Refugee Agricultural Partnership Program
“It’s a model for the nation, for the world”
--First Lady Michelle Obama, on her April 15, 2010 visit to the New Roots Community Farm in San Diego,
a program developed by RAPP grantee the International Rescue Committee of San Diego
A focus of the Refugee Agricultural Partnership Program (RAPP) is to integrate refugees into the movement sweeping across the United States, to improve the supply and quality of food in urban and rural areas. Refugees—as potential farmers or producers of healthier foods—can make a big impact in their own families and communities at large, bringing fresh fruits and vegetables to the table, and strengthening their own health and well being.
RAPP has evolved into a program with multiple objectives that include creating supplemental and often sustainable income for families, providing an adequate supply of healthy foods in a community, supporting better physical and mental health, encouraging greater community integration, and developing the capacity of organizations to access programs offered by the USDA and other federal services and resources.
There is widespread interest among refugee and other community based organizations across this country in participating in this movement. By promoting community and school gardens, small acreage farming, farm to school programs, and health and nutrition classes, refugee farmers and gardeners achieve better utilization of farmers markets to purchase or even sell fresh produce. They also cooperate with local food banks to provide better access to fresh produce for other refugee families living in places with an inadequate number of healthy food outlets, areas known as food deserts.
The Refugee Agricultural Partnership Program encourages partnerships at all levels. ORR’s partnership with USDA (USDA.gov) has improved understanding and access to USDA programs and resources, by organizations serving refugees and refugees themselves. A link to RAPP is on the “Know Your Farmer Know Your Food” blog site. The USDA National Institute for Food Agriculture (NIFA) website also has a link to RAPP at: www.csrees.usda.gov/nea/ag_systems/in_focus/smallfarms_if_part_refuge....
Collaboration with private foundations and other organizations has helped incorporate refugees into the mainstream of the sustainable food movement. Local organizations have been effective because of their ability to adapt to the unique challenges and opportunities of their individual communities, and because of multiple partnerships and collaboration with Cooperative Extension and other public and private organizations.
To learn more about what happened in 2011, read the RAPP Annual Report for 2011 (DOC 35KB).
Be part of the RAPP network!
Join the RAP-P listserve, with more than 230 subscribers across the country, sharing tips, success stories, and more information about their agricultural projects—with, for and by refugees! Also be sure to check out ORR’s technical assistance partner,
ISED Solutions, for tutorials and other information, available at www.isedsolutions.org/projects/rapp.
List of Current Grantees
| GRANTEE NAME | CITY | STATE | END DATE | AMOUNT | CONTACT NAME |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catholic Charities of Louisville | Louisville | KY | 9/30/2013 | $65,000 |
Lauren Goldberg 1177 East Broadway Louisville, KY 40204 502-365-4713 |
| Mountain States Group | Boise | ID | 9/30/2013 | $70,000 |
Katie Painter 1607 West Jefferson St. Boise Boise, ID 83702 208-336-4222 |
| Refugee Family Services, Inc | Stone Mountain | GA | 9/30/2013 | $85,000 |
Susan Pavlin 5561-H Memorial Drive Stone Mountain, GA 30083 678-984-7117 |
| Salt Lake County | Salt Lake City | UT | 9/30/2013 | $85,000 |
Ze Xiao 2001 S State St. S2100 Salt Lake City, UT 84190 |
| Lutheran Social Services | Worcester | MA | 9/30/2013 | $85,000 |
Shemariah Blum-Evitts 51 Union St. Worcester, MA 01608 413-562-6015 |
| International Institute of St. Louis | St. Louis | MO | 9/30/2013 | $80,000 |
Whitney Sewell 3654 South Grand Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63118 314-773-9090 |
| International Rescue Committee | New York | NY | 9/30/2013 | $70,000 |
Timothy Olorunfemi 5227 N. 7th St. Phoenix, AZ 85014 602-433-2449 |
| Alliance for Multicultural Community Services | Houston | TX | 9/30/2013 | $85,000 |
Yani Keo 6440 Hillcroft Ave. Suite 411 Houston, TX 77081 713-776-4700 |
| Orange Co. Partnership for Young Children | Chapel Hill | NC | 9/30/2013 | $77,000 |
Margaret Samuels 120 Providence Rd. Suite 101 Chapel Hill, NC 27514 919-967-9091 |
| International Institute of Boston | Boston | MA | 9/30/2013 | $70,000 |
Jeremiah Vernon 315 Pine St. Manchester, NH 03103 603-647-1500 |
| Assoc.of Africans Living in Vermont | Burlington | VT | 9/30/2013 | $60,000 |
Josie Weldon 72 North Champlain St. Burlington, VT 05401 802-985-3106 |
| St. Joseph Community Health Foundation | Fort Wayne | IN | 9/30/2013 | $75,000 |
Holly Chaille 2826 South Calhoun St. Fort Wayne, IN 46807 260-456-8969 |
| Cultivating Community | Portland | ME | 9/30/2013 | $50,000 |
Craig Lapine 52 Mayo St. Portland, ME 04101 603-674-3595 |
| Coalition of Limited English Speaking Elderly | Chicago | IL | 9/30/2013 | $80,000 |
Marta Pereyra 53 W Jackson Blvd. Suite 1301 Chicago, IL 60604 312-461-0812 |
Contact Information
Larry Laverentz
RAPP Program Manager
Office of Refugee Resettlement
Administration for Children and Families
901 D Street, SW
Washington, DC 20447
Phone: 202.401.4861
Fax: 202.401.5487
Larry.laverentz@acf.hhs.gov