Friends Of Zenger Farm

TO SHIFT THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF WHO OWNS AND OPERATES FARMS IN OREGON, UTILIZING AN ESTABLISHED BEGINNING FARMER TRAINING PROGRAM, ALUMNI, AND A FARM BASED YOUTH EDUCATION PROGRAM, THIS PROJECT WILL SERVE BLACK AND INDIGENOUS BIPOC COMMUNITIES IN EAST PORTLAND, OREGON.

COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE (CSA) PARTNERSHIPS FOR HEALTH CONNECTS LOCAL FARMS AND HEALTH CLINICS FOR WELL-NOURISHED COMMUNITIES. HISTORICALLY, HEALTH CENTERS SERVING SNAP-ELIGIBLE, MEDICAID, AND FOOD INSECURE PATIENTS LOCATED IN AREAS WITH CONCENTRATED POVERTY ARE ENROLLED IN A 22-WEEK HEAVILY SUBSIDIZED CSA PRESCRIPTION PROGRAM BY PHYSICIANS AND COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS. IN 2020, WE ARE PILOTING A PROJECT OFFER BOTH 22-WEEK CSA PRESCRIPTIONS AS WELL AS YEAR-ROUND CSA PRESCRIPTION PROGRAMS. PATIENTS PAY A CO-PAY OF $5 PER WEEK IN CASH OR SNAP IN EXCHANGE FOR $28 WORTH OF WHOLE FRUITS, VEGETABLES, GRAINS, AND BEANS. BEGINNING IN 2020, WE WILL ALSO PILOT COVERING THE INCENTIVE PORTION OF THE PRESCRIPTION CSA THROUGH MEDICAID FLEXIBLE SPENDING.WHILE MEDICAID FLEXIBLE SPENDING IS A HUGE STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, IT IS NOT A FUNDING MECHANISM THAT CAN BE USED ON A LARGE SCALE. INSTEAD, IT IS A LIMITED AMOUNT OF FUNDING EACH YEAR THAT IS RESERVED FOR PATIENTS WHO HAVE EXHAUSTED ALLOTHER OPTIONS TO GET THEIR NON-MEDICAL SOCIAL NEEDS MET. HOWEVER, MEDICAID FLEXIBLE SPENDING WILL PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN UTILIZING INSURANCE FUNDING FOR CSA PRESCRIPTIONS FOR THE FIRST TIME WHILE CREATING A HIPPA-COMPLIANT METHOD OF DATA SHARING BETWEEN PROGRAM PARTNERS TO HELP UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF THE CSA PRESCRIPTION PROGRAM ON HEALTHCARE UTILIZATION AND ASSOCIATED COSTS. PROVING THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT FOR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS IS A NECESSARY STEP TO ACCESSING TRULY SUSTAINABLE FUNDING FOR PRESCRIPTION PRODUCE THROUGH HEALTH INSURANCE.OUR ROBUST PARTNERSHIP WITH SOME OF THE MOST PROMISING RESEARCHERS IN THE NATION HAS ALLOWED US TO GATHER DATA FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS INDICATING THAT CSA PRESCRIPTIONS INCREASE SELF-REPORTED VEGETABLE CONSUMPTION BY AN AVERAGE OF ½ CUP PER DAY, INCREASES THE VARIETY OF VEGETABLES EATEN, IMPROVES FOOD SECURITY, AND IMPROVES SELF-REPORTED MENTAL, EMOTIONAL, SOCIAL, AND PHYSICAL HEALTH. FROM 2020-2022, OUR RESEARCH TEAM AIMS TO FURTHER QUANTIFY THE IMPACT OF CSA PRESCRIPTIONS ON FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CONSUMPTION, BMI, HEMOGLOBIN A1C, AND HEALTHCARE UTILIZATION RATES.MEDICAID COVERAGE FOR CSA PARTNERSHIPS FOR HEALTH COULD EASILY SCALE REGIONALLY AND NATIONALLY, TRANSFORMING THE WELLBEING OF LOW-INCOME CONSUMERS WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY SUPPORTING LOCAL FARMERS AND SAVING OUR HEALTH INDUSTRY BILLIONS OF DOLLARS. THIS COMMON-SENSE PROGRAM IS A WIN (FOOD ACCESS FOR LOW-INCOME CONSUMERS), WIN (STRENGTHENING FARMERS/FOOD SYSTEMS), WIN (SAVING OF HEALTH INDUSTRY DOLLARS). FUNDING FROM THE GUS SCHUMACHER NUTRITION INCENTIVE PROGRAM WOULD BE USED TO TEMPORARILY SUBSIDIZE THE COST OF CSA SHARES TO LOW-INCOME HEALTH CLINIC PATIENTS WHILE GATHERING THE ADDITIONAL DATA NEEDED BY INSURERS TO COVER THE PROGRAM AS A REGULAR BENEFIT THROUGH MEDICAID.FUNDING REQUEST: $492,827.50TIME PERIOD: 10/31/2020 - 10/31/2023

**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** ACCORDING TO FEEDING AMERICA, NEARLY 13% OF THE US POPULATION WILL EXPERIENCE FOOD INSECURITY THIS YEAR, WHICH IS 2% MORE THAN IN 2019. FOR THE FOOD INSECURE, THE PANDEMIC INCREASED THEIR VULNERABILITY, AND INSTABILITY. IT IS LIKELY TO TAKE YEARS FOR FOOD INSECURITY LEVELS TO RECOVER (FEEDING AMERICA 2021). CSA PARTNERSHIPS FOR HEALTH PROVIDES ONGOING, CONSISTENT, AND YEAR-ROUND FOOD SECURITY FOR COMMUNITIES MADE VULNERABLE IN THE PORTLAND METRO AREA SUPPORTED BY MEDICAID FLEXIBLE SPENDING, WHILE ALSO SUPPORTING THE LOCAL FARMERS TO INCREASE THEIR SKILLS IN WINTER FARMING PRACTICES IN ORDER TO PROVIDE PRODUCE YEAR-ROUND TO OUR MEMBERS.DURING THE COURSE OF THIS PROJECT, WE WILL USE A MIXED-METHOD APPROACH TO COLLECT DATA, THROUGH INTERVIEWS AND SURVEYS, IN ORDER TO MEASURE THE SUCCESS OF CREATING A YEAR-ROUND, MEDICAID-FUNDED, WINTER CSA PRESCRIPTION PROGRAM THAT ALSO SUPPORTS THE LOCAL AGRICULTURE FARMING COMMUNITY TO INCREASE THEIR WINTER GROWING CAPACITY. THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO ALLEVIATE FOOD INSECURITY VIA OUR YEAR-ROUND CSA PRESCRIPTIONS PROGRAM THAT CAN BE SUSTAINED DURING THE WINTER MONTHS BY A ROBUST WINTER FARMING COMMUNITY IN OREGON.

WHILE BLACK, INDIGENOUS, PEOPLE OF COLOR (BIPOC) PRODUCERS HAVE SIGNIFICANT AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION EXPERIENCE, THEY OFTEN ENCOUNTER BARRIERS TO ESTABLISHING FINANCIALLY VIABLE FARM BUSINESSES. THIS PROJECT'S GOAL IS TO EXPAND DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER MARKET ACTIVITY BY TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION OF DIRECT MARKET FARMERS BASED IN THE PORTLAND METROPOLITAN AREA. ZENGER FARM WILL PROVIDE A BEGINNING FARMER PROGRAM TO TRAIN EMERGING FARMERS WHILE THE COME THRU MARKET WILL GIVE EMERGING BUSINESS VENDORS (INCLUDING ZENGER FARM BEGINNING FARMERS) AN OPPORTUNITY TO TEST THEIR BUSINESS MODEL IN A LOW-RISK MARKET ENVIRONMENT BY LENDING VENDOR SUPPLIES AND MARKET EQUIPMENT AS WELL AS SUBSIDIZING MARKET ACCESS FEES. THIS SUPPORTS BIPOC PRODUCERS IN BECOMING MARKET-READY AND IN ACHIEVING SHORT-TERM SUCCESSES THAT PUT THEM ON A TRAJECTORY TO EVENTUALLY SCALE THEIR BUSINESSES INTO LARGER MARKETS, INCLUDING FARM TO SCHOOL AND OTHER INSTITUTIONAL OUTLETS, WHILE IMPROVING BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY AND INCREASING REVENUE TO SUPPORT NEW JOB CREATION. WORKING TOGETHER WE WILL ALIGN CURRICULUM TO CREATE A COMPREHENSIVE CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND MARKET TO INCREASE THE DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER MARKET DEVELOPMENT PIPELINE FOR OVER 60 BEGINNING BIPOC FARMERS OVER THREE YEARS, AS WELL AS AN ADDITIONAL 5,000 ESTIMATED PROJECT BENEFICIARIES INCLUDING BEGINNING FARMERS, BIPOC PRODUCERS, BIPOC FOODMAKERS AND VENDORS, MARKET CUSTOMERS, AND RELATED FOOD SYSTEMS ORGANIZATIONS AND BUSINESSES. PROVIDING CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE FARMERS MARKETS STRENGTHENS BIPOC COMMUNITIES, IMPROVES HEALTH OUTCOMES, AND INCREASES CULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY.

BEGINNING FARMER TRAINING AT ZENGER FARM

NEIGHBORHOOD FOOD INNOVATION

EAST PORTLAND FOOD AND FARM SERVICE LEARNING PROJECT

FARM TO SCHOOL GRANT PROGRAM

FARM TO SCHOOL GRANT PROGRAM

CN FARM TO SCHOOL GRANT

INCREASING FOOD ACCESS IN A PORTLAND FOOD DESERT

THIS GRANT SUPPORTS THE COSTS INCURRED TO IMPLEMENT MEASURES TO RESPOND TO THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS 2019 (COVID-19), WHICH MAY INCLUDE WORKPLACE SAFETY, MARKET PIVOTS, RETROFITTING FACILITIES, TRANSPORTATION, WORKER HOUSING, AND MEDICAL EXPENSES. IT PROVIDES NEEDED RELIEF TO THE FOOD PROCESSORS, DISTRIBUTORS, FARMERS MARKETS, AND PRODUCERS FOR THEIR COSTS INCURRED BETWEEN JANUARY 27, 2020, THE DATE UPON WHICH THE PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY WAS DECLARED BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICE (HHS) UNDER SECTION 319 OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT, AND DECEMBER 31, 2021. BENEFICIARIES INCLUDE THE EMPLOYEES OF THE FOOD PROCESSORS, DISTRIBUTORS, FARMERS MARKETS, AND PRODUCERS.

ZENGER FARM OUTDOOR EDUCATION