Progress 09/15/23 to 09/14/24
Outputs
Target Audience:PIF's target audience is socially disadvantaged new American farmers. Since its founding in 2011, PIF has been working primarily with refugee farmers. Furthermore, the project targets small-scale (<10 acre) producers of diversified produce, especially vegetables. Program activities and teachings promote organic and regenerative farming practices. Overall, the grant targets BFRs in Years 0-5. Serious prospective farmers are targeted (year 0), as well as those in the start-up phase (years 1-3). However, grant activities are open to and inclusive of producers their first 10 years of growing in the US. Changes/Problems:Small changes have been made to the structure of the apprentice program In the project proposal, we planned on a three-phase apprenticeship: 1) Exposure (months), 2) Group Practicum (6 months), 3) Externship (3 months). In preparing for Cohort 1, project staff determined that a two-phase program would be more practical, primarily because it reduced the amount of coordination required in identifying host farmers. In addition, the Project Manager was concerned about the quality of the experience, with apprentices distributed across multiple sites in two phases of the program. To address these concerns, we adjusted the program structure into two phases: 1) Group Practicum (6 months) and 2) Externship (6 months). During the phase 1, all 6 apprentices were together at Constant Ngouala's farm, as planned. The original plan was for the Project Manager to work hand-in-hand with Mr. Ngouala and the apprentices during this phase, providing instruction and support with farm management, to better facilitate Mr. Ngouala to host a large group of apprentices. In practice, this was difficult if not impossible to execute effectively. Mr. Ngouala is not used to sharing the management of his farm with others; in practice, it was often not possible for the Project Manager to play a productive role in providing instruction. In response, we shifted Ms. Trimble's work responsibilities towards project coordination and management, including conducting regular skills check-ins with both apprentices and host farmers, which has solved the problem experienced in the first ~2 months of the apprentice program. Additionally, we expanded the Externship from three months to six. As previously mentioned, this decision was made primarily to simply the program and to ensure that program staff had adaquate time and resources to select host farmers who would provide the best possible learning experience to apprentices. We selected host farmers from among the area farmers, including those in PIF's network of refugee/immigrant growers. Furthermore, there are relatively few farmers in the area, which limits the potential pool of host farm candidates. The pool is especially limited when we consider the need to identify farmers within an approximately~1 hour drive of each apprentice's home. For all these reasons, we plan to maintain two phase structure moving forward. Reduction in technical assistance and demonstrations In year 1, 49.65hours of technical assistance were provided to apprentices and two demonstrations were hosted, including one at a partnering community farm, Shamba Ya Amani. The outputs in this activity area fall significantly short of the original target for four demonstrations across three community farms and 200 hours of technical assistance provided. There are two primary reasons for this: 1) more time was required by the project team or the launch of the apprenticeship and short courses than originally anticipated, which prevented the project team from hosting more demonstrations; and 2) apprentices are not taking advantage of the technical assistance hours which are being offered. We plan to formally revise the project targets in early 2025 to account for these findings. Limited accomodations have been made for ESL participants, which was not in theproject plan PIF's overall,strategic goalthrough this project is to create new training opportunities forbeginning farmersthat provides more depth across all relevant topic areas (production, marketing, business management) than currently available programming in the area. While PIF works primarily with refugees/immigrants who speak English as a second language, and we are well aware of the benefits of providing translation and interpretation, due budgetary constraints in this project, the decision was made to limit funding for interpretation. In Year 1, we have provided more interpretation than originally planned, because two of the apprentices require interpretation. We are continuing to monitor the budget, and will make a formal revision as necessary to accomodate the need for interpretation. Initiial feedback from apprentices:farmexperiences would benefit from more structure Overall, apprentice feedback of the program has been overwhelmingly positive. The biggest criticism they have is that their on-farm experiences can be monotonous and tasks are often determined and taught in an impromptu way. While this is expected within an apprenticeship, our project team is considering the benefits of incorporating a training farm into our programming in future years. Operating a training farm would give PIF's staff control over the farm operations, and would facilitate a farm management style and practice that expicility incorporates teaching. That said, we believe the 'real world' experience provided by the apprenticeship to be extremely valuable. We will continue to monitor outcomes and participant feedback, and will determine the best path forward for future programming in the coming years. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has supported professional development opportunities for Project Manager Mary Trimble, who attended two Field Schools hosted by the National Incubator Farm Training Initiative (NIFTI) (September 2023 and 2024). Constant Ngouala, who serves as a mentor/host farmer for program participants, also participated in professional development by attending the 2024 NIFTI Field School. During the conference, Ms. Trimble and Mr. Ngouala learned best practices in the operation of apprenticeship programs from other practioners. Many of the lessons learned from other apprentice programs have been incorporated into the design and operation of PIF's program. Additionaly, the Project Director, Rachel Lockhart Folkerts, attended two BFRD Director conferences, which also provided opportunity for professional development. 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?During the next reporting period, we will continue to following the project's overall timeline and work plan to accomplish our overall goals. In particular, over the next year we will: Delivery the Marketing short course Develop and delivery the Disaster Response & Preparedness short course Develop the PIF Sustainability Guide Graduate Apprentice Cohort 1 (February 2025) Provide technical assistance to graduated apprentices to aid them in their farm start up and/or to secure jobs in agriculture Evaluate Cohort 1 of the apprenticeship, including a reflection on the short course series and apprentice-specific training activities. We will produce an internal, interim report to guide adjustments for Cohort 2 Recruit Apprentice Cohort 2, scheduled to start September 1, 2025. In tandem, we will recruit host farmers. Conduct at least 2 demonstrations with partnering farms
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
We have made significant progress towards achieving our project goals during year 1 of the program. We have established two significant new programs serving socially disadvantaged, immigrant specialty crop producers in the Houston region: 1) a farming apprenticeship and 2) a short course series. We have significantly engaged nine partners in this work, including TX State University, Rice University, Kitchen Table Consultants, and 5 mentor farmers. Together, we have served 31 unique participants to date, providing more than 600 hours of high quality hands-on training, technical assistance, and classroom learning. BFRs served range from aspiring farmers (0 years of experience) to 10 years of experience as farmers in the US. Progress on Short Courses (Objectives 1, 3, 4) In Year 1, we collaborated with three project partners to develop curriculum and launch 5 new short courses, tailored to our target audience. Courses include: Introduction to Business Planning, Advanced Business Planning, Sustainable Farm Design, Regenerative Soil Fertility Management, and Sustainable Water Management. Two additional classes are under development: Marketing (scheduled for November & December 2024) and Disaster Preparedness & Recovery (scheduled for January 2024). To date, 60 course hours have been developed and delivered to 24participants; 100% of survey respondents report increasing their knowledge of course-specific topics and provided generally positive feedback on each of the courses. Through these courses, we have significantly expanded of the availability of introductory courses in small-scale and specialty crop production in the Houston region. The typical course participant is not yet farming or has started to farm on a very small-scale within the last ~3 years. As we anticipated, designing the courses so they are at the appropriate level for the audience, who tend to have limited English skills and tend to be unfamiliar with US business practices, has been challenging. We are in the process of evaluating the content and delivery of the courses, and of refining our marketing approach to better reach the intended target audience, along with project partners. We plan for the second round of short courses to begin in September 2025, along with the second apprentice cohort. Progress on Apprenticeship Program (Objectives 2, 5) In Year 1, we developed and launch the first apprenticeship program in the Houston region. To our knowledge, it is the only apprenticeship targeted at immigrant and refugee producers in the state of Texas. 6 apprentices, representing four cultural/ethnic backgrounds were accepted in Cohort 1 and are on-track to graduate in February, 2025. 5 mentor farmers,representing 4 cultural/ethnic backgrounds, have participated in the program. Each apprentice has received over 520 hours of hands-on training, including 15 training hours at Rice University. Additionally, apprentices have participated in five short courses to date (see below), providing an additional 60 instructional hours. Key program materials have been developed, including anapprenticeship handbook, host farmer agreement, skills checklist, business plan model, crop plan model, and program evaluation surveys. Through PIF, two apprentices have gained access to two new market channels: the PIF Food Hub and one local farmers market. Because Cohort 1 has not yet completed their first year, we are unable to report on outcomes associated with apprentices. Cohort 2 is expected to start in September 2025. We will use the ~6 months between cohorts to evaluate Year 1 of the program and incorporate learnings into the plan for Cohort 2. Progress on New American Farmer Conference (NAFC) (Objectives 1, 5) We hosted the New American Farmer Conference in September 2024, providing 19participants from 6+ ethnic backgrounds with 16 hours of training,including sessions on the following topics: adding value through canning, drying & preserving herbs, planting calendar, marketing & telling your story, using a walk-behind tractor, greenhouse management, business planning, and beekeeping. One of the key purposes of the NAFC is to further Objective 5: Develop diverse, equitable, and inclusive communities of practice that, in the long-term, foster new business opportunities for BFRs. To this end, three beginning, immigrant producers led sessions during the 2024 NAFC. Furthermore, in their evaluations of the conference, half of the participants completing an evaluation (n=12) indicated that they "[met] someone new that [they] could reach out to for further support or questions regarding [their] farm." In addition, based on completed conference evaluations, each session was valuable and resulted in increased knowledge and awareness. The most commonly requested area for additional information was in business planning and capital/grant acquisition. Progress on Other Support for New American Farmers, including Demonstrations &Technical Assistance (Objectives 3, 5) In year 1, 49hours of technical assistance were provided to apprentices and two demonstrations were hosted, including one at a partnering community farm, Shamba Ya Amani. The outputs in this activity area fall significantly short of the original target for four demonstrations across three community farms and 200 hours of technical assistance provided. There are two primary reasons for this: 1) more time was required by the project team or the launch of the apprenticeship and short courses than originally anticipated, which prevented the project team from hosting more demonstrations; and 2) apprentices are not taking advantage of the technical assistance hours which are being offered. We plan to formally revise the project targets in early 2025 to account for these findings.
Publications
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