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INVESTIGATOR: Leipler, E.

PERFORMING INSTITUTION:
PROVIDENCE FARM COLLECTIVE CORP.
502 JEWETT HOLMWOOD RD
EAST AURORA, NEW YORK 140522149

GROWING TOMORROWÂS FARMERS: BEGINNING FARMER TRAINING AND FARMLAND ACCESS FOR SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED POPULATIONS

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: PFC's Growing Tomorrow's Farmers project addresses intractable issues of fresh food access, farmland access, and access to agricultural and small business education for low resource individuals in the Western New York region. With farming and business mentorship and hands-on training and technical assistance, beginning and aspiring farmers will acquire skills and competencies essential for sustainable crop production and small farm business management to ensure success. Both quantitative and qualitative data will be collected throughout the 3-years of this project and will take the form of surveys and interviews (presented in each participant's native language) assessing participants'workshop skills acquisition;quality of life improvements such as improved access to culturally relevant foods and improved mental health and well-being; farmer's vegetable yields from years 1 through 3; farmer's sales and earnings records from years 1 through 3. Through the provision of free farmland and farming education to low-resource populations, PFC hopes to build a more inclusive and equitable food system in Western New York. This project will help otherwise land-less farmers gain a foothold in the local food system, develop farm businesses for supplemental income, increase culturally relevant fresh food access for their communitiesand ultimately, experience an improved quality of life for themselves and their families.

OBJECTIVES: Increase access to prepared farmland for beginning and aspiring farmers:1. Provide a minimum of 6 acres of plowed, amended, and fenced farmland annually to be divided among participating farmers.Through workshops and technical assistance, increase beginning farmers' knowledge of production and business techniques:1. Train farmers on sustainable crop production techniques through CCE/PFC workshops, field training, and 1-on-1 technical assistance;2. Educate farmers on launching and managing a small farm business through WEDI workshops and mentorship.Grow farmers' success through increased profitability and productivity in each subsequent year of training:1. Assist farmers in improving the profitability of their farm operations through collaborations with WEDI and BGG;2. Assist farmers in improving productivity of their farm through collaboration with CCE.