Backup — original pdf

Backup

-Providing Livelihood Opportunities for Refugees in Austin, Texas -Food Access for the Refugee Community -Implementing Texas’ First Resilient Farm Plan therefugeecollective.org Refugee Collective Farm Staff Matt Simon- Farm Director Matt Simon has been the Refugee Collective Farm Director since 2020. Prior to taking on this role, he managed another certified organic farm, Green Gate Farms, in nearby Bastrop, Texas. His knowledge of all aspects of vegetable production anchor the farm’s food access and regenerative agriculture efforts. Sarah Sims- Community Farmer Program Manager Sarah Sims brings over a decade of experience in refugee-serving organizations, with a focus on program design, data systems, and continuous improvement. Prior to joining The Refugee Collective, she led state- and federal-level mental and physical health promotion initiatives. Sarah is passionate about designing programs that are both data- informed and deeply responsive to the lived experiences of participants. The Refugee Collective Producing Possibilities through Food and Fiber -20 acre Certified Organic farm employs 8 year round refugee team members and 4 seasonal team members growing organic vegetables and eggs for our CSA and Wholesale Outlets -Textile Studio employs 4 year round team members in private label production and our own line of “Farm to Fiber” products which utilize natural dyes grown at the farm. Also piloting flax fiber production. -Wraparound Support for our refugee team members including rides to and from the farm for work and paid English instruction What is Regenerative Agriculture? -Includes common Organic practices such as crop rotation, cover cropping, compost application, and refraining from using chemical inputs that destroy life in the soil -In addition Regenerative Agriculture employs No-till planting methods, the establishment of Trees and other Perennials, and the integration of Animals into the Cropping System. -These are all codified in our Resilient Farm Plan, the First of its kind in Texas -Focus is on increasing biodiversity both above and below ground to build a more resilient, carbon rich system that produces more nutrient dense vegetables and animal products, leading to improved health outcomes Farm Livelihoods and Food Access for the Refugee Community -Through ARPA funding and other sources, we’ve built the capacity to send 50-80 Weekly CSA Shares to Refugee Households through partners including Global Impact Initiative, World Relief, IACT, and Literacy Coalition -Community Farmer Program provides education and resources to empower refugees to feed their own communities -78,000 lbs. of Organic Produce To Refugee Households since Fall of ‘22 through these two programs -Community Farmer Graduates can enter our Community Garden and Farm Business Incubator Programs Culturally Desired Vegetables for the Refugee Community -We distributed surveys after the first season of distributions that included photos and translated vegetable names of each item people had received with a 1-5 scale. Surveys asked which nationality respondents belonged to -Using this data, we were able to curate shares for specific ethnicities, such as Afghan shares that included more salad ingredients and Gandana (Afghan Leeks) in lieu of less familiar ingredients like kale and butternut squash -Deliveries to distribution partners is based on the number of recipient households belonging to different nationalities -This approach preserves culinary traditions while ensuring fresh food does not go to waste Let’s stay in touch about Refugee Food Security! therefugeecollective.org info@therefugeecollective.org therefugeecollective.org