Improving Lands, Improving Lives

We are pleased to announce a new collaboration with New Farms for New Americans!  Improving Lands, Improving Lives is a 3-year project to enhance and facilitate a comprehensive agriculture program on food systems, nutrition and a first-ever leadership and mentorship training program for new American farmers.  VCGN will work with NFNA and farmers enrolled in their program to develop curriculum and lead garden and nutrition education for the new peer education program.  When farmers and gardeners receive instruction on recommended practices and also how to teach their peers, they compound skill building, engage their community and increase self sufficiency.

Too often, new American farmers are passive recipients of programs.  This is in no way due to lack of desire or ability from this population, but instead reflects systemic issues with access to education, translation and transportation services. Our approach to this long-standing problem is to provide land access, training and opportunity for farmers and gardeners representing multiple countries to grow their own culturally significant foods and feed their families, with increasing leadership and autonomy to move toward a program that works in solidarity and provides mutual aid, as opposed to supporting a model of dependency.