Grant money to help agriculture expand through southwestern Idaho 

A $300,000 grant, spread across three years, was recently awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovation Production to fund Idaho’s Pleasant Valley Farm project, which sits under the Global Gardens umbrella at Jannus Inc. The 15-acre Pleasant Valley Farm site has been farmed in the past but has sat unattended for many years. It will require some work, including soil preparation, water infrastructure and the addition of storage and washing facilities for market farmers to use. 

“During 2023, we’ll focus on moving four farmers out to the site on five acres,” explained Ben Brock, Global Gardens program manager. “We plan to expand by another five acres in 2023 with more farmers at the site, and to the final five acres in 2024.”  

Global Gardens was also recently the recipient of a three-year $500,000 implementation grant from the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development program through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  

The Global Gardens program is of the Idaho Office for Refugees in Jannus, and for the last 18 years has operated with the goal of helping farms for refugees expand across five farm sites. Global Gardens will soon launch a sixth farm site — Pleasant Valley Farm.  

“Our farmers grow a variety of produce, from favorites known here in Idaho like carrots, peas and tomatoes to staples of some of our farmers’ home countries, such as African eggplant,” said Brock. “The sixth farm site will be on Idaho Department of Correction property in Kuna. We’re really excited about this new partnership and the possibilities for our farmers to consolidate their growing operations and increase their output.” 

With this increased production, more Idaho residents will have access to local, spray-free produce. In addition, refugees can get the tools and resources they need to establish a thriving business in America.  

Brock said, “Some of our farmers farm in multiple locations in the Treasure Valley, and the new Pleasant Valley site will allow them to consolidate to one site, saving time and resources. It will also support our partnership with the Idaho Foodbank to make sure more families in our community have access to fresh veggies grown right here in Idaho. Global Gardens farmers also run the largest CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program in the Treasure Valley. Any community member can sign up during the harvest season to receive a box of weekly produce from one of our farmers. It’s a great way to meet a local farmer, get a consistent dose of fresh veggies and maybe get introduced to produce you’ve never heard of.” 

The USDA invested $14.2 million in 52 grants overall that were aimed to support urban agriculture and innovative production. According to a press release, these grants build on $26.3 million in projects funded since 2020. The Global Gardens project is the only project in Idaho funded for 2022.