PIF: Behind the Scenes

Three Key Program Areas

Plant It Forward: the Nonprofit

While PIF farmers are hard at work growing fresh, healthy produce, PIF’s dedicated professional staff are operating behind-the-scenes to ensure the farmers have the knowledge, resources, and structural support needed to build viable farming enterprises.

We operate in three key program areas:

  • Enterprise

  • Farmer Education

  • Farm Services

Enterprise Program

Through our Food Hub we connect farmers to fair markets by facilitating sales through the PIF Farm Share (also known as a Community Supported Agriculture or CSA), and at local farmers markets. By providing critical marketing, sales, and distribution support we ensure that PIF farmers have access to direct-to-consumer retail markets.

  • Food Hub: Centrally aggregates and distributes produce from our farmer network to PIF customers, including Farm Share subscribers, restaurants, and local small farm distributors. The Food Hub also serves as a physical space where farmers wash, pack, and cold store product, with 24/7 access.

  • Farm Share Program: Customers subscribe and receive a portion of our harvest each week.

  • Farmers Market Program: Farmers sell independently at local farmers markets under the PIF brand.

Farmer Education

We provide on-going business and agricultural training to PIF farmers and to other aspiring farmers in the Houston region.

Specifically, we…

  • Create and host workshops and demonstrations on topics ranging from crop planning to weed management to developing enterprise budgets.

  • Facilitate peer-to-peer mentorship between more experienced and newer PIF farmers, as well as between PIF farmers and other regional farmers.

  • Provide hands-on, individualized mentorship designed to enable each farmer to meet their self-identified professional goals and develop their technical expertise.

Farm Services

We link PIF farmers to the resources they need to start and sustain their businesses, including:

  • Identifying good farmland and providing shared site services

  • Providing access to shared equipment

  • Alleviating cash flow constraints by providing 0% interest microloans for seeds and basic supplies at the start of each growing season.

Learn More About Our Community Impact

Interested in joining us
behind-the-scenes?

We have developed volunteer positions that support strategic initiatives in each PIF program area. Join us at an upcoming Volunteer Orientation to learn more!

Sign Up