Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture – WA

Posted on January 8, 2020 by Taylor in Beginning Farmers, Education, Farming, Mentoring, Sustainable Agriculture, Training Programs // 0 Comments

Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture – Land Based Education – At Viva Farms in Washington State – 2020

The Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture is a bilingual (English-Spanish) hands-on, applied course in Certified Organic production and small farm business management. Over the course of the 3-quarter program, participants will apply knowledge and practice techniques of sustainable agricultural production on a Certified Organic parcel, located at the Viva Farms incubator.

As a cohort, participants will go through an entire farming season and explore the fundamentals of organic production and small farm management, including crop & farm planning, soil health & cultivation, seed propagation, fertility & pest management, irrigation, and harvest & food safety best practices, as well as sales and marketing. After the growing season and using the actual operations and sales of the farm parcel, participants will examine the basics of farm business management, including financial statements, profitability analysis, recordkeeping, regulatory issues, access to financing, insurance & taxes and basic bookkeeping.

Course Details

The Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture is offered as a fully accredited program in partnership with Skagit Valley College, Seattle Central Community College and the Sustainable Agriculture Education (SAgE) Collaborative. The course takes place over 3 academic quarters each season from early April through mid-November. The Spring and Summer quarters focus on production practices and farm operations and the Fall quarter moves into applied business management.

Options for Course Registration:

Non-credit –Register directly through Viva Farms. Successful completion will earn a Certificate of Completion from Viva Farms.

College-credit—Complete the Practicum Application and enroll at one of our partner colleges. Each quarter is a stand-alone, 2-credit course, for a total of 6 credits for the entire program. Students who complete all three quarters will also earn a Certificate of Completion from Viva Farms.

Skagit Valley College: Enroll in ENVAG 298 for the Spring, Summer and Fall quarters. Successful completion of all 3 will earn the micro-certificate:
SUSTAINABLE SMALL FARM AGRICULTURE APPLIED PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT (LEVEL I)

Seattle Central College: Enroll in ENVS 196 for Spring, ENVS 198 for Summer, and ENVS 199 for Fall.

Credit or Adult Education

The Practicum is offered for credit through Skagit Valley College and Seattle Central Community College, or as adult education directly through Viva Farms.

The Practicum is offered at both Viva Farms’ locations — in Mount Vernon in Skagit County, and in Woodinville in King County. The Skagit Practicum is offered in English and Spanish.

Upon successful completion of the course, participants will be eligible to apply to participate in the Viva Farms incubator program as an independent operator of their farm business. The Viva Farms incubator is a non-profit organization with the mission to empower aspiring and limited-resource farmers by providing bilingual training in holistic and organic farming practices, and access to land, infrastructure & equipment, training, marketing and capital.

Learn more and apply athttps://vivafarms.org/practicum-in-sustainable-agriculture-2/