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INVESTIGATOR: Urquhart, K.

PERFORMING INSTITUTION:
SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN HIGHLANDS CONSERVANCY
34 WALL ST STE 502
ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA 28801

FARM PATHWAY:INTEGRATING FARMER TRAINING WITH LAND ACCESS

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Farm Pathways is a whole-farm training and innovative land access program for beginning farmers in the Southern Appalachians. Three partners, with guidance from regional farmers, are collaborating to implement the program: Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, Organic Growers School and WNC FarmLink. This project fills the current gaps in regional agricultural services by rebuilding a path to agriculture for the next generation of farmers.Our goal is clear. We want more farmers on the land and a system in which family farms can flourish. Our role is to facilitate training, land access, networking and mentoring systems through the start-up years to ensure that beginning farmers are prepared to start farming, add/change enterprises, or delay farming to increase the likelihood of success.Farm Pathways will accomplish this by providing:1. A structure of comprehensive, holistic, whole-farm educational opportunities for beginning farmers at multiple learning phases; 2. Equitable & Affordable Access to Land; 3. Ongoing Mentorship & Networking; 4. Increased regional leadership and community support of farmers that results from the collective impact and synergy of the team.The outcome will be 1200 beginning farmers who start to farm, enhance their farm plan, improve their farming systems, receive significant training & assistance with production and farm planning, and/or gain access to farmland & support. These methods will increase the success rate of beginning farmers in our region.

OBJECTIVES: The expected goals of Farm Pathways is to increase the number of successful beginning farmers in WNC by offering a trajectory in comprehensive, whole-farm training opportunities and curriculum, farmer-to-farmer networking, and access to farmland. Farm Pathways is providing a seamless process for new, existing, or expanding growers to move from early interest to successful farming or to integrate farming into their lives in a viable way.GOAL 1: A structure of comprehensive, holistic, whole-farm educational opportunities for beginning farmers to plug into at multiple phases on their journey. OBJECTIVES: a. Access to apprenticeships on sustainable farms and farmers trained to become effective mentors/educators to apprentices via OGS Organic Farm Finder - 60 beginning farmers profiled on the site. b. Formal classroom and experiential agricultural education through Farm Beginnings®, a 180+ hour, year- long, training leading to a journeyperson farmer certificate as a regional alternative to a four-year agricultural degree. - 45 beginning farmers graduate from Farm Beginnings® Farmer Training c. Aspiring and beginnings farmers receive practical, on-farm training in basic livestock, forest management, & crop farming practices via 39 OGS CRAFT, 24 SAHC Community Farm workshops & field days, and 24 workshops in a Beginning Farmer Track at OGS's annual spring conference.GOAL 2: Equitable & Affordable access to land OBJECTIVES:a. Increase beginning farmers' knowledge of options for acquiring or leasing land, resulting in 375 receiving assistance and support with negotiating equitable land leases and purchase, access to land on the SAHC Incubator farm or finding affordable farmland under conservation easements via WNCFL and SAHC.b. SAHC facilitates Buy-Protect-Farm plan resulting in 6 farm purchases by philanthropic investors; 6 bargain-purchases of conservation easements that protect farms and provide capital to the landowner to support farming enterprisesd. Establish beginning farmers on up to 6 farms that have been purchased & protected with conservation easements, through partnerships with agricultural agencies via SAHC, and 12 beginning farmers matched with land via WNCFL.GOAL 3: Ongoing Mentorship & Networking OBJECTIVES:a. 65 Beginning farmers are able to connect with an experienced producer mentor/coach for one-on-one technical assistance and consultation during and after the initial start-up years via Farm Beginnings® and OGS Team of Farmer Consultants/Journeyperson program.b. Membership in a farmer-to-farmer network of beginning and established growers to provide groupsupport and one-on-one assistance via CRAFT & Farm Beginnings for 270 apprentice & beginning farmers. c. SAHC provides coaching and technical assistance to 12 beginning farmers leasing land to start farming on the SAHC Incubator Farm.GOAL 4: Increased regional leadership and community support of farmers that result from the collective impact and synergy of the Farm Pathways Collaborative OBJECTIVES:a. The Farm Pathways team increases the region's awareness, advocacy, recognition, and support for farmers, farmer training and the importance of a local farming community.b. The team continues to deepen our understanding of the educational assets of our regional allies in farmer training, partners to provide technical assistance for beginning farmers, is engaged in actively building relationships between sustainable farming organizations, and is taking a leadership role to create a more regional resilience, health, interdependence, and robust farming community.