A Feasibility Study for Urban Edge Agricultural Parks - SAGE

ALBA’s Farm Training andResearch Center (FT&RC)Background and PurposeThe Agriculture & Land-Based Training Association’s (ALBA) mission is to promoteeconomic viability, social equity and ecological land management among limitedresource farmers and agricultural laborers, in order to advance a sustainable foodsystem on California’s Central Coast. The Triple M Ranch, the site of the FarmTraining and Research Center (FT&RC), located in an environmentally sensitive andeconomically important area, had been targeted for development of 20 large ranchstyle homes. Instead, through a partnership with the Elkhorn Slough Foundation,California Coastal Conservancy and the Packard Foundation, the Triple M Ranch waspurchased by the Association for Community Based Education (a Washington, DCbased non-profit organization) in 2000, with a vision to develop it into a trainingcenter and incubator based on the Rural Development Center model, but focusedon established farmers.The FTRC was founded in 2001 by ALBA to serve as an incubator for establishedsmall growers within the Elkhorn Slough Watershed that are seeking to experimentwith alternative crops and conservation practices that are both economically viableand protect the environment. The FTRC strives to provide an environment thatfacilitates open dialogue between conservation and agricultural interests,researchers and farmers, serving as an example of how sustainable agriculturepractices can enhance the preservation of sensitive natural environments. ALBAowns the property, and the Elkhorn Slough Foundation, a local land trust, holds aNatural Resource and Agricultural Easement on the property.Target ProducersThe target audience of the Center’s programs is established farmers (largely Latino)seeking an opportunity to try new cultivation and conservation techniques in areduced risk setting. In addition, ALBA collaborates with numerous partners thataim to reach the same audience and share its agricultural, conservation, localeconomic development and social justice objectives. The Center offers continuingeducation opportunities for farmers, ranchers, farmworkers and landowners onnumerous topics of interest, including production, pest and weed management,marketing and business planning.Land/LocationThe Triple M Ranch is located at 420 Hall Road, Watsonville, CA, in the ElkhornSlough Watershed, which drains to the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine ResearchReserve and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. This location isapproximately equidistant between Watsonville and Salinas.DRAFT 1.6.05 77