Resettled refugees in northeast indiana who have a farming background face barriers to success at every step toward their vocation of choice

The Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service awarded Heartland Communities Inc. a $460,312.50 Project Grant under the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (FMLFPP) from September 30, 2021 to September 29, 2024.

The grant funds a Refugee Incubator Farm Project to support 16 Burmese refugee farmers in Northeast Indiana with instruction, interpretive services, and other assistance to establish viable vegetable farms and participate in a cooperative food hub distribution program. Services provided through the project will include guidance navigating the farm market application process, expanding production capacity and revenue streams through value-added products, fully staffing mobile markets, and subsidizing participation in services from the cooperative such as bookkeeping, sales, and an online sales platform. The project aims to fulfill untapped market demand with culturally appropriate fresh produce and increase the success of resettled refugee farmers in applying their skills.

Language, regulations, financial system, permitting, resources, growing climate, seasonal production parameters, and markets are just a few complex systems to navigate toward applying the farm skills they have developed. Sixteen burmese refugee farmers have a path through the complex barriers with the refugee incubator farm project, with instruction and interpretive services that are respectful to cultural needs, sensitive to trauma in personal histories on their way to living their dream life as vegetable farmers. Purpose: to increase success with additional supports in completing a robust, processing and marketing situation. Outcome: viable farms supported by a wrap-around service from post-harvest to direct-sale through membership in a cooperative. This project will provide opportunities for incubator participants to: 1. Fulfill untapped market demand with culturally appropriate fresh produce; 2. Expand capacity with value-added products to create new revenue streams and reduce food waste; 3. Fully staff mobile markets to bring farm products into diverse low-income neighborhoods; 4. Provide guidance and interpretive services for non-english speakers to negotiate farm market application process; 5. Subsidize refugee incubator farm participants to receive services provided by cooperative food hub distribution such as bookkeeping, sales, and online presence; 6. Increase capacity of online sales platform (open food network USA) to provide internet sales for farmers, and subscribe the cooperative to the platform at the broadest level for dozens of producer shopfronts.