We are excited to announce that the the Certificate of Achievement in Urban Agroecology program at Merritt College has earned an 100,000 U.S.Department of Agriculture grant to train students to become urban farmers using sustainable agricultural practices during the summer session.

This collaborative project aims to advance economic viability, small farm production skills, and social resilience for under-resourced and socially disadvantaged beginning farmers. With an innovative hybrid online and in-person farmer training course, as well as on-the-job training, this project addresses the concerns of the Covid19 pandemic, the aging farmer population, and declining numbers of beginning farmers. It counters these pressing issues by building comprehensive and culturally relevant hybrid courses and on-the-job training with a diverse urban-rural network of mentors and employment pathways. 

This proposal also recognizes that professional farmers need support to fully achieve their potential in sharing their expertise with aspiring farmers. Our target audience includes 300 beginning farmers, including 200 formerly incarcerated, immigrants, and otherwise socially-disadvantaged/systemically-oppressed participants over 3 years. With the help of host-farm educators, mentors, and Merritt College faculty, 300 participants will benefit from 210 hours of course instruction (150 individuals from the hybrid on-farm and online courses, and an additional 150 from the online courses exclusively). Courses topics include ecologically-based diversified farming, food safety, risk management, and business development. 50 of these participants will also benefit from 225 hours of financially compensated on-the-job training for college credit. Graduates can receive mentorship from experienced farmers through one-on-one consultations, paid internships, employment, and/or financial, technical, land-access and administrative start-up support.

The Certificate of Achievement in Urban Agroecology is part of our Career Education program Natural History & Sustainability, which includes three such certificates. See more here: https://www.merritt.edu/wp/nhs/