FARM EDUCATION PROGRAMS

ALBA

The Agriculture & Land-Based Training Association (‘ALBA’) works to create economic opportunity for limited-resource and aspiring organic farmers through bilingual, land-based education in the heart of the Salinas Valley. Their 100-acre training facility and 5-year “Farmer Education & Enterprise Development” (FEED) program serves hard-working, low-income farm workers and aspiring farmers seeking a better life through agricultural entrepreneurship. 

Agroecology Commons

Agroecology Commons is a cooperatively-led nonprofit that cultivates knowledge sharing, community action, and global solidarity for decolonized land stewardship, collective healing, and justice within the food movement. Working primarily within unceded Chochenyo Ohlone Territory, programs include the Bay Area Farmer-to-Farmer Training, online learning with Farmer Campus, and Farmer-to-Farmer Skillshares focusing on cooperative networks, holistic stewardship, land justice, and food sovereignty.

Center for Land-based Learning

Based in Sacramento & Yolo Counties, the Center for Land Based Learning inspires, educates, and cultivates future generations of farmers, agricultural leaders and natural resource stewards. From the Farm Academy to their incubator program, come kick-start your farming career.

Farmer Campus

Farmer Campus is a virtual learning network that connects you to the next generation of agricultural education. We specialize in targeted, multimedia education that blends online learning with on-farm practice, offering you cutting edge online courses, hands-on activities, practical research and live talks with expert farmers that could end up as your mentors. Meet peers through engaging forums and explore topics most relevant to you. Using the Farmer Campus global network you’ll join an engaged community of farmers, academics, educators and fellow students. Farmer Campus is here to help you cultivate resilience on your farm, regardless of where you are in the world.

photo credit @noyekim

School of Adaptive Agriculture

Based in Willits, CA, this school works to improve agricultural literacy and food security, offering residential programs and courses exploring diverse methods of holistic crop and livestock production for farmers, home scale producers and youth.

Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems

Based at UC Santa Cruz, the mission of CASFS is to research, develop, and advance sustainable food and agricultural systems that are environmentally sound, economically viable, socially responsible, nonexploitative, and that serve as a foundation for future generations.

Shone Farm, Santa Rosa Junior College

Ranked #1 in the Nation for College Farms, Shone Farm is a 365-acre outdoor learning laboratory offering a hands-on experience. In addition to viticulture, animal sciences and forestry, the SRJC offers a sustainable agriculture program where students can learn sustainable farming practices on a commercial scale and are involved in planting, harvesting, packing, pricing, and selling vegetables and fruit.

MESA

The Multicultural Exchange Program for Farmers (MESA) cultivates a global grassroots network of food and farming leaders dedicated to reviving community food systems. Through experiential learning in agroecology and horizontal exchanges for food sovereignty, MESA links ancestral knowledge with innovation rooted in earth stewardship, equitable economies, and multicultural alliances worldwide. Programs include international exchange, online education courses and Bay Area farmer training programs.