Congresswoman Chellie Pingree said this morning that Portland-based Cultivating Community will be getting a $750,000 federal grant to give new immigrants the agricultural skills they need to start their ownfarm businesses.
"Farming in Maine is growing," Pingree said. "More young people and women are taking up farming and new immigrants are adding diversity to our agricultural sector. That trend is helping us rebuild and grow our farm economy. And that's good for everyone because it not only gives consumers more access to fresh, local food but it also keeps our food dollars right here in our communities. This grant is going to go a long way toward helping with these great, innovative programs to give new immigrants the skills they need to be productive members of our local agricultural economy."
Pingree has become a national leader on local food and agriculture issues, and has been a strong advocate of programs that recruit and train new farmers. She wrote the Local Farms, Food and Jobs Act, which increased funding for programs that support local and sustainable farms and farmers.
Cultivating Community has been awarded a $750,000 grant under the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program to continue a program called "Growing Together," which provides land-based training to new farmers in Maine--mostly socially-disadvantaged and limited-resource immigrants. The project will also build the capacity of many farmer-serving organizations across the state.
Pingree is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and sits on the Agriculture Subcommittee, which sets the budget for the Department of Agriculture.
Craig Lapine, Executive Director for Cultivating Community, said the grant will help expand the Maine farming sector.
"Maine is a great place for small farmers and a welcoming community for new farmers from all over—from around Maine, around the United States and new immigrants from other countries. What we are doing is helping those farmers who are new to this country and come from different agricultural traditions learn the skills they need to do business here and be part of our farm economy," Lapine said.
