El Milagro Farms ECV: Building a Community-Owned Economy In the Eastern Coachella Valley
El Milagro Farms ECV, founded by Pueblo Unido CDC in 2023, reclaimed and preserves 40-acres of land for the first hybrid agricultural social enterprise that includes all organic Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) and Regenerative Agriculture (RA) practices for climate change adaptation and to benefiting local farmworker communities.
New and Beginning Small Farmers receive access to 30-acres of land, technical assistance for start-up operations, training and education, farm business management training, produce marketing, packing and distribution with refrigerated truck delivery to buyers in compliance with the Produce Safety Rule and Food Safety Modernization Act.
El Milagro Farms ECV creates local markets and uses agriculture as a catalyst for Community Reinvestment to build and sustain better jobs, small farming, housing, and overall quality of life for Eastern Coachella Valley rural communities.
Big Opportunities Are Often Hidden in Familiar Challenges
Building a Community-Owned Economy in the Eastern Coachella Valley
Small Business Incubator for Local Entrepreneurs Skills Training for Local “Green Workforce Jobs Climate Adaptation Project Funds Local Control over Local Resources Wealth Produced in the Eastern Coachella Valley Should Benefit ECV Communities
Community Ownership Empowers Individuals
- Community-Driven Decision Making
- Knowledge Sharing & Skill Development
- Economic Empowerment
- Social Cohesion & Inclusion
- Environmental Stewardship
The goal of a community-owned economy is to build prosperity for the well-being of the community as a whole, rather than for individuals or corporations.
The focus is on local community control of local resources, such as productive agricultural land; food production and affordability; renewable energy; affordable housing; and equitable economic opportunities—fair wage jobs with benefits, and financial support for new climate-resilient businesses.
In the Eastern Coachella Valley, agriculture and farmworker communities are interdependent—the farmworker labor force contributes $700 million a year in agriculture to the region. Reclaiming a small portion of that industrial agriculture, and transforming it into a catalyst funding new economic opportunities for farmworkers and small farm owners, is a culturally connected first step on the road to a thriving community-owned economy in the Eastern Coachella Valley.
The Economic Power of a Social Enterprise
Pueblo Unido CDC created a social enterprise, El Milagro Farms ECV, to launch the community-owned economy effort.
How it works. A social enterprise acts like a business, but profits are used to increase local community economic strength, environmental health, and community climate resilience and sustainability. At the same time, local new jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities created by the social enterprise provide long-term improvements in salaries and wages.
Social Enterprise Agriculture Model
Growing and selling CEA/Hydroponic organic produce to retail customers, school districts and hospitals. Providing land access and start-up operating support to small farmers committed to Regenerative Agriculture practices.
Benefit Eastern Coachella Valley communities with primary focus on Polanco communities.
Community-driven governance and democratic decision-making ensure high priority needs and concerns of ECV communities are identified and resources are directed appropriately.
For each community-driven funding request to PUCDC’s Rural Communities Investment Fund, the challenge of climate change and the project or program’s impact on the physical environment will be taken into consideration. For example, beginning farm owners leasing land at no cost from El Milagro Farms ECV must be committed to Regenerative Agriculture practices; and proposed new jobs and new businesses must help build a “green energy workforce” to fill the climate-smart skills gap in trades in the underserved Eastern Coachella Valley.
Building Healthy and Sustainable Communities in the Coachella Valley
El Milagro Farms ECV
40 Acres Mecca, CA
A Community-Owned Social Enterprise
Transforming agriculture into a catalyst for community reinvestment in the Eastern Coachella Valley.
Socially disadvantaged Eastern Coachella Valley farmworkers possess decades of expertise in growing fresh produce. They are eager to invest their skills in better paying and safer agriculture jobs where expertise is recognized and valued.
El Milagro Farms ECV offers paid training for new jobs/careers in Controlled Environment Agriculture/Hydroponics and entrepreneurial opportunities in Regenerative Agriculture.
Greenhouse Controlled Environment Agriculture/Hydroponics—which some believe to be the future of agriculture—offers higher crop yields, year-around production, water efficiency, quality control, sustainability, and is largely pesticide-free.
Financial, Business & Produce Marketing Support for Beginning Small-Scale Farmers
A major hurdle for beginning small-scale farmers is finding agricultural land available for lease at an affordable price. El Milagro Farms ECV has 35 acres available for lease at no cost to beginning small-scale farmers committed to Regenerative Agriculture. Farmers also receive financial assistance for start-up operations, business management training, and produce marketing assistance.
Rural Communities Investment Fund for the Eastern Coachella Valley
As a community-owned social enterprise, El Milagro Farms ECV income over operating expenses is reinvested in the Rural Communities Investment Fund created by Pueblo Unido CDC in 2013, and used to fund key climate-resilience and sustainability projects for 100+ rural “Polanco” mobile home communities in the Eastern Coachella Valley.
El Milagro Farms ECV grows fresh, delicious and healthy produce for Coachella Valley restaurants, hospitals, school districts, farmer’s markets and farmworker families to benefit Eastern Coachella Valley communities.
El Milagro Farms ECV
91301 68th Avenue Mecca, CA
For more information: (760) 777-7550