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Sober Mesa Farm outlines urban-farm training, refugee engagement and regional partnerships
Summary
Founders of Sober Mesa Farm asked the committee to note their work training refugees and marginalized residents in small-scale farming and described partnerships with agriculture groups and plans for workshops, markets and educational programming to expand community access to fresh produce.
Robert Frew and Juan Carlos Arango presented Sober Mesa Farm’s foundation work, describing an urban farm model that aims to teach small-scale farming, host workshops, and create microbusiness opportunities for immigrants and refugees.
Frew said the group purposefully focused on an on-site, urban location so participants without vehicles could access training and markets. He described partnerships and seed funding from Farm Aid, support from Duke Energy, and collaborations with the Soil and Water Conservation District, Purdue Extension and NRCS. Frew said the foundation plans regional workshops through Marble Seed and expects the project to attract participants from across the Midwest.
Committee members asked about scale and programming; Frew said the farm has already trained a small cohort of participants and anticipates more workshops, markets and educational events as the project grows.
The committee thanked the presenters; no vote was taken at the meeting.
