The long-term goal of this project is to get more skilled farmers growing food sustainably in central texas

With an awareness of barriers to farming experienced by socially disadvantaged farmers, farmshare endeavors to develop services particular to central texas that meet the needs of a diverse farming community and creates greater equity for all who desire to enter farming. We propose to reach this goal, in collaboration with other organizations, by building out a comprehensive educational pathway to farming, comprising a continuum of programs intended to empower and support new farmers from thinking they may want to farm, all the way to farm management/ownership.building on farmer starter, a hands-on 5-month intensive offering a strong foundation for beginning farmers with little or no experience, this project will lay out the next steps along the education pathway for farmers who have passed the entry level stage but are not quite ready to begin their own farms. In central texas, the availability of continuing hands-on farm education is limited. In addition, texas has been slow to build out its support network for new farmers, especially support for beginning specialty crops and sustainable growers on small to mid-sized farms and support to socially disadvantaged farmers. And while texas has seen a decline in overall acreage in farming from 2012 to 2017, the state has a growing number of farms under 49 acres and a growing number of new and beginning farmers. With food shortages and continuing food access and food insecurity, the covid-19 pandemic has magnified the need for creating and supporting a resilient local food system. Farmers need our help now more than ever to ensure viability.truly impactful programming must grow out of the needs and preferences of those we wish to empower. The project combines 1) focus groups with farmer starter alumni and other central texas beginning farmers, 2) analysis of the information gathered during the focus groups, and 3) development of a continuum of farmshare beginning farmer programs/services. Just as important as gathering the data is sharing IT amongst the farmer service provider ecosystem. Together we can build on our various strengths, making the whole stronger than its parts. This proposal will lay the groundwork for a more robust and equitable farmer training support system shaped by and grounded by the needs of beginning farmers and ranchers.