Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:The Erie, Pennsylvania field office of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants will establish the Landing Ground program, to extend the agency's Flagship Farms commercial agriculture training, with linguistically and culturally competent land-buyers education and technical assistance for up to 45 refugee and immigrant farmer trainees in three cohorts of 15 over three years. Landing Ground will equip participants with financial knowledge to acquire farmland, and make connections between "aspiring and retiring" farmers. Landing Ground will position new farmers for long-term success resulting in farm start-ups that strengthen the local food system through diversity and land preservation. The main program elements combine classroom and experiential learning, featuring: (1) a farm field trip series and cultural exchange with local farmers to investigate different types of agricultural production in Northwestern Pennsylvania, (2) a property prospecting series to see farms or vacant land for sale or lease in a variety of settings, and (3) a formal First Time Farm Buyers class featuring experts from real estate, banking / agricultural loans, environmental assessment, equipment acquisition, and financial planning to provide technical assistance so that program participants can plan for and succeed at their goals for property acquisition. All programming will be supported by foreign language interpreters and a strong cadre of partners including the Erie County Conservation District, Erie County Department of Planning and Community Development, First National Bank, the Food Policy Advisory Council, RE/MAX Realty, and Gannon University for third-party program evaluation Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
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?
OVERARCHING GOAL: Provide aspiring refugee and immigrant farmers with strategic resources that meet their unique linguistic and cultural needs, enabling them to acquire farmland in Erie County, PA and supporting the sustainability of their current or future agricultural enterprises. (from project logic model--with three associated objectives below) OBJECTIVE 1) Extend Existing Agriculture Education through linguistically and culturally competent land-buyers education program. (Flagship Farms → Landing Ground): USCRI Erie will enroll 45 participants in the Landing Ground program over 3 years.
Publications
|
Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for Flagship Farms/Landing Ground projects are refugees, immigrants and anyone in the community who is interesting in more activelypursuing a path in agriculture as a career, extra income, or to supplement their groceries with their own freshly grown food. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We have offerred weekly classes as well as hands on training in our commercial and personal gardening plots. The classes have focused on planting, growing , havesting , marketing and we have participated in farmers markets in the region. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?In additional to new arrivals, we reached out to established refugees and immigrant communities to share information on the projects and to provide opportunities to futures farmers. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue to maintain gardens and showcase how to harvest and market crops through participation in farmers markets . We focus more on steps beyond Flagship Farms as the growing season slows and people have more opportunities to learn farming opportunities locally . We will develop budgets with clients and put them in touch with other professionals to develop timetables and budgets
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Partnership with Flagshi Farms to recruit potential BFBR candidates and build basic agriculture and commercial farming skills . Worked with the city of Erie to develop a process for clients to acquire and via vacant city lots .
Publications
|
Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:Flagship Farms/Landing Ground projects target audience is refugees, immigrants and anyone who is interested in becoming more active in pursuing farming for a career or to supplement their groceries with fresh, locally grown food. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We have offered weekly classes as well as hands on training in our commercial and personal gardening plots. Classes have focused on planting, growing, harvesting, marketing, and we have participated in farmers markets in the region. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?In addition to new arrivals, we have reached out to established refugee and immigrant communities to share information on the projects and to provide opportunities to future farmers. Current communities involved in farming/gardening are members of the Afghan, Congolese, Syrian, Bosnian, Bhutanese, and Eritrean communities. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue to maintain gardens and showcase how to harvest and market crops through participation in farmers markets and limited online opportunities. We will focus more on steps beyond Flagship Farms as the growing season slows and people have more opportunities to learn about farming opportunities locally. We will develop budgets with clients and put them in touch with other professionals to develop timetables and budgets.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
USCRI-Erie has established commercial urban gardens and personal use space in our urban gardens to provide the opportunity for aspiring refugee and immigrant farmers the opportunity to utilize these gardens and resources to farm for personal or commercial goals. We provide a weekly class on farming in Northwest Pennsylvania and planned out how to successfully grow crops for food or recreational use. We are recruiting people previously and currently enrolled in the commercial track of Flagship Farms to transition through Flagship farms and into the land-buyers education program. Currently we have 5 participants interested in the Landing Ground program. We have recruited professionals to assist in the land buying process and have several farmers (urban, commercial and recreational) committed to participating in cultural orientations and help mentor refugees and other participants. There are no participants currently ready to transition into buying land at this time. We are providing education in classes on the process and are looking at farm specific real estate agents and other professionals who understand financing, grants, and other options for obtaining farms.
Publications
|
|