Fundraiser for Somali American Farming Collective

https://www.facebook.com/Somaliamericanfarmers/ 

Join us in raising funds to provide African Immigrants the opportunity to farm and increase access to fresh produce in underserved communities.

Somali American Farmers Collective is a beginning farmer training program providing training and resources to Somali American Immigrants that want to farm in MN. Somali American Farmers Institute (SAFI) and Afro Somali have come together as Somali American Farmers Collective to operate this program on a farm in Silver Lake.

Many of our new immigrant communities in MN come from agriculture backgrounds and dream of being able to grow their own food in their new home. Growing food provides more than income for immigrant communities. It provides a meaningful connection to traditions to share with children, it offers the opportunity to grow traditional crops not available otherwise, it increases confidence to provide food for families and the community, it provides an opportunity to be out of the city in a familiar, rural setting and it gets more fresh produce into communities with limited access.

There has been a demand for this program for many years to meet the specific needs of new immigrant communities. Going to school, entering a training program and starting a business all take resources that many do not have. At a time when we need more farmers on the land growing for local communities and when the economics of farming are very challenging, more support is needed to get a diverse group of new farmers on land.

With support from established organizations, Big River Farms Education Program (The Food Group) and Renewing the Countryside, education is being provided through classes and on-farm trainings as well as organizational support to get the program started.

In order to get started, we need funding to pay for the following start-up and operating costs –

-       seeds, transplants, fertilizer

-       hand tools, hand seeder

-       basic watering supplies

-       harvest supplies and marketing supplies

With 20 families signed up to participate, the plan is to grow on 5 acres, ¼ acre per family.

For this project, we need to raise $25,000. All raised funds will go directly to purchasing needed supplies.

Thank you very much for reading about our project and for anything you are able to give!

**The GoFundMe organizer, Katie Kubovcik, works with Big River Farms and Renewing the Countryside to offer support to the program organizers.