Our work focuses on both directly supporting farmers and ranchers through practical business advising and relationship building, as well as creating a friendlier marketplace that centers their agricultural practices and lived experiences.
One-on-one Business Advising
Kitchen Table Advisors provides personalized bilingual business advising to our client farmers and ranchers.
What is business advising, you ask?
It looks like
Setting up and using Quickbooks (or another financial management tool)
Preparing for and connecting with a lender
Analyzing sales channel profitability
Learn more: Behind an Advising Relationship | Detrás de una relación de asesoramiento empresarial
It leads to
Stronger financial records used to make more informed business decisions
Better cash flow management and ability to scale a business quicker
Diverse, profitable sales channels
Learn more: Navigating the Current Economy
It feels like
Having a business support system (go-to contacts for mentorship, HR, marketing, lending)
More confidence, less isolation
Improved quality of life
Learn more: Grounded Values in a Shifting Economy
Ecosystem Building
Our Ecosystem Building program focuses on building a friendlier marketplace that removes barriers and friction points around land, capital, and markets for small-scale farmers and ranchers. Drawing on the wisdom and needs of our clients, we have understood the importance of fostering greater farmer power, governance, and ownership within the institutions where, historically, small sustainable farmers and ranchers have not been heard nor led decision-making. Our approach to this work is to leverage values-aligned community partnerships and integrated capital with innovative models that center the needs and visions of farmers and ranchers.
Below is some framing to provide context for the barriers we seek to address, with our response and work reflected in the specific projects and highlights. While these projects may focus on one of the three pillars (land, markets, and capital), their impacts are intended to transcend each area, fostering pathways for learning, collaboration, and self-determination.
Land
The barrier The high cost of farmland and lack of smaller parcels of acreage are significant barriers to long-term land security
The approach Make more higher quality agricultural land available by contributing to farmer-led land access projects and experimenting with new land ownership models
The possibilities Resilient local food economies, land in the commons, multi-generational wealth building, long-term regenerative land stewardship
The projects
Markets
The barrier Sustainable small farms are subject to the volatility of a marketplace that is designed for large-scale agriculture
The approach Pilot new purchasing programs, coach farmers and ranchers on market readiness, develop new informational resources for buyers and producers
The possibilities Farmer-owned regional food hubs, direct-to-consumer market channels for farmers who have lacked visibility and access, economic self-determination for farmers of color
The projects
BIPOC Regenerative Pilot (this project stems from KTA’s value chain strategy)
Financial Capital
The barrier The practices and products (loans, grants, etc.) of most financial institutions are not designed to address the needs of small farms and ranches for whom these resources are essential
The approach Leverage relationships to connect community leaders directly with funders, collaborate with partners on new direct assistance opportunities, pilot a community capital model
The possibilities Power dynamics shift into greater balance by placing funds in the hands of farmers and ranchers for their stewardship
The projects