Plant It Forward Apprentices are Halfway to the Finish Mark!
PIF Apprentices celebrating the completion of the first half of the Apprenticeship Program.
In March 2024, PIF’s six apprentices embarked on a year-long journey to learn how to farm and start an agribusiness. Six months have passed, and you can still sense the same excitement among them as their very first day. If you’ve ever been around the apprentices, you know their passion and ambitions are always present in the room with them, and it’s palpable!
During the last six months, the apprentices have worked twenty hours a week with Master Farmer, Chef Constant, where they learned about spring and summer season crops, harvesting, planting, building high tunnels, and how to use key farming tools. The majority of the apprentices have some farming knowledge they bring with them from their home country, but for many, this was their first time working on a farm in the US.
In addition to hands-on work in the field, Apprentices participate in weekly classes, which are designed to bolster their practical knowledge of production and business management. Each month, Apprentices attend training sessions with Rice University professor, Dr. Joe Novak, at the University’s Holistic Garden. Classes are centered around composting, soil management, vegetable & herb crops, the ecosystem of an urban farm, and weed control in organic crop production. The apprentices have also attended courses on business planning, sustainable farm design, and soil fertility management hosted by The Alliance, Kitchen Table Consultants, and Small Producers Initiative (SPI).
In addition to their classes, the apprentices participated in the SFFFS Conference hosted by SPI and Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance (FARFA) and PIF’s own New American Farmer (NAF) Conference. Through these events, farmers broadened their resource network and learned about topics from how to can veggies to permaculture and bookkeeping. One of the Apprentices, Francisca Hien, even hosted a workshop on bee keeping during PIF’s NAF Conference. She and Kim Meyer (from Shamba Ya Amani) had the audience captivated – it was the bee’s knees.
PIF Apprentices from left to right: Hussein, Hamidah, Lutumba, Yolande, Van, Francisca
Yolande Sawadogo, who divides her time as a mother, a hair salon business owner, and a PIF Apprentice, gives us an insight into what the last six months have been like for her as an apprentice. For Yolande, the most challenging part of the Apprenticeship Program has been farming in the heat of the summer months. “You learn how to work in the heat,” she says. She’s already strategizing how she will structure her work day in the future. “When I have my farm – during the summer months – I will work in the morning, take a break after noon to avoid the heat, and return to work in the evening.”
While she’s been benefiting from the different learning experiences within the apprenticeship, the part she has enjoyed the most have been her classes with Dr. Ken Mix, Texas State Professor. She feels he has done a wonderful job sharing his wealth of knowledge in an engaging way and encouraging them to think critically about what they see in the field. “He’s preparing us very well,” she commented.
Yolande took a moment to reflect on what she’s learned in the program so far. “We’ve learned a lot. I had a general idea about farming, but what I’ve learned is that in farming, you get out what you put in – your time and energy. The crops are like babies, they require your care.”
From the time she began the program in March until now, she realizes her goals have evolved. When she first started, she felt she wanted to only focus on one thing – growing vegetables. Through her classes and connecting with other farmers, she’s now understanding that diversifying and including value-added goods is tremendously advantageous. As a true entrepreneur that doesn’t miss a beat, she has already started developing delicious, natural juices, which she brought to the PIF Farm Fest and PIF Open House. The community LOVED them! Way to go, Yolande!
With any learning journey, there is always the opportunity for self-discovery along the way. In Yolande’s case, she learned something very special about herself. “I really like working outdoors. It makes me feel connected to nature, and in a way, I feel more human,” she stated with a peaceful smile. We couldn’t agree with her more!
Yolande took a moment to express her tremendous gratitude to the PIF Staff for this opportunity and to Constant & Mary Trimble (PIF Farm Education Manager) for sharing their knowledge and experience.
Yolande Sawadogo receiving an award for supporting Chef Constant in the Recipe Showdown at the PIF Farm Fest in June 2024
The Apprentices will now be going to different farms around the Houston area to continue to learn from veteran farmers and make new connections along the way. They will be working at Daphodill Farm, Verdegreens, AfriHarvest, and Sweetwater Farms where they will learn about fall and winter crops. We look forward to this next chapter in the apprentices’ journey! Stay tuned for more updates.
