Enhancing Educational Opportunities for new American farmers in greater Houston, TX

Commodities

Practices

The overall goal of Plant It Forward’s (PIF) proposed project, Enhancing Educational Opportunities for new American farmers in greater Houston, TX, is to expand and strengthen the suite of programming available to beginning immigrant/refugee farmers in the Houston region. Through this work, we aim to increase the number of profitable, environmentally sustainable, and independent small farm businesses serving this major metro area.

The objectives of the project are: 1) Improve food safety and quality control practices on small-scale, refugee operated farms by enhancing the knowledge and skills of new American beginning farmers in food safety, proper produce handling, and pack-house operations; 2) Increase the knowledge and skills of refugee beginning farmers in organic and regenerative agricultural production and in farm business management; and 3 )Prepare beginning farmers to respond and adapt to climate change by providing training related to disaster preparedness and recovery.

To achieve these objectives, the project focuses on three (3) activities: 1) creating a Food Hub Apprenticeship; 2) expanding access to four introductory Short Courses by providing in-person simultaneous interpretation; and 3) introducing a prize as an incentive to farmers for completing a sales & marketing plan as part of PIF’s Marketing Short Course.

Key project outcomes include: participants implement key food safety concepts in their own farming operations; as a result of completing a marketing plan, >50% of participants demonstrate use of one or more of the following behaviors and practices: planting according to a crop plan that is tied directly to named target markets; growing for at least one defined market outside of the Plant It Forward Food Hub; and/or measuring key indicators within a strategic plan to increase sales; and at least 10 participants adopt at a new practice related to sustainable vegetable production, business management, and/or climate adaptation.

PIF is the right organization to advance sustainable and small-scale farming in the greater Houston region because of its past successes operating an introductory Urban Farm Business Course and Incubator Program, its current success operating a year-long Farm Apprentice Program, its strong relationships with both new American and US-born farmers, and its excellent local reputation as a Food Hub and farm service provider.

Achieving the overall project goal will result in a more resilient and equitable food and farming system in the Houston region. Specifically, the project is expected to result in following long-term impacts for regional agriculture:

1. Increased diversity of farmers;
2. Increased viability of small, family operated farming businesses; and
3. Increased health of farmed land and capacity of farmers to respond to increasingly frequent environmental disasters. 

Objective 1: Improve food safety and quality control practices on refugee operated farms by enhancing the knowledge and skills of targeted producers in food safety, proper produce handling, and pack-house operations. 

Objective 2: Increase the knowledge and skills of refugee beginning farmers in organic and regenerative agricultural production and in farm business management. This will be achieved by A) providing interpretation services during the following four short courses:  1) Introduction to Business Planning, 2) Sustainable Farm Design, 3) Farmland Access, 4) Disaster Preparedness; and B) piloting use of an incentive to encourage farmers to complete a marketing plan.

Objective 3. Prepare beginning farmers to respond and adapt to climate change by providing training related to disaster preparedness and recovery.