Cultivate KC’s mission includes developing urban farms through technical assistance and guidance; the NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program helps us to make climate resilient farm projects and their results far more attainable. Cultivate KC is a nonprofit organization committed to growing food, farms, and community in support of an equitable, sustainable, and healthy local food system for all.
There’s no denying the profound impact conservation programs have had on urban farming in Kansas City, both sides of the state line. Ever-increasing unpredictable weather patterns have dealt chaos to our midwestern growers, and having tools readily available to combat these changes is critical for not only the future of small-scale urban farming, but for the future of food stability everywhere. These programs are responsible for mitigating pests and disease, extending growing seasons, and educating farmers how best to adapt their practices to a rapidly changing climate.
Our first experience being a part of a NRCS EQIP high tunnel build was with Beh Paw Gaw and Pay Lay, sisters from Burma, also referred to as Myanmar, who resettled to the United States in 2007. They graduated from the Cultivate KC and Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas New Roots farmer training program in 2011 and went to work immediately, opening their farming business, Ki Ko Ko Farms on 2.5 acres in Kansas City, Kansas. Their farm is still thriving today, and Beh Paw says, the goal is to “be independent, live a good life, help the poor, be a good role model and don’t forget where you come from.”
We assisted Bryon Postlethwait with his build after he received a NRCS EQIP grant for a high tunnel in 2019. Bryon’s urban farm was near the Independence Uptown Farmer’s Market, and in his own words, “The community wins because they get local food. I enjoy being out here, so I feel like I’m doing something better for the neighborhood.”
In addition to Beh Paw Gaw and Pay Lay, there are several other New Roots graduates who were awarded NRCS EQIP grants for high tunnels on their properties. Bawi Hmung, whose farm is in Kansas City, Kansas, received grant funding for his high tunnel’s construction in December 2020 and was able to complete the project in less than a year. The structure is helping to lengthen his growing season and improve his crop yields, resulting in a stronger farm business for Bawi and more local, healthy produce for our community.
After graduating from New Roots and starting his own farm in Kansas City, Kansas in 2022, Moe Thu received a NRCS EQIP grant to build a high tunnel. Friends, family, staff, and volunteers of Cultivate KC gathered to assemble the high tunnel in November of that year. Program support has made it possible for Moe Thu to access funding for critical infrastructure to expand his farm business and feed his community.
For more examples of how Cultivate KC has used NRCS EQIP grants read the full article HERE: https://www.cultivatekc.org/nrcs-consevation-programs-help-kc-farmers-gain-climate-resilience/
Posted on November 28, 2023 by Alicia Alferman
