Item No. 1 of 1

INVESTIGATOR: Abraham, O.

PERFORMING INSTITUTION:
Just Food, Inc.
1155 Avenue of the Americas, Third Floor
New York, NEW YORK 10036

FARM SCHOOL NYC 2016-2019: ENHANCING EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES, RESOURCES, AND SUPPORT FOR BEGINNING URBAN FARMERS

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: In the poorest neighborhoods of New York City, more than 1 in 3 residents live in poverty. Low-income New Yorkers face tremendous challenges in finding fresh, affordable produce. Over the past decade, awareness of the impact food access has on the health of New Yorkers has increased and many more community-based organizations and grassroots groups are working on food access projects in neighborhoods throughout the city. A growing number of organizations, both nonprofit and for profit, are seeking to develop urban farm projects in order to address food access and food security needs in low income, low resource communities. In order to successfully manage and grow for these projects, these organizations are seeking professionally trained and experienced farm managers to run their projects.Farm School NYC offers training opportunities not only to existing agricultural operations and professionals, but for the aspiring urban farmers eager to engage in new ventures within the city limits. Launched in 2011, Farm School NYC will continue to serve this growing need by providing an agricultural training resource for New York City and the surrounding region, particularly for people living or working in the city's poorest areas: more than 50% of our student body are low-resourced. Farm School NYC offers hands-on, comprehensive, professional-level agricultural training for adults led by experienced urban farmers. Certificate students have up to five years to complete 1) 14 core courses comprising 320 hours of in-class instruction, about 60% of which is experiential, on-farm training, 2) 4 of 6 advanced courses offering more in-depth training in specialized skills such as animal husbandry and value-added product production and marketing, 3) a 140-hour, season-long farm apprenticeship, and 4) 40 volunteer hours to support Farm School NYC's work. Farm School NYC also offers many core courses to students not in the Certificate Program on an individual basis.The ultimate goal of Farm School NYC is to train the next generation of farmers for our city and beyond, with a focus on limited resource and socially disadvantaged individuals and communities, and to increase access to healthy, local food in urban communities by supporting the proliferation of urban agriculture projects. Our efforts will help create leaders who will transform our city and its food system, making them healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable for all.

OBJECTIVES: The goals of Farm School NYC are 1) to provide beginning urban farmers with the knowledge and skills to produce food sustainably and develop and manage innovative marketing activities and 2) to improve healthy food access and food security in low-income New York City communities. In order to achieve these goals, the objective of Farm School NYC is to provide high quality learning experiences and support networks for Farm School NYC students and alumni. While the program is open to all New York City gardeners, urban farmers, and other individuals who want to learn about growing food, the program's target audience is low-resource and socially disadvantaged students. The aim is that the student body will represent the full diversity of New York City. In order to achieve this objective, Farm School NYC and partners will pursue the following outcomes:Objective 1: 240-340 students gain knowledge and skills through courses to produce food sustainably and develop and manage innovative marketing activitiesObjective 2: 24-30 students gain more intensive on-farm training and an expedited certificate through the new Advanced Farming Track (AFT) in partnership with The Youth FarmObjective 3: 30-45 students gain in-depth, hands-on experience through 140-hour apprenticeships to produce food sustainably and develop and manage marketing activitiesObjective 4: 35-45 alumni gain additional information, skills, and networking opportunities to support their entry into farmingObjective 5: 60-90 regional farm apprentices and junior farm staff participate in the Northeast's first urban-based Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT) programObjective 6: 21-30 low-resource students complete Farm School NYC certificate program