Join the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project and the FIELD Network for our December Monthly Networking Session to connect with staff of land-based farm incubator and apprenticeship training programs! Share challenges faced by land-based training programs supporting a diversity of beginning farmers and brainstorm ideas, solutions, and shared resources. Network in breakout groups to mix and mingle with other incubator farm program staff and apprenticeship staff across the country to connect and share project updates!
December’s Networking Topic is: Adapting Apprenticeship Programs to meet Diverse Learning Needs. Farm apprenticeship programs have long been seen as points of entry into sustainable farming and food systems work, however, aspiring apprentices come into apprenticeships with varying skills, backgrounds, and aspirations. Apprenticeship training programs can facilitate beginning and aspiring farmer success when they meet them where they are at in their learning journey by creating various tracks within apprenticeship programs. Let’s put our heads together to think about how apprenticeship programs can be more accessible, inclusive, and participant-focused.
Questions to discuss:
• What backgrounds/experiences do the apprentices entering your programs bring?
• What are the goals of the apprentice’s post-apprenticeship?
• What have you done to make your programming more accessible?
• In what ways have you grown/adapted your apprenticeship program?
• Do you offer multiple entry-points/avenues for those interested in learning about farming?
Network presenter: Semra Fetahovic is the Urban Food Initiative Coordinator at Kansas State University. As a part of this role, she supports the Growing Growers apprenticeship program, an informal linking program in and around the Kansas City area. Since 2004, the program has trained over 200 apprentices and boasts a network of 20+ host farms. As Growing Growers enters its 20th season, the program is piloting and exploring several avenues for adapting educational offerings to increase accessibility and thus participation.
Even if you don’t have all the answers, come and learn and share challenges with your peers. We host monthly networking sessions throughout the year (First Fridays of the month at 1pm EST) as a way to connect, continue to learn from one another, build the network, and engage in topic-based discussions of interest (bring your enthusiasm for a topic you’d like to discuss). If you have new staff working with your incubator farm program or your apprenticeship training program, please invite them to come and network and meet their peers across the country to build connections. Learn more about the FIELD Network here.
Come with questions you’d like to get diverse perspectives from peers across the country. We are open to a diversity of conversation topics – come ready to share and/or gain new perspective on some of your sticky programmatic challenges!