of the farmers, whether as an individual or a group, and we meet one-on-one to find out their needs, capacity and most important their business plan. We work with different socially disadvantaged groups, for example: Hispanics in the colonias (subdivisions in the outskirts of the cities lacking in basic services such paved roads, proper drainage, and waste management) hosting meetings to form groups, identifying leaders and help them establish rules and board members so they can belong to a group of people that have the same interest in this case agriculture and based on their specific needs set up a strategy to help them excel in enhancing their farm income. NIFI also serves individual women and veterans providing technical assistance and taking them to different conferences and they are giving back serving as mentors for beginning farmers and applying what was learned in workshops and conferences hosting workshops and hands-on at their farms. We also connect them with local communities to meet their specific needs such as in local and regional food systems partnering with well-established organizations such as La Semilla, La Mujer Obrera, AYUDA and HOPE NGOs located in New Mexico and Texas, as well as Libre Initiative in order to enhance their capacity to network with other farmers. We are in constant partnership with County Extension and NMSU Extension agents that are invited to present, participate and observe on the farm training delivered in English and Spanish with translators on site. NIFI throughInitiating the Paso Del Norte Immigrant Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Networkeducates about USDA programs hosting meetings with USDA program service providers specially NRCS, FSA and RMA. Schedule the service providers with the different groups of socially disadvantaged groups we serve. We also have available the Introduction to Risk Management booklet from RMA and the FSA loans handbook created by The National Young Farmers Coalition translated to Spanish by NIFI and use for trainings and workshops.
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Progress 08/01/16 to 07/31/17
Outputs
Target Audience:Target Audiences that were served by the project include: 1) Beginning farmers and ranchers that are limited-resource Hispanic producers and often immigrant and first-generation farm workers, living in food-desert areas or "colonias"; 2) Farm workers and other low income people seeking to become independent farm business owners, as well as farm owners operators with less than 10 years of experience; 3) Youth at community organizations; 4) Beginning farmers and ranchers that are Hispanic; 5) Veterans beginning farmers. Educational methodologies included: 1) The provision of training program to socially disadvantaged and limited resource beginning farmer most of whom speak Spanish as their first language and instruction, presentation and handout have been in Spanish; 2) The provision of training to beginning farmers and ranchers in a farm incubator with training events on a variety of subjects; 3) The provision of technical assistance to insure the successful adoption of techniques reviewed during training events. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Activities include assessments, facilitating, teaching, and mentoring. Events included 13 workshops, field days, and training events. Of these 12 events, one event was in partnership with USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), these events specifically targeted beginning farmers that are low-income and Hispanic. This project provided 12 workshops on business planning and production planning and targeted 28 disadvantaged, immigrant, beginning farmers seeking to increase their knowledge and become sustainable. Services included 16 visits to individual farms to provide consulting, counseling, and tutoring to beginning farmers and ranchers that are low-income and Hispanic, so that they can better plan and increase their production. Training and professional development opportunities for project staff included: Exhibitor at the 7th National Small Farms Conference, Virginia Beach, VA, 09/20/16. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Dissemination included 4 classroom based presentations along with handouts in Spanish to mostly beginning farmers and ranchers that are low-income and Hispanic, covering topics including: Introduction to Organic Gardening, Seedlings, Spring Planting Schedule, Propagation and Post-Harvest Safety. Materials produced to publicize and administer the program or recruit beginning farmers for training. Included: 4 bilingual flyers created to disseminate and promote educational events; Website: www.immigrantfarmers.org, and Facebook www.facebook/nationalimmigrantfarming What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Initiating the Paso Del Norte Immigrant Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Network project has been following a detailed action timetable design to accomplish its objectives. Along with relationship building among support organizations, beginning farmers and service providers is a key strategy that will be intentional in every aspect of this BFRDP. It will be important that not only agricultural skills are developed but that community capacity is built to withstand challenges such as poor economic conditions. If every community NIFI (National Immigrant Farming Initiative) works on develops greater resilience in producing its own food therefore by taking care of itself this project will be successful and demonstrate sustainability.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Though at the beginning of this program, progress has been made primarily in the area of mentoring new farmers and forming relationships between new and experienced farmers. These new farmers particularly include small-scale subsistence farmers. This type of outreach has proven beneficial to low income communities by improving food security and access to healthier food sources. Establishing relationships between new and experienced farmers has allowed new farmers to learn from a much greater amount of experience than would normally to be available to them. It has likewise enabled experienced farmers to contribute to their communities while passing on a wealth of personal knowledge. This progress report reviews the performance of the "Initiating the Paso Del Norte Immigrant Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Network" for the period covering August 1, 2016 through March 1, 2017. The specific goal of this project is to assist at least sixty (60) immigrant, beginning farmers and ranchers to start or improve their agricultural enterprises. During the reporting period, the project accomplished its essential tasks and objectives, and is on track to meet or exceed all end-of-project milestones.
Publications
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