Crabtree Farms is excited to announce that it has been awarded a three-year grant through the USDA’s Urban Agriculture & Innovative Production Grant, which will be used to help fund the implementation of the Mary Navarre Moore Emerging Farmer Mentorship Program and to support the expansion of the existing Crabtree Community Garden Program which are both apart of the Crabtree Community Land & Food Access Initiatives.
The Mary Navarre Moore Emerging Farmer Mentorship Program will host up to four new and emerging farmers each year and provide the land, equipment and educational support to guide new farmers from ‘seed to market’ production on an urban farm. This includes the creation of four 100’ x 100’ growing spaces, a tool shed, food processing station, cold storage, facilities, and water & irrigation access for participant use.
The Crabtree Community Garden Program expansion will see an increase of community garden plots from 30 to 54 at a rate of eight new beds per year for three years (an increase from 960 sq.ft. to 1,728 sq.ft. of growing space).
The goals of these programs are to provide underserved producers and emerging farmers with land access, market access, and vocational support and; increase access to education, community connection, and nutrient dense food through community gardening.
The projected outcomes of the Mary Navarre Moore Emerging Farmer Mentorship Program over the next three years include:
- Having engaged at least four new farmers in the mentorship program for 6-24 month terms by year two.
- Program participants will experience an entire season of urban farming from seed-to-market and be supported by attending four offered educational courses, four regional farm tours, four quarterly planning meetings, one comprehensive orientation and one end of year wrap-up, annually
The projected outcomes of the Community Garden Expansion over the next three years include:
- An increase in program participation from 40 households to an estimated 80 households
- A reported increase in access to fresh food by program participants
It is their hope that these programs will have a measurable positive impact on land and food access and that they can continue beyond this initial grant period. With this in mind, the plan for the sustainability of these initiatives will also include the creation of a Community Land & Food Access Advisory Committee that will be prepared to assume leadership of the program and its budget by September 2026.
They will begin accepting applications for the MNM Emerging Farmer Mentorship program on Tuesday, January 16th through their website so, stay tuned for more information and other ways to get involved.
*The Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Grant (UAIP) is a competitive grant awarded by the United States Department of Agriculture that serves to initiate or expand efforts of farmers, gardeners, citizens, government officials, schools, and other stakeholders in urban areas and suburbs.