National Immigrant Farming Initiative

THE NATIONAL IMMIGRANT FARMING INITIATIVE(NIFI) PROPOSES A PROJECT WITH THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF CONTINUING TO IMPROVE FOOD SECURITY AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AMONG A NETWORK OF PARTNERS IN THE PASO DEL NORTE REGION OF SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO AND WESTTEXAS.NIFI SUPPORTS BEGINNING FARMERS WITH THE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND TOOLS THEY IDENTIFY AS NEEDED TO MAKE GOOD FARM BUSINESS DECISIONS AND ENHANCESUSTAINABILITY.ALIGNED WITH BFRDP GOALS,NIFI'S TARGET AUDIENCE CONSISTS OF SOCIALLY-DISADVANTAGED AND LIMITED RESOURCE IMMIGRANT FARMERS AND RANCHERS WHO HAVE NOT OPERATED A FARM OR HAVE OPERATED A FARM FOR NOT MORE THAN 10 YEARS. THIS PROJECT ALSO SERVES MILITARY VETERANS, THE MAJORITY OF WHOM, THOUGH NOT ALL, ARE ALSO IN THE CATEGORY OF LIMITED RESOURCE IMMIGRANT FARMERS. NIFI HAS WORKED WITH IMMIGRANT AND VETERAN FARM FAMILIES WITH OUTREACH AND TRAINING TO SUPPORT THEIR INITIATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISES. MAINTAINING THIS FARM SUPPORT NETWORK ALLOWS NIFI TO CONTINUE TO LEARN AND SUPPORT THE NEEDS OF THESE SOCIALLY-DISADVANTAGED FARMERS SO THEY CAN DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE OPERATIONS AND REMAIN IN FARMING. NIFI INTENTIONALLY FOLLOWS THE LEADERSHIP OF THE BEGINNING FARMERS BASED ON THE FARMERS EXPRESSED NEEDS FOR TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.

**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THENATIONAL IMMIGRANT FARMING INITIATIVE(NIFI) PROPOSES A 36-MONTH PROJECT WITH THE LONG-TERMGOAL OF ASSISTING SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED AND OTHER LIMITED RESOURCE PRODUCERS IN OWNING AND OPERATING VIABLE AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISES. CAPACITY BUILDING AND RESOURCES FOR IMMIGRANT FARMWORKERS AND MILITARY VETERANS, BEGINNING IN AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISES (CORIMA) IS A WORD FROMTHE TARAHUMARA INDIANS LANGUAGE THAT MEANS CIRCLE OF SHARING TARAHUMARAS SHARE EVERYTHING WITHOUT EXPECTING ANYTHING IN RETURN). NIFI'S MISSION IS TO SHARE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, RESOURCES, TRAINING, AND COLLABORATION, WITHOUT EXPECTING ANYTHING IN RETURN.WITHANETWORKOFTRAININGPARTNERSSERVINGFARMERSANDRANCHERSINTHEPASODELNORTEREGIONOF TEXASANDNEW MEXICO,WEWILLPROVIDEOUTREACHANDTECHNICALASSISTANCEINTHECOLONIAS DESIGNEDTOSUPPORTIMMIGRANT FARMWORKERSANDMILITARYVETERANSBEGINNINGFARMERSINTHESEAREAS, WITHTHEKNOWLEDGE,SKILLS,ANDTOOLSTOUSE SUSTAINABLEANDAGROECOLOGICALFARMINGPRACTICESTHAT ENHANCETHELOCALFOODSYSTEM,IMPROVETHEHEALTHAND WELLBEINGOFCOMMUNITYRESIDENTS,AND CREATEPROSPERITY.THEWORDCOLONIAISDEFINEDBYSTATEANDFEDERALAGENCIESAS ARESIDENTIALAREA ALONGTHETEXAS-MEXICOBORDERTHATMAYLACKSOMEOFTHEMOSTBASICLIVINGNECESSITIESSUCHAS POTABLE WATER,SEPTICORSEWERSYSTEMS,ELECTRICITY,PAVEDROADS,ORSAFE ANDSANITARYHOUSING(LASCOLONIAS,2015).THIS PROJECTWILLTARGETTHESEMOSTLYRURALANDPERI-URBANCOLONIASTODEVELOP BEGINNINGFARMERSTHATWILLUSESUSTAINABLE ANDAGROECOLOGICALFARMINGPRACTICES,COUPLEDWITH SOCIALMEDIAANDOTHER DIRECT-MARKETINGVENUES,TOENHANCELOCALFOODSYSTEMS,IMPROVEHEALTH AND WELLBEING AND CREATE PROSPERITY.

**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THENATIONALIMMIGRANTFARMINGINITIATIVE,INC.(NIFI)WASFOUNDEDIN2002.NIFIHASATRACKRECORDOFSUPPORTING IMMIGRANT, SOCIALLYDISADVANTAGEDAND, MORERECENTLY, MILITARY VETERANBEGINNINGFARMERS.WITH ITS NATIONALNETWORKOFPARTNERS,NIFI HAS PROVEN ITS ABILITYTOHELP INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIESOFFARMERSDEVELOPTHEKNOWLEDGE,SKILLSANDTOOLSNEEDEDTOPARTICIPATEINTHEFOODPRODUCTIONECONOMY.NIFISUPPORTSFARMERSWITHRESOURCESTHEFARMERSIDENTIFYASNECESSARYTOMAKEGOODFARMBUSINESSDECISIONSAND ENHANCESUSTAINABILITY OF THEIR AGRICULTURALOPERATIONS.NIFI'S TARGET AUDIENCE CONSISTS OFIMMIGRANTAND VETERANFARMERSAND RANCHERSWHO HAVENOT OPERATEDA FARM OR RANCH OR HAVE OPERATEDAFARM.NIFIISDRIVENBYTHEMISSIONTOSTRENGTHENTHECAPACITYOFRECENTIMMIGRANTSTOFARMSUCCESSFULLYANDTOADVANCESUSTAINABLEFARMING AND FOOD SYSTEMS.ROOTED IN THE DIVERSE EXPERIENCEOF FARMERS FROM ALLOVERTHEWORLD WHOARE GROUNDEDINASHAREDSTRUGGLE,NIFI IDENTIFIESCOLLECTIVECHALLENGESANDOPPORTUNITIES.NIFI IS ANATIONALPARTNERSHIPOFORGANIZATIONSAND PROJECTSTHATNETWORKANDCOLLABORATEON BEHALFOF IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEEFARMERS AND RANCHERSWHO ARE BEGINNING AGRICULTURECAREERSINTHEU.S.THROUGHTHEPAST19YEARS,NIFIHASADVOCATEDTOENSUREOURFARMERSUPPORTSYSTEMKNOWSABOUTTHENEEDSOF THIS POPULATIONOF PRODUCERS.WE WORK TOENSURETHEY ARE RECEIVING THE SUPPORTTHEY NEED,AND THEY ARE ENTITLED TOAS AN INTEGRAL PART OF A SUSTAINABLEAGRICULTURALECONOMY. NIFI HAS DEVELOPEDTRAINING PROGRAMS, PROVIDEDTECHNICALASSISTANCE,AND DEVELOPEDSIMPLE, MULTI-LINGUALINFORMATIONALMATERIALSTHATHAVEBEENSHAREDNATIONWIDE.NIFISTAFFSUPPORTSPARTNERORGANIZATIONSWITHTRAININGDEVELOPMENT,PROGRAMCOORDINATION,MENTORING,COMMUNICATION, ANDNETWORKDEVELOPMENTTOHELPIMMIGRANTANDREFUGEEFARMERS BEGINORTRANSITIONINTOINDEPENDENTFARMINGOPERATIONS.

INITIATING THE PASO DEL NORTE IMMIGRANT BEGINNING FARMER AND RANCHER DEVELOPMENT NETWORK

THE NATIONAL IMMIGRANT FARMING INITIATIVE OR NIFI WILL ASSIST MAINLYHISPANIC FARMERS AND RANCHERS AND VETERANS IN RUNNING SUCCESSFULAGRICULTURAL BUSINESSES. NIFI WILL SUPPORT PARTICIPATION IN PROGRAMS ANDBUILD RELATIONSHIPS AMONG UNDERSERVED FARMERS AND USDA EXTENSION STAFF.

SUPPORTING THE SUCCESS OF FARMERS AND RANCHERS NATIONWIDE THROUGH CAPACITY BUILDING FOR COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS SERVING IMMIGRANT FARMERS.

RURAL PROGRESS

2017RMEPP

RME OUTREACH

2016 RMEPP AWARD

RME AWARD

RME OUTREACH