UHSTL Apprenticeship+ Mutual Support Network

Commodities

Practices

• Crop Production: continuous cropping, cover crops, crop rotation, fertilizers, foliar feeding, greenhouses, high tunnels or hoop houses, intercropping, irrigation, multiple cropping, no-till, nutrient management, organic fertilizers, pollinator habitat, seed saving
• Education and Training: demonstration, farmer to farmer, mentoring, networking, workshop, Apprenticeship
• Farm Business Management: apprentice/intern training
• Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity, soil stabilization
• Pest Management: integrated pest management, mulches - general
• Production Systems: holistic management, organic agriculture
• Soil Management: composting, earthworms, organic matter
• Sustainable Communities: community development, ethnic differences/cultural and demographic change, food access and security, food hubs, food loss and waste recovery/reduction, food sovereignty, local and regional food systems, partnerships, quality of life, social capital, social networks, sustainability measures, urban agriculture

UHSTL seeks to provide continuing support and education to farmers in St. Louis in an effort to build capacity for the local consumers to improve the local food system. According to Feeding America, 15.9% of St. Louisans (30.9% of children) were food insecure in 2022. Of those who are food insecure, Black families are 6 times more likely to receive food stamps than white households. 45% of families who face hunger do not meet the income requirements for SNAP benefits, telling us food supply does not only correlate with poverty. 

The problem extends well beyond the grocery store. The USDA acknowledges in RBS Research Report #194 that until recently, they had a history of not providing loans to all growers. Today, Farmers make up less than 2% of the American population, and only a small portion of farmland grows food for human consumption. Equipping St. Louis with the knowledge and resources to rehabilitate the food system will not only build greater access to healthy supply of food in neighborhoods but will also build stronger and healthier populations. 

UHSTL’s educational programs teach beginning farmers the skills they need to grow their own food. The programs are designed to reduce the barriers that new farmers face, making food system rehabilitation more possible in St. Louis. UHSTL facilitates two adult education programs throughout the season, the Apprenticeship and the Farmer in Training (FIT) programs, which support the work happening on their 6 farms. As a result of their programming, in 2024, UHSTL grew over 5,000 pounds of produce and donated roughly 98% to local residents. Program participants may take home produce throughout the duration of the program to increase their immediate food supply. 

In addition to teaching farmers how to grow their own food in order to improve their food supply and strengthen the food system, UHSTL teaches farmers NRCS approved conservation methods that strengthen the local landscape. A core principle of UHSTL’s programming is to emphasize the importance of a healthy place in order to grow healthy food. Half of UHSTL’s farms have contracted with NRCS to improve soil health, reduce runoff, improve local habitat restoration, and rehabilitate former brownfield sites. UHSTL not only teaches these methods hands-on, they also connect program participants with the local NRCS offices so that they may utilize these methods in their local neighborhoods, expanding the impact of conservation across St. Louis. 

After years of successful programming, UHSTL has received feedback from participants that they wish to remain connected after graduating from the programs. Though the programs are designed to foster a network of practice, there is no current official framework for maintaining engagement with other program participants, partners, and UHSTL. The Apprenticeship+ program will provide a foundation for interested alumni to develop their own self-sustaining mutual support network. This network would facilitate resource and information sharing, opportunities to help each other with projects, seed/plant swaps, etc. To support this network, UHSTL will provide workshops on topics identified by the network, provide a tool share for group work days, and provide training to group members that would like to host their own work day.

UHSTL’s Apprenticeship and FIT programs are designed to be successional with the ability to opt in to the Apprenticeship+ at any time. The goal of the Apprenticeship+ network of new growers will be to establish and support their own farms. The first few years of farm establishment are the most costly and labor intensive with the smallest yields. To help beginning farmers overcome this barrier, UHSTL will provide educational opportunities, farm planning support, donated farming materials, funding for qualifying participants, and the training necessary to host guests for a workday.

UHSTL’s target demographic is beginning farmers. The core participating members of the Apprenticeship+ program, pulled from prior program participants, will recruit participants from their own neighborhoods. 

UHSTL found that compensating the Apprenticeship and the FIT programs led to an increase in participation by the target areas. In order to encourage participation in the Apprenticeship+, UHSTL will invite those who attend at least 3 educational workshops to apply for funding in the amount of $150 to jump start a new project or to expand an existing project. If a participant would like to host a collaborative workday at their farm, UHSTL will provide them with the training necessary to do so safely.