Adelante Mujeres wins federal funds

Participants tend Forest Grove Community Gardens.

Forest Grove-based nonprofit Adelante Mujeres in late 2009 was awarded a $300,000 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expand its organic agriculture project and train Latino farmers in Washington County. The grant, distributed over three years, will go towards leasing 12 acres of farmland for five years, expanding staff, training, classes and partnerships with organic farmers in the area, according to the agency.

The nonprofit began in 2005 as an effort to revive the Forest Grove Farmers Market and teach Latinos sustainable farming methods. Upon completion of the program, participants have the opportunity to rent their own plot and continue to farm in Forest Grove. Many participants have farming experience but have never owned land.

“It’s really about giving them the opportunities as an underserved population to be able to achieve social justice through ecological land management,” says Anne Morse, marketing outreach coordinator. “It’s about supporting the farmers of tomorrow, which includes Latinos, and developing marketing opportunities for farmers.”

Understanding sustainable farming practices is very important, Morse says. A major component of the program is educating students on protecting resources and growing foods without chemicals. The students’ reactions to these ideas are varied, Morse says.

“We’ve had one man who owned a nursery business and it took a little bit of convincing for him to come around to the idea that he could run his business without the use of conventional chemicals,” Morse says. “Understanding that is a big priority for us. In classes, sustainability is incorporated into the curriculum from day one.”

Adelante Mujeres is the only Oregon recipient of the grant that comes from the USDA's Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers program.

Classes begin at the end of January and are offered in three different locations throughout Washington County. Future goals for Adelante Mujeres include expanding its offerings into Yamhill County, accessing more land for education programs and possibly purchasing land.