Arkansas Land & Farm Development Corp., USA

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Incorporated in 1980 and serving a 42-county area in eastern and southern Arkansas, ALFDC provides advocacy, education, and technical assistance. The organisation encourages alternative farm enterprises and has initiated several autonomous spin-off corporations addressing regional economic and human development. The ALFDC mission is to improve the quality of life in rural communities through land retention, family farm development, and land based development for limited resource and socially disadvantaged people.

The ALFDC is broken-down into four divisions:

  1. Agricultural and Rural Community Development Division

    This division at Arkansas Land & Farm Development Corporation encourages a comprehensive approach to rural development. It works with individuals, rural communities, community based organisations, non-profit and for-profit organisations.
    This division is made-up of six sub-components which strives to create sustainable rural communities by developing the capacity of residents. Those components include: Small Farm Outreach, Training and Technical Assistance, Rural Information Network, Rural Development Finance Initiative, Empowerment Zone/Enterprise Community, and New Housing Construction.

  2. Integrated Farming System Division

    This training division assists farmers in the adoption of integrated self-supporting crops and livestock. It encourages protecting the environment as well as assessing what chemicals should be put in the soil for more productive crops. The overall goal of this division is to encourage socially disadvantaged, limited resource farmers to stay in farming and become agri-business people committed to ecology (farming within the cycles of nature, not exploiting nature). It also consists of several demonstration plots located on clients farms for research and training, including a 260 acre farm on the ALFDC site. This network of farms is dedicated to alternative crops and sustainable agricultural practices.

  3. Home Ownership Miracles Everywhere (H.O.M.E) Housing Division

    The housing division, established at ALFDC in 1994 serves homeless and inadequately housed rural people. This division provides housing to individuals who do not have adequate housing. Some of the homes are leased with an option to purchase. ALFDC provides counselling on maintaining the home before signing the lease. The lease, with an option to purchase, does not exceed a five-year period. Eligible applicants have the option of applying a portion of their rent as a down payment toward the purchase of the home. Applicants must have or establish a good credit rating during the duration of the lease in order to purchase the property.
    Normally, these homes are acquired from FMHA surplus or foreclosed properties. The HOME program provides an avenue for ALFDC to generate revenues and relinquish its total dependence on grants.

  4. Youth Enterprise in Agriculture (Y.E.A.) Youth Division

    Established at ALFDC in 1991 as a career and leadership development program for youth, the Youth Enterprise In Agriculture program introduces youth to farming and agriculture related careers. It also provides students with an opportunity to do hands-on training, education and leadership development.
    So impressed with the program, former USDA Secretary of Agriculture Mike Espy commissioned this program to be expanded to youth in Mississippi and Illinois. Now youth from the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences and the Piney Woods Country Life School are participating.
    Students are offered paid internships with public and private agriculture agencies for six weeks. This is a two-year school-to-work program. The programs also include Saturday seminars.