Fort Lewis College (FLC) located in Durango, Colorado, is reclaiming part of its history as an agriculture research station. Their project Training and Professional Development for Beginning Native Farmers builds on FLC’s previous work in training aspiring agricultural producers and providing spaces for farmers to put crops in the ground. The project site at FLC’s Old Fort is in Hesperus, Colorado, adjacent to the Southern Ute Indian Reservation.
Approximately 38 percent of FLC’s students are Native and represent Tribal Nations and communities from across the country. With this grant, FLC intends to augment their intern and farmer-in-training cohorts, expand their Indigenous garden, and pilot agricultural training field courses. Their program seeks to alleviate the lack of advanced training for students interested in pursuing a career in agricultural production. The goal of FLC’s training program is to establish an avenue for producers to launch successful farm and ranch operations, with an infusion of financial and capital access training throughout the coursework.
