NOFFN has been an integral partner in the incubation and on-going support of many urban farm projects in NOLA including:
- Backyard Gardeners Network
- Our School at Blair Grocery
- NOLA Green Roots
- Little Sparrow Farm
- Grow Dat Youth Farm
- Hollygrove Market & Farm
- Viet Village Urban Farm
- Algiers Growers Network
In addition, we are a central partner with several up-and-coming community farming and market farming initiatives including Good Food NOLA, NOLA Tilth, Crescent City Urban Farms.
Building on the lessons learned from these endeavors and responding to the many groups listed requesting our assistance, NOFFN has developed a process for incubating new urban farms:
- Matching of Available Land with Interested Urban Farmers – working with both the City and NORA, NOFFN is identifying potential lots vacant, blighted, adjudicated) that could be transformed with neighborhood partners into food growing sites. NOFFN will work with partners to serve as a clearinghouse for the greater NOLA community to match available land with interested urban farmers.
- Transfer of Land Title – NOFFN will not own any of the newly incubated farms Urban farms will become the property of the neighborhood organization, or urban farmer, who takes on responsibility of farm maintenance, which include paying property taxes and other utility fees that may be required for farm operation. Each urban farm decides if the food grown is for domestic use, for donation to emergency food providers, or for sale at local markets or businesses.
- Volunteers & Farm Interns – NOFFN works with hundreds of volunteers every year who seek involvement in directed projects. NOFFN will work with incubated urban farms to coordinate volunteer workdays to assist in various aspects of farm creation – clearing of space, construction of beds and other garden structures, maintenance activities, and harvesting. In addition, there are some City residents who want to be involved in the urban agriculture movement through hands-on experience and by building relationships with local growers. NOFFN will match these interested Farm Interns with urban farms.
- Ongoing Technical Assistance & Support – NOFFN has been successful in growing growers, with many of them becoming our workshop trainers and some serving the role of urban agricultural extension specialists for their neighborhoods. Along with these important individuals, NOFFN will work with organizational partners and farming specialists to provide ongoing hands-on training, on-the-ground demonstrations, neighborhood outreach and technical assistance, and the continuation of a peer farmer support system to urban farms.
- NOLA Soil Project
