Posted by Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin on February 20, 2012
Last February 14th, Senator Julie A. Rosen of Senate District 24 introduced S.F. No. 1713 -Immigrant and Minority Microloan program to the Agriculture and Rural Economics committee. I was invited to testify on behalf of this bill and I am happy to report that it passed the committee unanimously.
This bill is part of the work that the Minnesota Department of Agriculture has been doing to respond to the increasing demand for services, especially financial services to bridge the gap between aspiring immigrant and minority farmers who can’t access conventional lending to get started on their farming dreams.
Although our organization is working hard to build infrastructure that can deliver financing to the farmers we work with, the challenge is really overwhelming when we look at the larger landscape of opportunity to bring alternative economic development opportunities to our rural communities. This bill is a very important step in a process of building a culture of support, tolerance, and diversity. It is especially a step towards removing structural barriers that keep promising agriculture entrepreneurs from contributing their full potential to our rural and urban food and agriculture landscape.
My name is Rafael Martinez and I am interning this summer with the Rural Enterprise Center. I am a student of agronomy at Monterrey Tech (ITESM), in Querétaro, México, interested in the relationship between nature and people through agriculture.
My journey began 13 months ago, when I first came to the Midwest. That first summer I had the opportunity to work on a couple of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms in Iowa, and later attend Iowa State University as an exchange student during the fall. It was during this time that I learned about sustainable agriculture as an alternative to overcome flaws of our current food production systems.
My original plan was to attend Iowa State for the whole academic year. Unfortunately, due to the political and social situation in Mexico, ISU and other universities were forced to stop sending students there, canceling the exchange program with my home university until further notice. It was then that I choose to take this as an opportunity to obtain experience by getting involved in agriculture development projects. This winter, I worked at the Center for Rural Affairs in a Latino farmer outreach project. It was through this work that heard about the Rural Enterprise Center, and it’s unique approach to social issues and sustainable agriculture.
During this first three weeks of work here I’ve been most involved with the construction of the chicken production demonstration site at the Agripreneur Training Center and the development and facilitation of the training program. It has been hard (and muddy) work, but has given me the chance to meet this awesome community and hear about the ideas and the commitment of the people involved in this project. It is rewarding to see the chicken coop being built and the trainees taking it very seriously, making plans to actually start their own business. Bob Kell and Katie Blanchard have been wonderful too, giving me just the right support and making sure I’m having a good time.
Working with Rural Enterprise Center, I’ve been learning not just about the barriers and limitations that the Latino community faces in becoming agricultural producers, but also integral approaches to overcome them. I’ve always believed that I’m in a position to be a mediator between Americans and the Latino community since I deeply understand both cultures and especially the problems that immigrants faced in Latin America and when they establish here in the US. I’m glad that my work here at REC is helping me develop leadership skills to be a better me a better mediator, while letting me participate in this project.
I will be around for three more weeks, since I need to get ready to begin classes in August. I hope that the success of the Agripreneur Training Program brings along other projects to allow future interns the opportunity to learn about the Latino community and the training and support of beginner farmers
(Katie’s Note: It has been great to have Rafael around, and we are especially thankful for his hard work on the chicken coop. We look forward to many future opportunities for student intern involvement in the Agripreneur Training Program!)
The Rural Enterprise Center is a program of Main Street Project that focuses on enterprise development. Our mission is to strengthen communities by bringing together the support infrastructure, systems, resources and programs that rural entrepreneurs need to succeed. More...
