Sustainable farming, professional development, and funding?
May 25, 2015 6:59 AM   Subscribe

I'd like to take a certificate course course in Sustainable Farming and Foods. My employer, a non-profit, lacks the funds. How do I make this happen?

I'm lucky enough to be a part of some really great initiatives through my non-profit job at a sheltered workshop (which is great work as it is). Currently I manage a greenhouse and market garden for my employer (BEST JOB EVER!) but I'm also a Farmers' Market Manager on a military base (newly established, also as a result of my current job). In the near future, I'll be helping to develop a sustainable food shed for our military base, I'll be working on some controlled environment agriculture initiatives, and most awesome, I'll be in charge of the development of a 600 acre veterans to farmers training farm. Did I mention my job is awesome?!

Funny thing is, I have no degree and have been invited to participate and tasked with these responsibilities simply because of my research and grant writing skills and enthusiasm.

I'd like to bulk up my skills and understanding of what's going to be necessary or the best practice for the things I'll soon be a part of. This, I'd like to get some sort of certificate in sustainable agriculture and food systems, or something of the like. UMass Amherst Stockbridge had an AWESOME certificate course in Sustainable Food and Farming that I am dying to take but I know other institutions offer something similar.

My questions: Has anyone ever taken a certificate course like this?

Further, I work at a non-profit so funding this is gonna be rough. The UMass certificate is $6000+ - my employer can't fund this. Are there funding sources - scholarships, grants, etc - for non-profit employee professional development? My google-fu is failing.

I work with a lot of professionals and I've been asked more than once what my educational background is. I'd like to be able to answer this wig something that directly pertains to the work I'm doing and beyond that, it would obviously help me and the work in doing and and have done seem more, I don't know, reliable, if that's the right word?

Any help would be great! Thanks in advance, MeFites!

(Forgive errors, typed on phone!)
posted by youandiandaflame to Education (5 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
I suggest starting with the Financial Aid office at UMass, and it looks like Massachusetts Department of of Higher Education may also have resources available. You may be eligible for a scholarship or grant due to your nonprofit work, and if you take out loans to pay for the program, the U.S. Department of Education offers a Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

You may also want to contact Growing Veterans, because they can offer ideas for the development of a 600 acre veterans to farmers training farm and may have ideas on how to fund your continuing education. Congratulations on this awesome opportunity!
posted by Little Dawn at 8:20 AM on May 25, 2015


General purpose permaculture design certificate courses are available in several places online for $250 and up, and I have seen on site intensive courses offered in a range of prices from $200 to $1000. I think if you're willing to travel you could have a PDC in 1-2 months by the calendar. The regenerative leadership institute has one I looked into but though I found the concepts presented compelling, I thought the certification phase was not very good. But I have seen others, and YMMV.
posted by halhurst at 9:28 AM on May 25, 2015


I'm taking the UMass certificate right now and it is awesome, for what it's worth. If you can swing it I recommend it.
posted by lydhre at 11:19 AM on May 25, 2015


Response by poster: @lydhre: Care to me mail your thoughts on the course?
posted by youandiandaflame at 2:21 PM on May 25, 2015


This awesome FPP may help you find funding opportunities: Swords Into Plowshares: Military veterans turn to farming
posted by Little Dawn at 6:35 PM on May 27, 2015 [1 favorite]


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