Growing Farms for Latino Women and Families

When the Adelante Mujeres program opened its doors in Forest Grove some eight years ago, the goal was to help Latino women pass their General Education Degree, or GED.  And it's worked very well.  Some 40 women are enrolled in the education program each semester now and even though they don't all graduate, most do.

A couple of years later, program organizers realized that obtaining a GED isn't enough to pave the way to success. And it may not always be enough to train just one member of a family.

Adelante Mujeres, literally meaning "move women forward," began to expand its educational programs to ensure participants and their families "move forward." An agricultural program, Adelante Agricultura, was added and then a business incubator division.

Anne Morse is Adelante Agricultura's Marketing and Outreach Coordinator. She says many Latino families have extensive farming experience, so it makes sense to offer additional education covering farm management and ownership.  Over a 12 week period, families learn everything about growing organic products and getting them to market. Part of Anne's job is helping identify ways for new farm owners and operators to market what they grow. She obtained a scholarship from West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District (WMSWCD) to attend "Growing Farms," OSU Small Farms six-week program designed to provide tools and knowledge for beginning specialty crop and livestock farmers.

The series, taught in and outside the classroom, covers information about the biological and financial risks of farming. OSU faculty, experienced farmers, and professionals give participants the skills to assess their farm enterprise and develop a whole farm plan. Anne says the class was very well organized and taught and gave her great insights into areas of marketing her program had not considered. She adds that the course will help Adelante Agricultura improve its program for farmers by giving them more information on each step of the way, from locating and purchasing land, to determining what to grow and how, and then finding avenues to sell what they produce.

Clients of Adelante Agriculturea are realizing their dreams and looking to the future.  Adelante Agricultura is doing the same.  It recently purchased 12 acres of land so that clients can put into practice what they've learned...and "move forward."