Providence Farm Collective (PFC) empowers just and equitable access to food and farmland by cultivating farmer-led and community-rooted agriculture and food systems. PFC is the only organization in Western New York with programs for emerging farmers that provide farmland access, farming and business education, technical assistance, access to markets, and the opportunity to farm for income. In 2022, the joint capital campaign by PFC and the Western New York Land Conservancy to Plant the Future of Farming was successfully completed. Through that campaign, PFC purchased its 37-acre farm, built a barn hub with wash and pack, storage and a farm store, protected the land with an agricultural easement, and established a Farmer Directed Endowment Fund at the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo. Our next opportunity is to grow the endowment for future sustainability of Providence Farm Collective and its programs that support a new generation of farmers in Western New York. Partner with PFC to ensure it continues to deliver impact in regional agriculture and food systems. Donate today to Sustaining Our Agricultural Future.
Empowering Just and Equitable Access and Equitable Access to Food and Farm land to Food and Farmland
• Our Agricultural Heritage • Food With Dignity • Sustaining Our Future
Our Agricultural Heritage
Right here, in Western New York, there are farmers nearing retirement without a transition plan for their farms. At the same time, beginning and new entry farmers are struggling to access affordable farmland. Our food system and agricultural heritage are at a crossroads –without opportunities and support for both aging farmers and new farmers, the future of our fields and tables is uncertain. Our programs at Providence Farm Collective address this challenge by empowering a new generation of diverse farmers.
Food with Dignity
At Providence Farm Collective, we take seriously the vital role we play in our region to build farms, cultivate community, steward our natural resources, and provide fresh food access that centers dignity for us all. Food with Dignity is our belief that our Western New York neighbors deserve access to fresh, nutritious produce AND our region’s farmers deserve to be paid fairly for feeding us.
“Getting access to decent healthy food should not be a struggle. . . to afford, say, organic food. And to me, when I take this food and people can access it, that is food with dignity.”
HAMADI ALI, DEPUTY DIRECTOR
Food with Dignity
At Providence Farm Collective, we take seriously the vital role we play in our region to build farms, cultivate community, steward our natural resources, and provide fresh food access that centers dignity for us all. Food with Dignity is our belief that our Western New York neighbors deserve access to fresh, nutritious produce AND our region’s farmers deserve to be paid fairly for feeding us.
“Getting access to decent healthy food should not be a struggle. . . to afford, say, organic food. And to me, when I take this food and people can access it, that is food with dignity.”
HAMADI ALI, DEPUTY DIRECTOR
Sustaining Our Future
Supporting a sustainability model that prioritizes the health and well-being of all people and our planet, in addition to profit, is key to creating agriculture and food systems that are resilient and equitable for all. Providence Farm Collective’s grassroots programs are designed with this goal in mind. Establishing the Farmer Directed Endowment Fund was the first step toward financial sustainability. Guided by a committee made up primarily of farmers, the endowment fund is designed to ensure that the farm’s long-term sustainability remains rooted in farmer leadership and community priorities. Growing the endowment is our commitment to stewarding the future of agriculture in Western New York, to meeting the needs of PFC farmers, and to ensuring that Providence Farm Collective can deliver impactful programs that serve our region’s food system for generations to come.
