Is a sustainable future in relation to food?

Sustainable farming, professional development, and funding?

• I'd like to take a certificate course course in Sustainable Farming and Foods. My employer, a non-profit, lacks the funds. How do I make this happen? I'm lucky enough to be a part of some really great initiatives through my non-profit job at a sheltered workshop (which is great work as it is). Currently I manage a greenhouse and market garden for my employer (BEST JOB EVER!) but I'm also a Farmers' Market Manager on a military base (newly established, also as a result of my current job). In the near future, I'll be helping to develop a sustainable food shed for our military base, I'll be working on some controlled environment agriculture initiatives, and most awesome, I'll be in charge of the development of a 600 acre veterans to farmers training farm. Did I mention my job is awesome?! Funny thing is, I have no degree and have been invited to participate and tasked with these responsibilities simply because of my research and grant writing skills and enthusiasm. I'd like to bulk up my skills and understanding of what's going to be necessary or the best practice for the things I'll soon be a part of. This, I'd like to get some sort of certificate in sustainable agriculture and food systems, or something of the like. UMass Amherst Stockbridge had an AWESOME certificate course in Sustainable Food and Farming that I am dying to take but I know other institutions offer something similar. My questions: Has anyone ever taken a certificate course like this? Further, I work at a non-profit so funding this is gonna be rough. The UMass certificate is $6000+ - my employer can't fund this. Are there funding sources - scholarships, grants, etc - for non-profit employee professional development? My google-fu is failing. I work with a lot of professionals and I've been asked more than once what my educational background is. I'd like to be able to answer this wig something that directly pertains to the work I'm doing and beyond that, it would obviously help me and the work in doing and and have done seem more, I don't know, reliable, if that's the right word? Any help would be great! Thanks in advance, MeFites! (Forgive errors, typed on phone!)

• Answer:

  I suggest starting with the http://www.umass.edu/umfa/, and it looks like http://www.mass.edu/osfa/home/contact.asp may also have resources available. You may be eligible for a scholarship or grant due to your nonprofit work, and if you take out loans to pay for the program, the U.S. Department of Education offers a https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service program. You may also want to contact http://growingveterans.org/ourstory/, because they can offer ideas for the development of a 600 acre veterans to farmers training farm and may have ideas on how to fund your continuing education. Congratulations on this awesome opportunity!