Providence Farm Collective (PFC) grew from the Somali Bantu Community Farm, a three-year pilot launched in 2017 to address inequities in farmland and fresh-food access.
Hearing the parallel needs and challenges experienced by other people who are refugees, immigrants, Black, Indigenous, and people of color, PFC was established in 2019 as a non-profit umbrella organization with a mission of cultivating farmer-led and community-rooted agriculture and food systems to actualize the rights of under-resourced peoples.
PFC is the only non-profit in Western New York that directly supports our communities with access to rural farmland, farming and business education, technical assistance, markets, and the opportunity to farm for income. Through its programs, PFC helps to uplift the next generation of diverse agricultural entrepreneurs and community farmers with an emphasis on promoting self-sufficiency and advancing ecological and human health.
Many community members voice the same reasons for farming at PFC:
- To build fresh food and economic security within their communities
- To grow culturally relevant crops key to food traditions
- To connect to agricultural heritage
- To enjoy the outdoors
- And to reap the physical and mental health benefits the farm provides.
Our Impact
275
Farmers
21
Farms
8757
Pounds of produce donated
8,000
Individuals accessed food grown at PFC
Learn more about our impact and results Click here
History
Providence Farm Collective is a non-profit grassroots organization established following a three-year pilot project, the Somali Bantu Community Farm (SBCF), which was launched in 2017 to address inequities in farmland and fresh food access. The Somali Bantu have deep agrarian roots and generations of experience in farming. When resettled as refugees, however, they were homed to West- and East-side neighborhoods in Buffalo where the legacy of redlining, disinvestment, and resultant lack of access to fresh food continues today.
Hearing parallel challenges experienced by other refugee and Black communities in accessing farmland, SBCF founders conducted extensive outreach to farm programs across North America to learn what was working and what was not. This information was then contextualized based on the expressed needs of the refugee and Black communities in Buffalo and the socio-economic landscape of WNY. As a result, PFC was founded in 2019 with a mission of cultivating farmer-led and community-rooted agriculture and food systems to actualize the rights of under-resourced peoples and a vision of empowering just and equitable access to food and farmland.
Our Values
Equity
We believe that equity is built through access to opportunities, resources and empowerment.
Inclusiveness
We respect people, value diversity, and nurture belonging.
Grassroots
We are committed to empowering communities to move towards self-determination and self-governance; making decisions that respect and honor cultural traditions and approaches to problem solving.
Education
We believe knowledge is the gateway to a better future that leads to security, stability, empathy and understanding.