CULTIVATING FARMERS
Cultivating Farmers is a key programmatic facet of our ongoing work to strengthen our regional foodshed by collaborating with local farmers.
The program’s goal is to uplift our network of growers by providing technical assistance and support to urban and peri- urban farmers and ranchers in Los Angeles and neighboring counties. Cultivating Farmers has a particular focus on serving those who may be in the early or beginning stages of establishing their farms and who are seeking support with navigating operational challenges and barriers to accessing resources.
CULTIVATING FARMERS
Cultivating Farmers is a key programmatic facet of our ongoing work with local farmers and strengthening of our regional foodshed.
Program Goals:
Cultivating Farmers offers farmers and ranchers the following services to mitigate the challenges they face in the Los Angeles region’s urban and rural agricultural landscapes:
workshops
Year-round educational sessions for growers on topics pertinent to the business of farming and ranching. Topics include land tenure, farm to market readiness, federal resources, farm business planning, farm marketing, and more.
one-on-one coaching
Personalized guidance with the program team to address specific needs of individual farmers.
OFFICE HOURS
Opportunities for post workshop one-on-one coaching sessions with our expert facilitators.
The program is rooted in findings of the 2023 report “Rooted Horizons: Growing Food for and by Angelenos” which was prepared by the L.A. Food Policy Council in partnership with the LARTA Institute, with support from the California Community Foundation. Key stakeholders in both the Urban Farmer and service provider community provided valuable insights about the most pressing issues facing farmers today, among them access to land and land tenure, producing at scale, maintaining business operations, and regulatory barriers.
Workshop and Office Hours facilitators come from our community of expert growers, small business leaders, and agriculture agencies. Additionally, thanks to the support of the California Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA), we will launch a grant initiative for farmers in 2025.
UPCOMING EVENTS
We reside, work, and cultivate food
on unceded Indigenous homelands.
We acknowledge and honor the descendants of the Tongva, Kizh, and Gabrieleño peoples as the traditional land caretakers of Tovaangar (the Los Angeles Basin and the Southern Channel Islands). We pay our respects to the Honuukvetam (Ancestors), ‘Ahiihirom (Elders) and ‘Eyoohiinkem (our relatives/relations) past, present and emerging.
As part of a greater foodshed, we would also like to pay respect to and honor the Chumash, Tataviam, Serrano, Kitanemuk, ʔíviĨuqaletem, Acjachemen, Payómkawichum, and any other tribal group possibly not mentioned. As a Food Policy Council for Los Angeles we recognize this land acknowledgment is limited and engagement is an ongoing process of learning and accountability. To learn more about these First Nations, visit here.