Progress report for LNE25-485
Project Information
Acres4Change was born out of the nationwide movement catalyzed by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Our mission is to expand access and ownership of farmland for urban farmers. We expand access through our Stewardship Program and its educational hub: Charm City Caps Mushroom Farm at Green Street Academy. This farm isn't just aspace for learning; it's a working farm generating revenue that supports the purchase and management of urban farm collectives in Baltimore.
Our work is rooted in coalition-building. Our partner network has offered valuable insights into opportunity gaps, specifically land access and ownership, faced by their training program graduates and the Baltimore farming community. Our urban farm partners have highlighted a critical gap in their beginner farmer training programs: many farmers were graduating with valuable skills but had no access to land to apply what they learned. For example, despite a decade of nourishing their community, Cherry Hill Urban Community Garden was displaced due to a lack of landownership and long-term security. The Baltimore farming community and A4C are breaking down the barriers to land access and ownership while providing in-house and partner-led agriculture and farm business training. We're not reinventing the wheel; instead, we'rebuilding on our track record of connecting existing agriculture communities with resource opportunities.
Solution and Approach:
A4C supports beginning and experienced farmers through its Stewardship Program, offering hands-on agricultural and business training in collaboration with partners like Innovation Works Baltimore, Wellspring Forest Farm, Farm Alliance of Baltimore,Future Harvest, and others. We enrich new farmer training programs by providing land access and ownership opportunities for their graduates. With these partnerships, we're able to offer tailored programming that equips farmers with essential skills and, most importantly, the chance to attain ownership of farmland and build generational wealth. Our education and demonstration mushroom farm Charm City Caps at Green Street Academy serves as a practical,working business model, allowing Stewards to apply their business and marketing skills while generating revenue through mushroom sales to local restaurants and farmers markets. We're committed to helping farmers of color succeed and build financial equity through land ownership. In October of 2024, we purchased our first parcel of land and established Sankofa Homestead Farm Collective for our inaugural cohort of Stewards, setting the stage for future cohorts of farmers to replicate in Maryland and beyond.
By the end of the 3-year project, 15 farmer stewards will collectively produce approximately 5 tons of mushrooms to finance the establishment of three urban farm collectives, engage indirect-to-consumer sales, and achieve positive gross margins. The Stewardship Program and educational mushroom farm operation will generate estimated economic returns of $60,000 annually and provide a scalable model for sustainable urban farming and collective landownership beyond the initial geographic focus area.
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Cooperators
- (Educator)
- (Educator)
Research
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Education
The Stewardship Program uses a hands-on, cohort-based learning model that combines classroom instruction, field-based training, peer learning, and mentorship. Education is delivered through weekly Steward meetings, on-site instruction at the Charm City Caps demonstration farm, off-site partner trainings, and virtual workshops. Stewards learn collaboratively and apply skills immediately through farm work, business planning exercises, and community-based activities.
Instruction is provided by Acres4Change staff, the Charm City Caps Farm Manager, and partner organizations, with recorded workshops and shared curriculum resources available to support continued learning. Training topics include mushroom cultivation, crop production, composting, drip irrigation, business planning, land access, and cooperative farm management.
The educational model is adaptive and responsive to Steward feedback. Based on evaluation findings from the pilot cohort, program delivery continues to emphasize immersive, on-site instruction at Acres4Change’s facilities to improve access to instructors, resources, and hands-on practice. Regular evaluations and feedback sessions inform ongoing curriculum refinement throughout the program year.
Milestones
The following milestones capture progress towards Learning, Engagement, and Evaluation milestones across multiple cohorts of Stewards. Performance Target objectives of Stewards are assessed both by cohort and cumulatively.
- Engagement: Steward, Mentor, and Partner Recruitment. 15 Stewards recruited from local communities for one-year, part-time commitment. At least 10 mentors and 3 curricular partners recruited to train and support Stewards. Steward recruitment completed by April 2025, partner recruitment completed, with curricular partners committed by April 2025 and mentor recruitment completed by August 2025.
Status: In progress
Accomplishments: Fifteen candidates were recruited and interviewed; five were selected and onboarded for the first program year. Four Stewards are currently enrolled and on track to graduate in April 2026. Each Steward is paired with an individual mentor through Innovation Works Baltimore and supported by two group mentors — one from Innovation Works Baltimore and one from the Baltimore Roundtable for Economic Democracy (BRED). Additional mentoring and instruction has been provided by guest facilitators from the Persimmon Collective, Black Yield Institute, Farm Alliance of Baltimore, and three Acres4Change board members.
- Learning: Agricultural Education. 15 Stewards have received orientation and agricultural education and training in fungiculture, mycoculture, and sustainable agricultural practices including urban farm planning and design, spent mushroom composting, and on-farm energy efficiency offered by program partners and program coordinator Makayla Alicea. Training includes on-farm site improvements at the demonstration site. Stewards attain minimum acceptable competency in above-listed skills by May 2026, 2027, and 2028.
Status: In progress
Accomplishments: Five Stewards have completed foundational training and workshops in indoor mushroom cultivation (fungiculture and mycoculture), composting, soil health, farm business planning, and land ownership. Trainings have been delivered through a combination of classroom instruction, on-farm activities, and partner-led workshops.
- Community Engagement: Knowledge Exchange Visits. 15 Stewards will visit local farms for peer-to-peer learning and knowledge exchange. These visits will allow Stewards to observe diverse farming practices and share their own experiences. Evaluation will be based on post-visit reflection sessions and reports from Stewards on how they will integrate new practices into their own farming plans. October 2025, August 2026, September 2007
Status: In-Progress
Accomplishments: From September through November 2025, Stewards participated in weekly peer-to-peer learning and knowledge exchange at Whitelock Community Farm, Green Street Academy Farm, Farm Alliance of Baltimore Monthly member meetings and workshops: Lean Start-Up Plan Parts I & II, Fundamentals of Soil Health, First Aid for Farmers, Coppin State University Black Farmers Conference GSA/A4C Farm Tour, Filbert Street Garden Mushroom Workshop, Fall Community Day at the Black Butterfly Farm to name a few.
- Learning: Expansion of Charm City Caps operations. Acres4Change personnel, Stewards, and volunteers will learn the inoculation process and expand the mushroom farm operation from a fruiting room to a full-scale inoculation chamber and fruiting room cutting down production cost from $12 per block to $4. August 2025, 2026, 2027
Status: In progress
Accomplishments: In October 2025, Acres4Change purchased a new trailer to serve as a dedicated inoculation chamber adjacent to the existing fruiting room at Green Street Academy. Stewards and volunteers will lead the winter retrofit process and complete hands-on training in mushroom inoculation and block production.
- Learning: Mushroom Block Composting and Regenerative Farming. 15 Stewards will learn to convert spent mushroom blocks into nutrient-rich compost, enhancing their skills in regenerative farming and soil health. This compost will be sold to local partner farms in Baltimore, supporting a circular economy and improving soil quality. Funded by the Earth Rising Foundation, the project will be completed by May 2026. Evaluation will be based on compost sales and feedback from partner farms, reflecting the Stewards' proficiency in sustainable agricultural practices.
Status: In-porgress
Accomplishments: During summer 2025, five Stewards worked with former Steward Yamin to construct three mushroom compost bins. To date, approximately 200 pounds of spent mushroom substrate have been successfully incorporated into the compost system through the pilot project. Expanded compost production and 1–2 Steward workshops are scheduled for spring and summer 2026.
- Learning: Business Management, Marketing, and Sales through Charm City Caps. 15 Stewards will gain practical experience in business management, marketing, and sales by running Charm City Caps, A4C's mushroom farming business. They generate approximately $33K annually in revenue through mushroom sales and workshops on the health benefits of mushrooms, engaging over 120 farmers, gardeners, and community members from the Farm Alliance of Baltimore network. Evaluation will be based on sales performance, workshop attendance, and feedback, demonstrating growth in business skills and community outreach. December 2025, 2026, 2027
Status: In-progress
Accomplishments: Stewards have gained hands-on experience with sales and marketing by assisting with management of the grow facility–Charm City Caps, supporting sales at Waverley Farmers Markets, Farm Alliance of Baltimore marketing meetings, Baltimore City Mushroom Festival, and Filbert Street Garden workshops. Production was temporarily paused due to supplier quality issues and the development of a new AirTable-based digital record-keeping system. The new system, launching spring 2026, will track yields, harvests, sales, and spoilage and support the transition to in-house bag production.
- Engagement: 15 Participating Stewards, Acres4Change staff and volunteers, and partner organizations and mentors conduct community outreach, engagement, and service on topics related to healthy food access and awareness, community and economic development and land sovereignty, healthy lifestyles and mental health. At least 15 events conducted with community partners from the demonstration site by February 2028.
Status: In-progress
Accomplishments: Since March 2025, Stewards and staff have conducted community outreach and education through tabling events and workshops, including programming at Filbert Street Garden, Baltimore City Mushroom Festival and Waverley Farmers’ Market. Stewards will host an Agricultural Expo in April 2026 to share knowledge on food access, food sovereignty, and healthy lifestyles with community members.
- Learning: Land Acquisition and Transfer. Stewards learn the fundamentals of real estate and setting up a cooperative/collective farm business from our board member Kysha Merrit and consultants, OurSpace World and Baltimore Roundtable (BRED). 1-5 acres of Land acquired by Stewards through 50% of Steward Stipends saved, earned revenue generated by Charm CIty Caps, paid workshops run by Stewards, donations and capital contributions received. Deed transfers completed within 5 years of program completion. March 2026, 2027, 2028
Status: In-progress
Accomplishments: Land Committee Chair and board member Kysha Merritt has met with Stewards to assess individual project goals and land ownership interests. She will lead land acquisition and management workshops in January and February 2026. BRED and Innovation Works Baltimore have delivered nine workshops on cooperative structures and lean business planning. Fundraising will begin in winter 2026, with land acquisition efforts launching following graduation.
- Learning: Cooperative and Collective Farm Models. 15 Stewards will learn the differences between cooperative and collective business models, focusing on governance, decision-making, and shared financial management. They will evaluate both models to determine which is best suited for their farm businesses. By October 2026, 2027 and 2028, Stewards will develop draft governance structures for their chosen model. Evaluation will include reviewing completed bylaws and organizational plans and assessing the Stewards' understanding of collective business principles through group discussions and feedback sessions.
Status: In-progress
Accomplishments: Stewards are actively working with BRED and Innovation Works Baltimore on cooperative and collective business model development, with ongoing instruction in governance, shared decision-making, and financial management.
- Evaluation: Business Planning and Launch. 15 Stewards receive business and financial planning from partner organizations and mentors. Stewards finalize farm-level business plans for each of the subsidiary farm-based businesses, including commercial viability metrics: unit economics and farm-level breakeven, input financing, market analysis, cooperative management, and revenue projections. Farm-level business plans completed by February 2026, 2027, and 2028. Full curriculum completed and 5 small farms launched at the end of each year May 2026, May 2027, and May 2028
Status: In-progress
Accomplishments: The current cohort is developing lean startup business plans. Following consultations with Innovation Works Baltimore, this framework was selected as the most appropriate planning model at this stage of program development.
- Evaluation: Acres4Change project personnel will conduct post-implementation monitoring of farm performance. Participating Stewards and mentors will support curricular development for new Stewards recruited each year with project activities ongoing beyond the scope of the proposed activities. March 2026, 2027, 2028
Status: Ongoing
Accomplishments:
Mid-program evaluations with all Stewards have been completed. End-of-program evaluation and curriculum refinement will occur in May–June 2026. Acres4Change project personnel will continue post-implementation monitoring of farm performance, with Stewards and mentors contributing to ongoing curriculum development for future cohorts. Evaluation activities will continue annually in March 2026, 2027, and 2028. As part of mid-program evaluations, one-on-one feedback sessions were completed with all current Stewards. Stewards highlighted key strengths of the program, including consistent learning opportunities, expanded professional networks, the program’s unique design, tangible outcomes, strong organizational support, and community building. Areas for improvement identified included internal communication, curriculum flow, clarity of fundraising expectations, and stronger engagement between Stewards and the Board.
In response, Acres4Change has strengthened communications through regular updates, improved curriculum organization and scheduling, increased in-person and team-building activities, expanded business and land acquisition training, and aligned fundraising strategies with program priorities. These adjustments are strengthening program cohesion, accountability, and overall impact.
- Evaluation: Project Advisory Committee assists with program evaluation, with performance monitoring delegated to Acres4Change staff. Performance monitoring ongoing through project activities with the final project report completed by November 2026, 2027, and 2028.
Status: In-progress
Accomplishments: The Project Advisory Committee remains highly engaged in ongoing program monitoring, providing guidance through quarterly meetings and individual consultations with staff and Stewards.