Performing Department
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Non Technical Summary
The Northern Rhode Island Conservation District (NRICD) will collaborate with partner organizations to seek out limited resource and socially disadvantaged urban beginning farmers and gardeners in urbanized areas of northern Rhode Island (RI) to participate in a year-long Urban Growers Leadership Program (UGLP). Long Term Goal: The Urban Growers Leadership Program is a multilingual training and technical assistance program that will stand as a long-term outreach and educational program through workshops, farm tours, and mentoring. As the program progresses it will further support the program participants by developing video training resources for the participants and their communities.The UGLP has been successfully operating for two years (2019 and 2020) through the National Association of Conservation District's (NACD) Urban Agriculture Conservation Grant Initiative (UAC Grant). The UGLP consists of a cohort of 10-12 farmers and gardeners to provide a small interactive learning environment. Participants are typically adults with several years of gardening or farming experience but are still considered beginning farmers (under 10 years) according to the USDA. During 2022, 2023, and 2024 (2022-2024 programs), the UGLP will expand its capacity to engage more limited resource and socially disadvantaged beginning farmers by providing farm tours to multiple bilingual cohorts of participants, and by developing public visual and video resources. Through the collaboration of NRICD partners, the UGLP addresses the needs of the community and assists partners with outreach and education goals they do not have the capacity to implement themselves.NRICD serves Providence County, RI, which contains several urban areas, including Providence, North Providence, East Providence, Pawtucket and Central Falls, RI. According to the U.S Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2015 data, sections of Providence, North Providence, East Providence, Pawtucket and Central Falls, Rhode Island are in food deserts - low-income areas with limited access to supermarkets. In the most recent data report from the 2018 Rhode Island Food Policy Council Snapshots, there are a total of 84,412 individuals on the SNAP program, 12,830 individuals on the WIC program, and 39,914 students eligible for free or reduced meals in the cities of Providence, North Providence, East Providence, Pawtucket, and Central Falls, RI. The RI Food Bank 2020 Facts & Figures states that 148,000 total Rhode Islanders are enrolled in SNAP. Comparing the RI Food Policy Snapshot and the RI Food Bank information, 57% of the Rhode Islanders on SNAP are located in Providence, North Providence, East Providence, Pawtucket, and Central Falls, RI.Food access in these areas has been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic as well. ECORI, a local environmental news source, stated "Sections of Providence, Pawtucket, and Central Falls have the highest infection rates in the state, some higher than much-publicized COVID-19 hot spots like Bronx, N.Y.", while Brown University COVD-19 Data reveal that the highest cases of COVID-19 in RI were in "racial and ethnic minority groups'' and communities in poverty within Providence County, RI. The Rhode Island Race & Ethnic Origin Demographics by County revealed that in 2010, Providence County, RI held 59.5% of the state's population and was the most culturally diverse area in the state. Data USA Profile indicates that as of 2018, approximately 29.2% of RI residents were born outside the United States - higher than the national average of 13.3% . NRICD's partners have found themselves working with many individuals born outside the country whose agrarian backgrounds draw them to participate in community gardens and agriculture organizations, and to grow for their own families in these urban, underserved/underdeveloped areas. NRICD's partners emphasize the need for bilingual, or multilingual programs for these communities to serve urban growing leaders who strive to learn more about environmental conservation and urban agricultural practices but have few resources available to them. Partners have also expressed that many urban farming and gardening programs offered in Providence County consists of youth urban programs for ages elementary to early high school students, excluding youth ages 16-22. NRICD will collaborate with partners to meet this demand by incorporating a dedicated young adult cohort during the 2023 and 2024 UGLP program years.Local organizations have established more than 60 community gardens and urban farms in areas served by the UGLP . A number of farmer's markets target these areas directly 9. Of the markets in Providence, Central Falls, and Pawtucket, the Farm Fresh Rhode Island document "Farmers Markets in Rhode Island: Pay With EBT/SNAP", shows that only 8 accept EBT and SNAP . There is a need for more trainers and leaders to guide community engagement in these garden spaces so that local farms and gardens will be equipped to help their own communities move towards food sovereignty. There are several organizations within Providence County, RI that provide outreach and education programs, such as Southside Community Land Trust, Groundwork Rhode Island, and Farm Fresh Rhode Island. These programs typically have low participation from limited resource and socially disadvantaged beginning farmers because of the limited resources these organizations can provide. Although these programs are great, there is a wealth of information that is not getting to beginning farmers and gardeners who have limited resources and are socially disadvantaged and are not able to participate in them due to barriers such as transportation, child care, or language. FarmAnwers.org showcases three relative programs - Farm Beginnings Whole Farm Planning Course through GrowNYC, New Urban/Immigrant Farming Training Program through Eco City Farms in Maryland, and Southern Illinois Farm Beginnings project through Food Works in Illinois, however none of these projects serves the Providence County growing community.NRICD's project, the UGLP, was initiated in 2019 after working with local partners to identify needs in the urban agriculture community in Providence County, RI. By speaking with partner organizations, NRICD learned that emerging leaders in the urban growing community, who are largely self-taught, could benefit from increased knowledge and resources that could be used to train their volunteers, mentees, students, and community members about urban farming and gardening operations. However, there are many factors that discourage limited resource and socially disadvantaged beginning farmers from participating in outreach and educational programs. Participation barriers cited by NRICD's partners included 1. Financial, 2. Time, 3. Child care accessibility, 4. Transportation, 5. Language and literacy, 6. Learning, and 7. Resource barriers. The UGLP sought to address these community participation barriers by arranging program elements around participants' needs, providing childcare, and supplying participants with a stipend to compensate them for time away from family, work, and growing commitments. Limiting barriers has allowed NRICD to welcome limited resource and socially disadvantaged beginning farmers who seek to address knowledge gaps within their communities become community leaders and share their knowledge through the Urban Growers Leadership Program. The program evaluationswill evaluate the major elements of the program that reduce participation barriers and address additional needs, challenges, or modifications to the program to promote community program participation and limit these identified barriers.
Animal Health Component
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Research Effort Categories
Basic
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Applied
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Developmental
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Goals / Objectives
Objective Statement: The Urban Growers Leadership Program (UGLP) will engage a total of 80 to 96 limited resource and socially disadvantaged beginning farmers within the urbanized areas of northern Rhode Island during the 2022-2024 program years by decreasing community learning program participation barriers, providing learning and networking experiences and resources, and empowering beginning farmers to be successful and become leaders in their community.Long Term Goal: Leading urban growers and gardeners in Providence County will be empowered to provide conservation technical assistance to their own partners and communities by using knowledge gained through UGLP participation, connections gained through skill-share and mentorship programs, and UGLP resources such as videos produced in multiple languages.Objectives:Remove financial, transportation language, literacy, resource, and childcare accessibility barriers to participation in the UGLP.Northern Rhode Island Conservation District (NRICD)will work collaboratively with partners, previous program participants, and communities within Providence County, RI to evaluate participation barriers and tailor the UGLP to reduce those barriers and increase program participation of limited resource and socially disadvantaged farmers. NRICD partners have limited resources to reduce community participation barriers. NRICD will fill this resource gap within the community through the UGLP. Limited resources and socially disadvantaged beginning farmers participation barriers include money, time flexibility, child care, transportation, language, literacy, growing resources, and learning interests and needs. Many of these beginning farmers have multiple jobs, children, low household income, live within food deserts, and are subject to racial, ethnic and gender prejudice. These beginning farmers' goals are to help feed and support their families and community with locally grown, fresh, healthy produce, to increase food access within their neighborhoods. The UGLP will continuously develop and expand the program by decreasing these community barriers and needs, to open doors for those who would not normally be able to participate in an agricultural education program. Specifically, the UGLP will either provide transportation to events or hold them at locations easily accessible by public transportation, provide childcare to program participants, offer a fully bilingual program, and present materials in non-written forms to reduce literacy barriers.Outputs: Five multilingual workshops per cohort per year held at locations accessible to public transportation, childcare offered for all UGLP events, workshop notes presented in video and picture-based forms. Bus transportation provided for the farm tour portion of the program.Outcome: Growers from underserved communities, who may be excluded from other local learning programs by language, transportation, and other barriers, become leaders in their local growing and gardening communities.At least 95% of program participants will gain new knowledge, gain experience, and expand their urban farming network. At least 90% of program participants will incorporate their learning and experiences within their practices and will share what they have learned with others. At least 75% of program participants will participate in the skill-share program.The UGLP will provide training and technical assistance through learning, networking, hands-on experiences and resources for beginning farmers in Providence County, RI. The program will provide a workshop series, mentorships, farm tours, and video recording resources for each participating cohort. The program will consist of two cohorts in 2022 and three cohorts in 2023 and 2024. Each cohort will consist of 10 to 12 participants. In 2023 and 2024, the third cohort will consist of young adults between the ages of 16 and 22. The 2022 program will offer two languages, English and one additional language. The 2023 and 2024 programs will be in three languages, English and two additional languages. A major goal of the UGLP is to reduce language barriers by providing translation and interpretation services throughout the program.Northern Rhode Island's urban population is very diverse. Urban growers speak a variety of languages including English, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Swahili, Spanish, and H-mong. Languages for the program will be chosen each year based on participant needs. Each workshop series will be tailored to participant interests. One cohort's workshop topics could include soil health, composting, and expanding your business, while another cohort could be interested in irrigation methods, community school gardens, and selling at farmer's markets. Participants will also be connected with a partner organization to complete a mentorship/skill-share that will help advance their specific learning goals. Past participant goals have included expanding their farm business, developing a community garden for previously incarcerated men of color, organizing an after school program for students to come to a local community garden and learn how to plant, grow, harvest, and cook fresh foods, finding more farmland, and learning about local organizations' food sovereignty initiative programs. Throughout the program, participants will engage with one another, NRICD, partner organizations and their communities. In the next three years of the UGLP, the program will have had 20 to 24 participants in 2022 and 30 to 36 participants in 2023 and 2024 - a total of 80 to 96 limited resource, socially disadvantaged beginning farmers. These farmers will gain knowledge and hands-on experience specifically tailored to them and their beginning urban farming community, while also expanding their network.Outputs: Unique schedules and curriculums for each cohort in the program, four hour minimum mentorship/skill-share for each program participant who wishes to complete one.Outcome: Technical knowledge, garden yields, business success, and networking connections of urban growers in Providence County, RI increases.Provide beginning farmers with skills and resources necessary to become successful producers and leaders in their communities.The UGLP will support the participants in community outreach and equip them with skills and tools to become ambassadors in their communities and teach others what they are learning. Farm tours, mentorships/skill-shares, and other program activities will provide an avenue for participants, local beginning farmers and partners to network and support one another.Outputs: The UGLP will organize a day of farm tours for each cohort. Each farm tour will consist of visits to three local urban farms or gardens. The District and partners will also develop a resource webpage for farmers in Rhode Island, and will focus on recording workshops and mentorship/skill-share activities in short video form. NRICD will have a minimum of 5 workshops and 5 short videos publicly posted each year, and 100 or more views of each video within the first 6 months of posting.Outcome: Through training and technical assistance, the participants will strengthen their agricultural knowledge and be empowered to support and enrich their communities with what they have learned throughout the program.
Project Methods
A variety of methods will be used to address each objective over the course of the project.Objective 1: Remove financial, transportation language, literacy, and childcare barriers of participation in the UGLP.The UGLP's workshop series, mentorship, farm tours, and video resources will be designed to remove barriers of participation from limited resource and socially disadvantaged farmers.Financial Barrier: The UGLP will reduce limited resource and socially disadvantaged beginning farmers' financial barriers by providing the program for either an optional low-cost fee or for free. When participants apply for the UGLP they can choose to participate for free or pay a fee of $100. This option will allow participants to anonymously participate in the program at no cost. The fee to participate in the program will help support the funding of the program while still reducing financial barriers to program participation. Additionally, funding will be made available for participants to complete small projects on their farm or garden. NRICD will collaborate with partners and USDA-NRCS technical assistance providers to help support further farm and garden funding for participants and their communities.Time Barrier: Many limited resource, socially disadvantaged, and beginning farmers have limited time availability to participate in programs. Scheduling of the workshop series and farm tours will be according to participant availability. The program will also provide opportunities for participants to make up missed workshops by volunteering time with the partner organization that hosted the workshop, or re-watching the recorded workshop with the facilitator or asking the facilitator questions about their recorded workshop. The mentorship, also known as the skill-share portion of the program is optional and requires a minimum of four hours of participant and partner collaboration. Mentorships/skill-shares are scheduled at a time and location mutually convenient for the mentor and mentee. The four hour minimum allows participants to complete a mentorship/shill-share without the stress of a large time commitment.Child Care Barrier: Many limited resource and socially disadvantaged beginning farmers have young children. Some are unable to attend local events, such as workshops, because they are unable to arrange child care. The UGLP will have an NRICD staff member with childcare experience available to assist with workshops and provide child care, so that they can focus on their learning experience.Transportation Barrier: The UGLP's workshop series and farm tours will be organized around transportation accessibility. Workshops will be located at partner organization locations near bus stops. NRICD will hire a bus for transportation on the day of farm tours for each cohort.Language and Literacy Barrier: Many low-income urban areas in Providence County, RI are home to numerous non-English speaking individuals, including immigrants and refugees. Additional languages will broaden the group of individuals able to participate in the program. NRICD will contract one or multiple interpreter(s)/translator(s) to work collaboratively with the Program Coordinator to facilitate the language component of the program. Many immigrants and refugees have limited reading and writing capabilities in their native language. The resources developed from the UGLP will be visual and verbal, such as graphics and videos in multiple languages. Non-English speaking individuals interested in the program will be able to apply for the program by verbally filling out the program application with the Program Coordinator and interpreter.Learning Barrier: The UGLP will tailor each cohort's workshop schedule to the needs of its participants and their communities. Workshops, mentorships, and farm tours will be tailored to these learning interests and needs.Resource Barrier: A website for the UGLP and its partner organizations to share and post guided visuals and videos of workshops and community leaders will allow the UGLP reach beyond program participants to educate more beginning farmers. Beginning farmers also face challenges to accessing farm tools and supplies. NRICD will collaborate with partners to develop a tools and supply sale for community farmers and gardeners.Objective 2: At least 95% of program participants will gain new knowledge, experience, and expand their urban farming network. At least 90% of program participants will incorporate their learnings and experiences within their practices and will share what they have learned with others. At least 75% of program participants will participate in the mentorship/skill-share program.The UGLP will provide learning, networking, experiences and resources for program participants and their communities through a workshop series for each cohort, optional mentorship program for each participant, farm tours for each cohort, and public resources available from the program.Workshop Series: A workshop series will be developed based on the interests and availability of each cohort of program participants. Participants are asked to complete a questionnaire about their growing practices, community needs and community challenges. They are asked similar questions at the initial program introductory meeting to prompt conversation and understand participant and community learning interests and needs.Workshops will be organized by the Project Coordinator and hosted and facilitated by NRICD or partner organizations. NRICD will utilize partner knowledge and experience to provide participants with diverse perspectives as well as networking opportunities. Past workshops have included, "Soil Health" "Composting", and "Expanding and Launching a Business or Organization".Mentorship/Skill -Share Program: Participants will be matched with an organization to participate in a mentorship/skill-share program based on their own learning needs and interests.Objective 3: Provide beginning farmers with skills and resources necessary to become successful producers and leaders in their communities.The UGLP will empower beginning farmers to be successful and become leaders in their community. Participants will share their knowledge and experiences with a minimum of 5 people. Over three years of the UGLP, 80 to 96 limited resource and socially disadvantaged beginning farmers will participate in the program, and approximately 400 to 480 community members will be reached by the program participants.Farm Tours: For the next three years of the UGLP there will be a day of farm tours for each cohort. This day will provide a platform for project sharing.Resources: Access to learning resources for urban growers and gardeners can be limited, especially for non-English speaking individuals. There are very few bilingual or non-English resources available. NRICD will record the farm tours and workshops provided throughout the 2022-2024 programs. The videos will then be interpreted into additional languages useful to Providence County, RI's urban growing community. NRICD plans to partner with Rhode Island organizations, other Conservation Districts, and organizations out of state to create a multilingual agricultural education resource webpage for public access. Mentorship/skill-share participants will be given the opportunity to participate in creating the educational videos, or ambassador videos, with their partner organizations.It is important to NRICD and partners to have community members who speak different languages become their own ambassadors of topics related to being a successful beginning urban farmer leader. Each community might have different perspectives, values, and questions than growers outside of that community. NRICD will work with partners to add and interpret their workshops and ambassador videos into this online platform as well.