Community Crops providing opportunities for new Americans to build farming businesses [Video]

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Since 2003, part of their effort to make a difference in the lives of others, Community Crops has been renting out plots of land to help locals create sustainable farming businesses.

Starting with a single community garden, the nonprofit now has 14 gardening and farming sites in the city that total 19 acres of land. They provide the resources and training each person joining the program needs in order to be successful, with lessons ranging from hands-on farming to planning and marketing.

“We help people grow their own food,” Megan McGuffey, Program Coordinator for Community Crops, said. “We really rent them the land, give them the resources and then hope they succeed.”

Those with the nonprofit say that of all the people they help, around 40% are immigrants and refugees from many countries. Often times, they come to the U.S. with years of experience in farming, lacking only …