REFUGEE AND IMMIGRANT SELF-EMPOWERMENT - SYRACUSE, NY

FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR AN AGGREGATION AND DISTRIBUTION MODEL SERVING SMALL-SCALE IMMIGRANT FARMERS

LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS, FEASIBILITY AND VIABILITY | 2023

In late 2022, Refugee and Immigrant Self-Empowerment (RISE), a New York-based organization, acquired a 180 acre plot of land which has since been cultivated by their growing community of Syracuse Refugee Agricultural Program participants. Food Works Group partnered with RISE to determine the demand for local, culturally-connected produce, in order to design a roadmap for program expansion in the coming seasons. Through independent research and more than 30 stakeholder interviews, FWG gained an understanding of the local foods landscape of Syracuse as well as the needs of participating farmers, in order to determine accessible sales channels and improve access to culturally appropriate foods. This project culminated in an end-of-season reflection to strengthen cost, participation, and sales estimates that was used to outline the financial feasibility of continued operations on the new land.