Communities of Practice and Farmer Led Training for Increased Sustainability of Refugee & Immigrant Farms in the North Central Region

The primary activities of this project are to conduct annual cover crop and water conservation demonstrations with farmers as mentors and develop a regional community of practice made up of other farm programs to develop a regional network for refugee & immigrant farmers that come through Lutheran Services of Iowa Refugee & Immigrant Services' Global Greens program. This was accomplished through peer mentoring, a regional community of practice and training on sustainable agriculture with development of virtual training co-led by graduate farmers. The beneficiaries are refugees and immigrants from multiple countries. The program will enhance education and service delivery to similar programs participants.

Here is a report of our results against project objectives, outcomes and activities over the entire project.

Objective 1.  Farmer led training on sustainability to improve land for on-going profitability with the goal of 30 farmers using practices that increase production and demonstrate increased knowledge of sustainability practices for greater production.

Final Activities and Results:

By the end of the project, over 15 farm families were implementing both a soil/cover crop and water management practice of this project, and 29 farmers were adopting practices and demonstrated increase knowledge. As mentioned above, LSI coordinated with partners to plan the annual cover crop education strategy and cover crop demonstration and education began in March and ended in October year season.  LSI purchased most of the cover crop seed from local producer, Iowa Cover Crop.   There were typically 2 demonstrations each year, one started in March and terminated in June and another started in July and terminated in October to showcase different varieties and results in different seasons.  Farmers were provided cover crop orientation early in the season and given cover crops seeds for the spring planting that included oats and peas followed by crops like winter squash, mid-season planting of buckwheat and clover following a short spring crop and then followed by a late season planting of lettuce, radish, etc.; and a rye/vetch mix planted in the fall that comes back the next year which we can strip till or follow with transplants of tomatoes or eggplants.  These three strategies offered simple cover crops solutions to farmers with results that were practically observable and will be continued when they move to larger lands. When we initially started the project, we felt that the small-scale farmers on the incubator farm would be less likely to adopt the practices than graduates farming on a larger scale, as it would be harder to see the benefits and adopt them. However, farmers at the incubator observed a dramatic increase in production and less loss of soil from runoff in the rainy periods due to use of these practices in the last two seasons.  Now all farmers that have observed the results the last two seasons are requesting cover crop seeds and continue to implement these practices.   Graduate farmers were primarily very busy preparing their land as many had recently graduated due to identification of viable land sites outside of Global Greens.  However, cover crop starter kits were offered to graduate farmers and over 5 graduate farming families decided to implement it with more requesting it in the coming season.  The cover crop kits included 40 pounds of seed and a trash bin, as well as being lent a spreader and given the Johnny's seed cover crop comparison chart and provision of an orientation on the chart.  The main areas that farmers expressed that they observed and were very happy with related to cover crops was the significant yield increase even on the small land size and that the soil and plant quality was much better.  Specifically, they had less soil runoff.   They also noticed that the cover crops kept the weeds down and required less labor when preparing their land. Farmers that observed these changes and heard about it from their neighbors at the training farm all have started or plan to start the same.   LSI also implemented a cover crop demonstration on the farm which started with tarping an empty tract of land to remove the thistle, which is a very big issue at the training farm.  At the end of the summer, when LSI staff, volunteers and farmers removed the tarp together, all were very interested in how the heat under the tarp had destroyed all the thistle naturally.  This plot is now planted with cover crops before a new farm or farmers or provided with this land to farm.  LSI also conducted one demonstration with cover crops in a community garden space that was not being used.  Buckwheat was planted in this plot and gardeners who are aspiring farmers, also observed how it kept weeds down and the land and soil healthy.  A new gardening family will also benefit from the soil health of this plot when it is used for production again.  Farmers realize through observation and using cover crops that they also do more for their land than fertilizers.  There is now demand among all farmers for cover crops, where there was no interest before.  New farmers to the training farm may still need to be convinced and on-going practical demonstrations will be very useful. Some on-going questions is how to help farmers continue to budget to buy their own cover crop seed in the coming years.   Besides the 29 farmers that have learned about and realized the benefits of utilizing cover crops, 32 farmers have been trained on cover crops and 161 underserved farmers from the LSI Global Greens program and other programs came on a farm visit or received knowledge/education on cover crops. 

Objective 2. Regional community of practice (COP) that connects R&I farms and farmers including a COP with 5 R&I farms established that increases resources and peer networks among farmers.  As a result, resources are shared to strengthen programs that serve R&Is and improve farmer connectivity.

Activities and Results over the project:

In Year 1 the project identified partners and met quarterly, starting by creating a “charter” for the group based upon shared desires and strength.  We identified the desire of our program staff and farmers to meet more often and see each others’ farms. Cultivate KC and LSI ended up attending all meetings and were able to keep consistent communication even as other core groups had turnover with staff who participated in the COP. The Community Crops in Lincoln, Nebraska and Matthew 25 in Northeast Iowa were 2 other core group members.   These conversations in year 1 culminated in Sept. 2022 with a large gathering at GG incubator farm of 108 people- 45 of which were historically disadvantaged farmers from regional programs.

The strength and support our regional groups have had with each other over the course of this project has been inspiring and beneficial.  Despite challenges and a few missed quarterly meetings, the convenings and gatherings with partners and farmers we had in person and virtually directly led to an improvement in regional and local connections between COP partner staff and Program farmers/participants.   Besides, the core group of the 3 regional COP members, many new programs started and expanded here in Iowa, including in Earlham, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, and Iowa City, Iowa, that LSI consulted with on a regular basis to help start up their incubator farm operations and also provided joint education outside of quarterly meetings.  We also support, connect, and contribute to a wide range of partners at the city level – from the 240 garden families at 20 partner garden sites we connect to land around Des Moines, to Iowa Food System Coalition, and work with the City of Des Moines’ ADAPT DSM climate plan.   

Quarterly meetings and other outreach activities directly improved programming as we explored themes of challenges like land and market access and jointly discussed regionally similar solutions related to barriers of entry to farming.  The shared work (especially of) Cultivate KC, our primary COP partner, and LSI Global Greens in other SARE, BFRDP, and 2501 projects to create educational materials enhanced what we have to offer each other for program and farmer educational resources and informed (and will continue to inform) how we support newer programs and a wider range of farmers who are not currently in our network.    

Though the SARE NC regional COP for educational farm programs across the region will not have ongoing funding specifically from this project, it will continue in various forms like peer to peer visits (one farmer peer visit planned for summer of 2025 in Kansas City), annual visits to Emerging Farmer Conference in MN where program staff and farmers can re-convene, on a national level through FIELD School and in ISED BFRDP ET grant focused on training trainers in incubator farm programs, in Iowa through two Land Market Capital grants with Iowa Valley RC&D and Sustainable Iowa Land Trust (LSI is subgrantee), and in our own local cities.  LSI and other programs and farmers found great value in convening and visiting the other regional COP members.  We hope to continue COP activities regionally and locally in order to catalyze best practices in Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education. Another way this effort is becoming sustainable beyond the project is that the FIELD School, a larger national incubator farm COP directed by Jennifer Hashley is beginning to offer monthly networking calls on specific topics relevant to incubator farms. LSI presented work on Group Land Access at this national group as well as on other topics.  We continue to join these calls, even after the SARE project ended, and have smaller regional meetings. Overall, relationships with other regional and local partners has strengthened as a result of this work.

Some of the materials worked on by the COP are shown below, though not all were created specifically for this project, the convening of the COP that this project supported, assisted in ensuring that the team worked together to come up with the relevant materials for the region, shown below, and which were shared with the newer farm programs.   For now these are shared in the below folders while a web based platform is in the final stages of being developed through a partnership with ISED Solutions/Tufts.

https://isedsolutionsvault.app.box.com/s/s2y9jllbr1nwkgvw8olqtqi0rfx6bg3i  

https://isedsolutionsvault.app.box.com/s/yqusyb9ajtfywg7mhlfjeani9k2kbh0o/folder/298785899245  

https://isedsolutionsvault.app.box.com/s/6vsbr0v8c3oilbni8djdb9ym138gkk5l  

We were able to reconnect in October of 2023 with staff from Minnesota, NE, KC, and Illinois at the Field School Conference in Kansas City.  At this conference, LSI presented findings from our SARE grant related to Cover Crop and Water management to 15 incubator program staff from around the country. The presentation was designed to be participatory and we had robust discussion on best practices.    

At the conference, we convened to make plans for connecting in person with farmers since this is what we identified as the largest value of this group is.  COP meetings held in spring and early summer were focused on details of the field day that we held July 21 and 22 on our new 13 acre community farm.  Meetings focused on ensuring proper hospitality for farmers and farm program staff, identifying the desired learning need of farmers from their programs, and to make sure as many core group members could attend.   

A few other highlights of the work include:

• LSI presented finding from our Cover Crop and Water Management work to peers at the Great Plains Conference in St Jospeh, MO.  This was a similar presentation of cover crops on small plots that also incorporated sharing of best practices of pedagogy and participatory education in January 2024.    
• On July 21, 2022 GG Field Days 85 attendees, COP member attendance from Lincoln, NE, Kansas City, MO, Waterloo, IA and Black Hawk County Garden and INcubator Farm, Center For Rural Affairs, Practical Farmers of Iowa, Sustainable Iowa Land Trust, In Harmony Farms, Iowa City Compassion, Iowa Valley RCD, NRCS, FSA, Iowa State University.
• LSI had in person cross visits from 7 programs in the region during the year including members of the COP and from Omaha Nebraska and Waterloo, Iowa to provide a tour and share best practices as well as meet and talk to farmers.  These groups brought farmers with them to learn and interact with other farmers.  Altogether 30 historically disadvantaged farmers visited the Global Greens farm from other incubator training programs in the year.  

Objective 3. Peer mentorship to accelerate sustainability so that 30 farmers utilize learning from peers resulting in greater achievement of farm goals and increase knowledge of practices listed in their goals.

Activities and Results through the end of the Project:

By the end, advanced and graduate farmers provide at least 2 trainings or consultations per year to help beginning farmers achieve their goals, inclusive of over 30 farmers.  Specific to the practices this program promoted, 15 farmers at the Global Greens training or incubator farm lead the demonstrations on cover crops and 5 off-site graduate farmers also received seed and were helped to plant seed to grow and promote practices.  These farmers frequently interacted and shared the practices in the field with their neighbors at the incubator farm or at their graduate sites, such as In Harmony Farm.  The practical viewing and observation of the results has been the most powerful part of the program and has resulted in all current farmers at the training farm desiring to continue these practices, as well as those that have graduated. 

We identified 5 of the advanced farmers as “Cover Crop Ambassadors” at Global Greens Incubator Farm that we spend more time meeting 1-1 than other farmers. After an initial cover crop and soil health class each March, these farm leaders have been instrumental in identifying and implementing best practices that work for small scale farmers which other farmers at the farm can observe, learn from and replicate, including cover crops, as mentioned above.  These farmers were available to teach at field days and are all continuing implementing cover crops at Global Greens farm on ¼ acre plots.  

LSI also supported the Burundians Iowans Association (BIA) whose members include the 5 GG graduate farmers that moved to In Harmony to obtain a grant for a tractor they will purchase to manage their land for the 2023 season. The purpose of the tractor is for their own use as well as to share with other farmers and teach and mentor on its use as a community project.   BIA supported more than 10 individuals to learn more about farming , including make supply orders, and others with equipment they have.  These supplies and equipment include items needed for cover crop demonstrations and implementation.

Through the first two seasons of the project we have seen that advanced farmer, even at the training farm on smaller plots, have observed and realized dramatic benefits of using cover crops, including soil health and significantly increased production levels that were visibly observable and translated to increased produce to market.  The advanced and graduate farmers shared these their results with others, and the other farmers on the farm observing and learning from farmers as they implemented the crops, now all have elected to adopt the same.  The goal now is to facilitate the adoption for farmers that recently joined the training farm last season and will join this season.  Farmer sharing and coaching was the greatest catalyst to other farmers adopting the practices of this project.

The end result of graduate farmers setting up on new land and helping other farmers that had graduated from the training farm and were in their first year was that all successfully transitioned their farmers and had a good market season, and sales and revenue increased each year.  The leap of going from 1/2 acres to 1 and most cases 2-3 acres, was not an easy one for the newly graduated farmers.  

More specifically, Global Greens hosted a Field day at Global Greens Farm on September 25, 2022, in partnership with Practical Farmers of Iowa and the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). The field day was focused on cover crops and growing culturally relevant crops. Two farm businesses that participated in the incubator program gave tours of their farms and shared their experiences of learning about cover crops that work well in Iowa. Jennie Erwin, the Farm Management Specialist at Global Greens, also shared about how cover crops are integrated into the land management plan at the Global Greens incubator farm. The Natural Resource Conservation Service brought their soil health truck and gave all attendees a soil demonstration. 108 people attended the event. Attendees included beginning farmers, aspiring farmers and the general public. We also hosted several other tours to mixed groups of farmers and agricultural professionals on the farm who were interested in a wide range of topics.  GG farmers taught peers about drip tape, mulch, and cover crops.  GG staff taught agricultural/program professionals about running an incubator farm.  LSI had similar events in each year of the project where advanced farmers presented about their successes with cover crops on the training farm and graduates shared about their successes on larger sites for newer farmers and offered their assistance outside of the field days.  

New farmers learn from graduate farmers everything from production to best record keeping practices, and practical farm operations tips.  Graduates and advanced farmers also often volunteer their time to support a newer farmer in obtaining supplies or other inputs they need when they are just starting out and are not able or aware of how  to procure them. 

Farmer Esta shared about cover crops and how she uses small scale equipment like the BCS handheld mower and tiller to manage her ¼ acre farm on at one graduate farm tour. GG staff members Jennie and Zac shared how to use the equipment needed to evenly spread the cover crop seeds, shared the handout with 3 different easy seasonal cover crops that small scale producers can use. 

Farmers had a chance in both Valley and Granger to learn three basic cover crop seeds and try the seeding equipment.  In Granger, attendees planted a Rye Cover Crop in a fallow area in Esta’s new farm.   

In July of 2024 LSI held a field day at the newly rented 13 acre farm in Granger, IA a collaboration between Practical Farmers of Iowa and LSI for graduate farmers, where farmers shared best practices on sustainable agriculture with other Global Greens farmers and farmers from across the region that visited with members of the Community of Practice and a farmer named shared how she uses buckwheat to attract pollinators and suppress weeds before her fall planted crops.  

In addition in October of 2024 at the Fall Harvest Party at Valley Community Center, where the incubator farm is located many aspiring farmers that are now in garden plots attended the farm tour and learned about compost, cover crops, and drip tape from Global Greens Farmers.

Additional outputs included:

A written report or case study on the lessons learned and best practices developed through work of this grant and demonstrations. 

LSI created a new comprehensive toolkit for farmers and farmer orientation which we hope can become the standard for incubator farms.  We combine years of experiential education with curriculum development and current University information, with learning and teaching best practices.  The program toolkit touches on all aspects of sustainable production, from markets and finances, to soft “life” skills, and farm management and conservation- laying out different levels and classes that a Global Greens farmer is supported to set goals on as they go through our program.  LSI Global Greens used general collaboration standards and best practices found through our co-working on resource development to create this material, and many of the hundreds of other materials created with our regional and national partners help support farmers on their journeys to farming success.   In practice, LSI Global Greens couples this guide with assistance from staff to help them navigate the program internally and find resources externally that they can connect to even after graduation.   

SARE has been an important part in being able to develop this guide, and we did our best to incorporate the latest conservation production information, so that farmers can make more money in economically sustainable careers, while also improving our communities and society with healthier food and more beautifully diverse farms.    

Members of at least 5 peer organizations and 8 LSI GG farmers attended the 2023 Emerging Farmers Conference. 

The first year of this project, the Emerging Farmers Conference was held virtually due to the ongoing impact of the COVID pandemic.  In 2023, LS attended the Emerging Farmers Conference with over 8 Global Greens farmers and two staff members of partner organization Iowa Valley RC&D.  This year we had a table for the first time where we shared resources created through the project which were of interest to many farmers.  LSI's multilingual staff joined, Firmin Ntakimazi, who was also able to help interpret the conference in the languages that the majority of farmers speak.

In the late fall of 2024, LSI attended the Emerging Farmers Conference again with several farmers.  Though peer organizations attended both years, the organizations opted to attend on their own and meet at the conference.  LSI Global Greens farmer Esta Minani co-presented during the Soil Health and Cover Crops workshop to over 50 farmers on cover crops and on her success on her new farm.  We helped curate this session and brought in Stephanie McClain from NRCS in Minnesota, Adria from University of Minnesota, and Tiffany LaShae from Soul Fire Farm.  We had found that GG farmers really liked the demonstration that Mike Henderson from NRCS had completed on soil health and cover crops in the table top demonstration.  Also, farmers learned a slump method to determine soil health from a professor at the University of MN.   

During the 2024 Emerging Farmers Conference, LSI staff and farmers also took advantage of the opportunity to visit other organizations and farms in the area. The farmers with staff attended an AGAPA- African Grower and Producer Alliance meeting at a local MN restaurant.  LSI helped to cover part of the cost of the meal. Each of the 32 farmers at the event shared their own farm journey, how important the land is to their family to be able to grow healthy foods, to reconnect with heritage and pass it along to their kids.  There are a few groups who have had success in getting land, like a farmer named Moses (chair of AGAPA and Director of Kilimo Incubator Farm in Cambridge, MN) and the Providence Farm Collective who shared their success in securing land they own.  The lessons gained in this session are invaluable because they have been able to get land and shared reinforcing anecdotes on practices we teach related to sustainable soil health, accurate record keeping, and diverse markets.  We really want to host or find ways to sponsor peer groups like these who echo the classroom trainings and combine them with practical application and successful outcomes into the future and these relationships with continue and be built upon.