Ourspace World, Inc.

Awards Issued Prior to January 20, 2025, Were Funded Under Previous Administrations and May Not Reflect the Priorities and Policies of the Current Administration. Ourspace WORLD'S (OSW) Scaling and Multiplying the Calabash Project Will Build a National, One-stop Technical Assistance (TA) and Learning Network That Helps Link Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Food Producers to USDA'S Robust Cooperative Development and Educational Programming Offerings. This Project Will Build on OSW'S Existing Calabash Program, Which Has Been Providing Intergenerational Educational, Cooperative, and On-farm Infrastructure Support to Farmers and Growers of the Black Diaspora in the Mid-atlantic and Southeast Us Since 2018. the Project Will Target Small-scale Farmers and Food Producers of the Black Diaspora - Initially Among the Immediate Networks of the PROJECT'S Core Team Members (including Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, Wisconsin, California) and Will Expand to Reach Other Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Food Producers (including Indigenous Farmers and Food Producers, Immigrant Farmers and Food Producers From the Global South, and Other Non-white Farmers and Food Producers) as the Project Team Grows and the PROJECT'S Reach Expands in Its Later Years.according to the Latest Usda Census of Agriculture, Black Farmers Account for Only 1.4% of All Farmers Nationwide (representing a 98% Decline Since 1900, the Steepest for Any Race, While the Proportion of Farmers of Other Races Has Increased or Stayed Constant), and Their Average Age Is 60.8 Years, 3 Years Older Than the Average Age of Farmers Over All (57.5 Years). Historical Legacies of Discriminatory Policies Have Contributed to the Persistent Issue of Black Land Loss, and Black Farmers Face Compounding Barriers When Accessing Usda Programs and Services. Limited But Growing Research Has Indicated That Socially Disadvantaged Farmers Are Not Aware of the Full Range of Usda Programs and Services. This Is Due to Poor Usda Communication About Programs, Face Challenges With the Application and Approval Process (including Access Issues Due to Highly Technical Program Language Most Easily Accessible Online Along With Lack of Standardization and Transparency in the Review Process), and Racial / Gender Discrimination Coupled With Limited Opportunities for Specialty Crop Producers and Small-scale Producers Compared to Commodity Crop and Larger-scale Producers. Institutional and Structural Barriers Persist Despite USDA'S Extensive Equity Efforts, Where Most of the Funding Aimed at Supporting Socially Disadvantaged Farmers Does Not Go Directly to Farmers Themselves, But Instead Goes to University and Large Nonprofit Initiatives That Have the Infrastructure, Expertise, and Experience to Successfully Apply for and Administer Large Grants. Funding the Scaling and Multiplying the Calabash Initiative Is a Step Towards Combating the Aforementioned Long-standing Barriers to Socially Disadvantaged Farmers Accessing Usda Offerings, by Placing Resources and Investment in the Hands of Technical Assistance Providers, Who Themselves Come From Defined Socially Disadva,ntaged Backgrounds and Lived Experiences.in Consultation With Our External Evaluator (DR. Jeffrey Lewis) and Throughout the Entire Project Period, Osw Will Build in Continuous Needs Assessment Mechanisms to Solicit Feedback From Our Target Audience, the Usda, and Other Cooperators So We Can Adapt Ta Offerings to Ensure That the Needs of Socially Disadvantaged FARMERS' and Food PRODUCERS' Needs Are Met and That We Are Addressing Gaps in Existing Programs. Scaling and Multiplying the Calabash Project Will Adopt a Seasonal Approach to the PROJECT'S Activities So That Ta Providers May Juggle Their Existing Farm and Food-based Work and Ta Work According to the Demands of the Season. Similarly, Ta Training Activities Will Be Timed Around the Academic Calendar to Facilitate Student Participation. Our Ta Offerings Will Take Into Account Diverse Audience Needs and Learning Styles and Will Take Various Forms to Ensure Broadest Possible Access. These Offerings Will Include -- In-person, On-farm Workshops in Various Regions, Consultations by Phone, 1:1 or Group Office-hours, Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning Cohorts, Self-directed Online and Mobile App Access to Archived Content/tailored Curricula/document Library, and In-person/hybrid/virtual Summits And/or Convenings. Finally, Our Ta Training Program Will Take an Apprenticeship-style Approach Where Trainees Will Go Through a Structured Didactic Training Followed by Several Hours of Mentorship/shadowing On-the-job Learning With Experienced Ta Providers. All of These Project Elements Have Been Designed With the Target AUDIENCE'S Longstanding Challenges in Mind.?