Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust Inc

RHODE ISLAND LAND STEWARD COST SHARE FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCY

UTILIZE OUTREACH AND INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATIONAL SERVICES AS WELL AS HANDS-ON LEARNING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO INCREASE UNDERSTANDING OF USDA-NRCS RESOURCES.

SDFRS WILL LEARN HOW TO USE INDIGENOUS FARMING PRACTICES THAT ARE NOWWIDELY RECOGNIZED AS CLIMATE SMART, SUCH AS USE OF SOIL AMENDMENTS ANDCOMPOSTING, AS WELL AS MARKETING, FINANCIAL AND BUSINESS STRATEGIES.

TO SUPPORT HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED PRODUCERS AND COMMUNITIES IN NEW ENGLAND.

**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** OUTREACH AND TRAINING FOR BEGINNING BIPOC FARMERS IN NEW ENGLAND

OUTREACH AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR VETERAN AND LIMITED RESOURCE FARMERS IN MASSACHUSETTS AND RHODE ISLAND.

AGRICULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES HAS A DIVERSITY PROBLEM.THIRTY YEARS AGO, HALF OF THE COUNTRY'S FOOD SUPPLY CAME FROM SMALL FARMS. TODAY, THAT NUMBER HAS DWINDLED TO TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT, INCLUDING A PALTRY TEN PERCENT FOR THE DAIRY INDUSTRY. IN THE LAST DECADE, WE HAVE LOST OVER 100,000 FARMS AS TECHNOLOGY AND THE EFFICIENCIES OF SCALE HAVE MADE IT NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR SMALL FARMERS TO COMPETEAGAINST LARGE-SCALE CORPORATE OPERATIONS. THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THIS PROGRAM IS TO SUPPORT THE GROWTH OF BIPOC BEGINNING FARMERS IN CENTRALMASSACHUSETTS, WHERE DIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES ARE SCARCE.THE MISSION OF THE POCASSET POKANOKET LAND TRUST (PPLT) IS TO ORGANIZE INDIGENOUS FAMILIES, GROUPS, CLANS AND COMMUNITIES TO BE ABLE TO ADVOCATE ON THEIR OWN BEHALF BY TEACHING TOOLS OF SELF-EMPOWERMENT AND SKILLS TO TRANSFORM THEIR LIFE AND TO PROMOTE A HEALTHIER INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY. FOR THIS PROJECT, PPLT WILL PARTNER WITH NICHOLS COLLEGE AND GLOBAL VILLAGE FARMS (GVF), WHO HAS EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE SUPPORTINGHISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED FARMERS IN THE NORTHEAST. LOCATED IN THE HEART OF CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS, GVF IS AN INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVE BUILDING CENTER FOR EDUCATION, TRAINING AND MOVEMENT BUILDING. THEY ARE PART OF CREATING A NEW SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY AND COOPERATIVE LIVING SPACES WITH LOW-INCOME IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AND OTHER COLONIZED AND MARGINALIZED PEOPLE. GVF WORKS WITH 100% "SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED" FARMERS REPRESENTING INDIGENOUS, IMMIGRANT, AND/OR REFUGEE COMMUNITIES.PPLT AND GVF EACH HAVE STRONG GRANT MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE WITH PPLT SPECIALIZING IN MANAGING FOUNDATION AND STATE ADMINISTERED GRANTS. CURRENTLY, THE TWO GROUPS ARE COLLABORATING ON A THREE-YEAR USDA PROGRAM FOCUSING ON THE IMPLEMENTATION AND OUTREACH OF CONSERVATION PRACTICES WITH LAND STEWARDSHIP PRINCIPLES AMONG LAND BASED INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AND FARMERS OF COLOR IN THE NORTHEAST. BOTH ORGANIZATIONS ARE LED/MANAGED BY PEOPLE OF COLOR FROM HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED GROUPS.