THE BLACK BELT GREEN JOBS WORKER COOPERATIVE PILOT/APPRENTICE PROGRAM

The Black Belt Green Jobs Worker Cooperative Pilot Apprenticeship Program currently has twin goals of training and exposing young people to opportunities in agriculture and forestry; through partnership programs with mentor farms that are located in West Alabama within a 40-mile radius from the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/LAF’s Rural Training and Research Center.  The Program has proven to be very important to the sustainability of the producers who are working diligently to continue to farm despite current challenges such as age, and access to reliable labor. Throughout this year, the Alabama State Association of Cooperatives’ staff and consultants, worked in collaboration with staff at the Federation’s Rural Training and Research Center to host and train ten green jobs workers; and two Job Corps Members.