Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** theoverarching goal of…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** theoverarching goal of thiscooperative agreement between USDA and world farmers is to support socially disadvantaged farmers and other economically distressed and underserved farmers and their communities, by connecting immigrant and refugee farmers in the northeast with the tools, trainings, and services needed to support their farmer businesses; supporting farmers through financial and tax literacy; market planning for cultural crops; expanding understanding and representation of cultural crops by working with the USDA to get them on the federal crop list; providing culturally sensitive technical support for immigrant and refugee farmers. Our work includesthe following objectives for providing technical assistance, program development, curriculum development, deployment, and evaluation of impact in the following areas:1. Financial literacy: provide historically underserved, economically distressed farmers of color in learning financial planning, business planning, and tax planning through technical support, training, and individualized support.2. Introduction to USDA programs: increase awareness and access to the numerous programs at USDA to benefit growth of the producers who are historically underserved and economically distressed in farming; including farm ownership and operation loans and microloan programs.3. Market planning: support farmers through market planning, business development, and technical support around specialty cultural crops to ensure they have economic and financial success in the markets that they engage with. Simultaneously world farmers will work closely with the USDA to add cultural crops to the federal crop list- further providing capacity and support for these crops.4. Technical support: world farmers will offer technical support and training in business development, marketing techniques, and agricultural production. Equally important to these services is that we offer a safe space where farmers can learn from peers. Our programming isdelivered in a respectful environment through cross-cultural CO-learning and mentorship among farmers and world farmers staff, with whom farmers have developed relationships built on trust and understanding. Our dedicated staff possess the experience and cultural sensitivity required to assist diverse farmers in building their farming enterprises.world farmers, INC., (WF) advocates for and supports immigrant, refugee, and historically underserved small-scale farmers from farm to market. WF mission is to support small farmers in sustainable agricultural production and successful marketing practices to connect culturally relevant produce to viable markets. WF provides mentoring, training, and hands-on assistance when working with each farmer to build the capacity needed to operate individual farming enterprises. WF enacts their mission through various initiatives, the most prominent of which is the flats mentor farm program.since 1984, the flats mentor farm in lancaster, massachusetts has provided the space and infrastructure for small immigrant and refugee farmers to get started.participating farmers are skilled producers who come from agrarian backgrounds and seek to make a new life for themselves and their families while preserving their cultural identity. In order to contribute to their success in the new culture and climate of the northeast, WF mentoring program offers regular trainings in agricultural production, business development, and marketing. All programming is performed in a respectful environment of cross-cultural CO-learning among farmers, WF staff, interns, and volunteers.