New Roots for Refugees

New Roots for Refugees empowers families to start farm businesses growing produce according to organic standards. For the past decade New Roots for Refugees has supported families from the refugee community in establishing their own farm businesses primarily selling through farmer’s markets, CSA (community supported agriculture), and wholesale to local restaurants. New Roots is a collaboration between Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas and Cultivate Kansas City. New Roots for Refugees is designed to remove the initial barriers to starting a business- financial restraints, literacy, language proficiency, networking, etc. While in the program families take English classes, attend weekly workshops about owning a farm business in America, maintain their plot, sell at a farmer’s market, coordinate a CSA, learn equipment, and manage their business, financially and through keeping records. At the end of four years, families move onto their own piece of land and begin growing there. By the fourth year, farmers have taken on the totality of the business expenses and have practice maintaining their customer base. Every year more farms begin in Kansas City on new plots of land offering more local produce grown following organic practices, in communities across the metro.