CDFA-NASDA Foundation Socially Disadvantaged Farmers & Ranchers Access to Capital Program

Advancing Capacity, Collaboration & Capital Access Nationwide

The Socially Disadvantaged Farmers & Ranchers Access to Capital initiative—delivered by the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) in partnership with the NASDA Foundation —has laid a strong foundation for expanding capital access for small, emerging, and undercapitalized farmers and ranchers across the country. Through this USDA-supported effort, CDFA has built deep relationships, produced comprehensive tools, and developed nationally informed training models that will continue to guide our work with food and farm communities for years to come.

Deep Place-Based Engagement in New Mexico and Minnesota

Over three years, CDFA and the NASDA Foundation partnered closely with pilot communities in New Mexico and Minnesota, delivering intensive technical assistance that blended on-the-ground learning with statewide ecosystem-building. Each state participated in three regionally distinct site visits, enabling CDFA to understand the different geographic, cultural, and financial realities facing local food and farm businesses. These visits included:

• Farm and ranch tours, showcasing Indigenous growers, immigrant and beginning farmer incubators, multi-generational ranching operations, and community-based producers
• Workshops with lenders and capital providers—public, quasi-public, CDFIs, credit unions, community banks, Farm Credit institutions, and philanthropic partners
• Roundtables with technical assistance providers, business support organizations, economic development practitioners, and nonprofit leaders
• Hands-on finance and capital stack training tailored to the conditions and barriers in each state
• Collaborative curriculum design sessions shaping the tools, training modules, and resources that emerged from this project

In New Mexico, CDFA was hosted by the New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA) and the New Mexico Economic Development Department (NMEDD), conducting engagements across multiple regions.

In Minnesota, CDFA worked in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (MN DEED), convening partners from urban, suburban, and rural communities statewide.

Tools, Training & Insights Developed Through This Work

Across all phases of the initiative, CDFA and the NASDA Foundation produced and refined a suite of resources and training models, including:

• A national landscape analysis of financing gaps and tools for food and farm enterprises
• The Socially Disadvantaged Farmers & Ranchers Access to Capital Toolkit
• Statewide Food Systems Finance Landscape Maps for New Mexico and Minnesota
• A comprehensive Train-the-Trainer curriculum, built collaboratively with practitioners, lenders, TA providers, and community leaders
• Hands-on frameworks for capital readiness, borrower support, project pipeline development, and financing tool alignment
• Multi-sector partnerships that continue to form a growing national network of food systems finance practitioners

Looking Ahead: Growing the Network & Launching New Training Opportunities

Rather than concluding this work, the initiative has catalyzed the next phase of CDFA’s commitment to food systems finance.

The Train-the-Trainer curriculum developed through this effort now serves as the foundation for the CDFA Food Systems Finance Leadership Training Program, an advanced, multi-module learning experience designed to strengthen regional capacity to finance food and farm businesses. CDFA is actively working to pilot this program in select communities in 2026, with the goal of expanding the national network of practitioners equipped to build stronger, more resilient local food economies.

CDFA will continue to build on the relationships, insights, and tools developed through this initiative—supporting communities, lenders, producers, and partners nationwide as they work to improve capital access and strengthen regional food systems.

-Agriculture Resource Center

-Access to Capital Toolkit