Portland Fruit Tree Project is committed, long-term, towards addressing the root causes of inequity in our food system and we are excited to tell you about an integral project we have been working on.

PFTP has been focused on developing a workforce training program around fruit tree pruning and management, specifically aimed at giving BIPOC youth and current landscape workers access to this skillset. 

In Spring of 2021, PFTP received funding through the Portland Clean Energy Fund for this programming, and has now graduated 2 cohorts in conjunction with the Connecting Canopies green workforce training program.

Over the past year we have worked with local fruit tree experts to publish a curriculum that covers all aspects of fruit tree care. The goal is to make accessible the knowledge that will enable participants to:

Currently, we are in the process of finalizing the curriculum we have built and translating everything into Spanish. In order to get feedback and ensure the material is truly accessible, we conducted a series of live workshops with the Garden Educator staff at Growing Gardens (a local area non-profit). This “Train the Trainer” model will help us incorporate more educators who are part of the communities we aim to serve. 

This work is part of a larger effort to increase investment in green infrastructure in low-income neighborhoods and create more opportunities for historically disadvantaged people to enter the green workforce. As part of the coalition Connecting Canopies, we are collaborating with multiple workforce development programs to establish new avenues for young people of color to work with trees.

Looking forward, we are hopeful that we receive the implementation grant funding from PCEF to allow us to roll out this program in full. Regardless of that outcome, we are poised to begin onboarding a small cohort of high school-age participants in partnership with Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center this coming summer! Stay tuned for the launch of this exciting new program and all the learning along the way. 

If you’re interested in donating please click the link here.