Description

Community Reaps Our Produce and Shares (CROPS) is a Multnomah County initiative that began in 2009 and was established to address hunger, a growing public health concern, and its links to obesity and chronic diseases. The CROPS Farm, located on a formerly vacant, County-owned lot in Troutdale, was managed by a full-time Multnomah County staff person and tended to regularly with the help of an engaged volunteer base. Each year, approximately 15,000 pounds of fresh and organically-grown produce was donated to SnowCap Community Charities and other local organizations and groups. In addition to helping people in need, the CROPS initiative enabled people to eat healthier, provided a nurturing space for skill sharing, community service, and fostered a place to build community. Multnomah County’s Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health program (REACH) in partnership with the Office of Sustainability, will work to provide a community-based farm site (formerly the CROPS Farm) in Troutdale, Oregon, for the county’s Black populations. The farm will support the Black community, providing a space for Black farmers to grow locally-grown culturally-specific produce and will support economic development by fostering skill building, agricultural training, and partnerships between Black farmers, local business, and institutional markets. The party selected will have a license to use 3-acres of arable-land for farming, with access to municipal water and electricity service. In addition, the County will provide one shipping container, and may also transfer ownership of capital assets like tractor and tractor attachments, hand tools, and other implements of farming. The license will be granted for a five-year time period with the ability to renew for an additional five-years. Outside of the license to use the land and the potential for transfer of surplus farming equipment, the County will not provide ongoing funding for programmatic support. All utility bill and other costs associated with the farming operation will be the responsibility of the vendor. 

Attachments

This project has the following solicitation documents. You will need to visit the agency's original website to download these documents.

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