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Project partners:
June 2023 – June 2026
Aerial view of friends gathered to harvest radishes at black futures farm in Portland, OR. Photo credit: Robert Cuadra
In partnership with Ecotrust, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is launching a new urban agriculture center for the Portland region to support urban agriculture efforts of historically underserved farmers.
Producers need targeted, focused, and intentional outreach, education, and support, including community-led, community-centered, and culturally appropriate solutions that will support their involvement and engagement in Farm Service Agency (FSA) and other USDA programs and services, as well as meet their unique needs for growth. As we work collaboratively over the next three years, Ecotrust commits itself to build the capacity of the Oregon’s FSA to serve producers inclusively by conducting outreach, distributing $150,000 in microgrants, providing direct technical assistance and facilitating on-farm engagements while building awareness of USDA programs.These efforts are intended to result in a greater number of underserved producers utilizing federal programs that support conservation practices, land access, and operations expansion.
This work is grounded in strong partnerships between Black Food Sovereignty Coalition, Oregon Department of Agriculture, Oregon State University Center for Small Farms, Oregon Metro, and Multnomah County Health Department’s Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health program that works to ensure the agency delivers equitable service to all.
2024 Microgrant Awardees
The first round of microgrants was awarded to farmers and farm businesses in the spring of 2025.
ahlain wa sahlain! i am iman labanieh and the syrian farmer + herbalist behind baylasan botanicals. my ancestors are rooted in damascus + aleppo, syria, and i was raised by the lands of the Tongva (orange county, ca) and Huichin Ohlone (oakland, bay area). i’m currently a guest on the lands of the Clackamas, Chinook, Cowlitz, and many other peoples who make up the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. along with running baylasan botanicals, i am a care + cultural worker, a fierce dreamer, intention setter, pisces (x4), aspiring dj, and kitty parent.
i have always had the desire to heal and be healed. i found farming and plant medicine in the twisty turny ways that life often works. my journey into healing work began during my teen years, where i interned and volunteered in different community mental health programs. i received degrees in ethnic studies and psychology from the university of california, berkeley before working as a counselor with system-impacted youth in the bay area. yet, i found myself and my work stifled by the limitations of the non-profit industrial complex and the accepted modes of healing in western medicine. it was during this time that i was delving into learning about my ancestral plants + their medicines, and making healing teas and concoctions for myself and my community.
Kasama Farm is a queer, Pilipinx-American-led land, healing, and love project on Wasco and Wishram land in Hood River County, Ore.
A space where queer, trans, BIPOC people can find nourishment and show up in their wholeness.
An intergenerational space to reclaim cultural relationships our ancestors had with plants and plant medicines.
A healthy social environment that is energizing to the soul and honors ritual, creativity and joy.
A community-based and community-supported project.
A space filled with the laughter of children, songs and prayers of our elders, and the many colors, patterns, and sounds of our people.
Momma Nature’s urban farm is a Comprehensive Health Equity Movement (CHEM) innovation hub partner growing organic food for BIPOC and low-income communities in the Portland metro area. CHEM GlobalCampus is an international network of high-tech CHEM ASTEAMM® innovation hubs that pair best-in-class agricultural operating practices, scientific research, and technological advancements with academic curricula, enterprise development, and community reinvestment initiatives.
Mora Mora Farm is a one-acre, mixed vegetable farm in Troutdale, Ore., established through the Headwaters Incubator Program. We grow over 100 varieties of fresh, seasonal veggies, with a special focus on both Pacific Northwest classics and beloved Asian heritage varieties. We host a thriving CSA program, partner with local restaurants, and work closely with nonprofits addressing food insecurity around Portland.
At Mora Mora, we’re all about healthy soil and sustainable practices. We use compost, cover crops, and minimal tillage to boost soil life and create a thriving ecosystem. Our farming methods go above and beyond organic standards, and our intensive growing practices allow us to maximize production on a small space. We are committed to maintaining a productive and healthy farm system that benefits both the soil and our local community.
We reclaim and celebrate the heritage and wisdom of Black-African matriarchal cultures by weaving ecofeminism, cooperative economics and care into the fabric of modern agriculture, land stewardship, and culinary artistry.
Microgrant Applications
The application period for the 2024 microgrants has closed. Please email fsamicrogrants@ecotrust.org if you have any questions.
Resources
REQUEST FOR APPLICATION
Convocatoria de solicitudes (RFA)
Ubicación: Portland, OR
Montos de financiamiento: El programa de microsubvenciones cuenta con un presupuesto total de $150,000 durante la duración del acuerdo de cooperación. Los solicitantes pueden pedir una subvención única de $5,000. Si se conceden,
los fondos deberán gastarse antes del 1 de diciembre de 2025.
Ombi la maombi (RFA)
Mahali: Portland, OR
Kiasi cha Ufadhili: Mpango wa ruzuku ndogo una jumla ya bajeti ya $150,000 kwa muda wa makubaliano ya vyama vya ushirika. Waombaji wanaweza kuomba ruzuku ya $ 5,000 ya wakati mmoja. Ikitolewa If awarded, pesa lazima zitumike ifikapo Januari 31, 2025. Maombi yamefunguliwa: Julai 16, 2024 Maombi yalifungwa mnamo: Agosti 13, 2024, 11:59:00 adhuhuri wakati wa Pacific
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In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, and reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) …
Website
Farm Service Agency engages in the following types of cooperative agreements: …
Blog post
A $1.5M cooperative agreement will support utilization of USDA programs among farmers historically underserved or discriminated against by the agency. Ecotrust is among the organizations who will be leading this work in the Portland Metro region.
Press release
August 7, 2023 | A $1.5M cooperative agreement will support utilization of USDA programs among farmers historically underserved or discriminated against by the agency
News
July 25, 2023 | Portland will be home to one of 17 new urban agriculture centers nationwide with a $1.5 million investment from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
News
July 24, 2023 | Reps. Suzanne Bonamici (OR-1), Earl Blumenauer (OR-3), Andrea Salinas (OR-6), and Sens. Ron Wyden (OR) and Jeff Merkley (OR) applaud the Biden-Harris administration’s nearly $1.5 million investment in a new Urban Service Center to help urban farmers and strengthen local food systems in the Pacific Northwest.
Community partners talk about growth cycles with farmer Michelle Week, founder of Good Rain Farm, at the Headwaters Incubator Program in Gresham, OR. Photo credit: Kari Rowe
Sabrina Cerquera, Program Manager of Food Systems Equity, and Aaron Vargas, former Ecotrust staff. Photo credit: Kari Rowe
Partners
is a collaboration hub for Black and Brown communities that exists to ignite BIPOC communities to participate as owners and movement leaders within food systems, placemaking, and economic development.
equitably serves all farmers, ranchers, and agricultural partners through the delivery of effective, efficient agricultural programs for all Americans.
serves the changing needs of Oregon’s diverse agricultural and food sectors to maintain and enhance a healthy natural resource base and strong economy in rural and urban communities across the state.
advances sustainable agriculture, resilient community food systems, and the long-term viability of Oregon’s small and mid-scale farmers and ranchers.
is the nation’s first directly elected regional government and serves more than 1.7 million people in Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties whose boundary encompasses Portland and 23 other cities region wide.
works to develop and implement local, culturally appropriate programs to address a wide range of health disparities among the Black/African immigrant and refugee communities throughout Oregon.
Ecotrust Project Team & Services
Want to learn more? Check out the full Ecotrust Staff & Board and all of our Tools for Building Collective Change.
We cultivate leaders and assist with funding sources.
We build and deliver mission-aligned projects in partnership.
We contribute tools, analyses, and frameworks that move projects forward.
