While the forces of weather, irrigation, and market prices can make farming an unpredictable livelihood, one Fresno-based organization provides California farmers a lifeline to help their business.
Located at Fresno State University, the Central Valley Women’s Entrepreneur Center – known as the WE Center – is one of 21 centers that make up the California Women’s Business Centers Network (WBCs). The WBCs provide aspiring and existing small business owners in all fields with professional guidance on business planning, marketing, and technology. With farming such a major economic driver in their surrounding community, the WE Center gives special focus to agricultural businesses.
Ana Alfaro, the Center’s Director, helps cater resources to a client’s particular needs. When a local bee removal and pollination company needed upskilling in accounting, the WE Center offered lessons in Quickbooks accounting software. Those who dream of running their own farm are connected to partner programs within Fresno State University, as Alfaro explains: “We collaborate with the Jordan College of Agricultural Science and Technology to support our clients in applying for the Agricultural Advancement Program, which provides farmers with access to capital. Additionally, we refer clients to Jordan College for specialized agricultural services. Furthermore, we partner with the Water, Energy, and Technology (WET) Center, which offers innovative programs in agriculture. Both of these partners, like us, are part of Fresno State, strengthening our collective impact on the agricultural community.”
Juan Gonzales, Assistant Program Director of Jordan College’s Agricultural Advancement Program, credits Alfaro and the WE Center with providing crucial aid to farmers. “You could have three green thumbs,” he says, but, “To start off in the farming business, you have to have a business plan. Ana and the WE Center offer classes in business planning. And they offer them in varying languages. Because our target market is underserved communities… Ana has been so helpful in accommodating farmers who might not feel comfortable with not speaking English.”
You could have three green thumbs, but to start off in the farming business, you have to have a business plan. Ana and the WE Center offer classes in business planning.
Juan Gonzalez
The WE Center also partners clients with Fresno State University’s Water, Energy and Technology Center, a pioneering program that, according to their mission statement: “empowers the Central Valley's core industries—food, energy, and agriculture—by providing access to cutting-edge resources, innovative research, and industry expertise, driving sustainable growth and regional prosperity.”
Nancy Swift, Chair of the Women’s Business Centers Network, praises the WE Center’s vital support of local farmers: “The Central Valley is a crucial source of crops for the entire country, and the WE Center is helping to ensure the future of this industry, and the livelihood it provides for so many Californians.”
The partnership between farmers and the Women’s Entrepreneur Center is just one of many success stories supported by the California-wide Women’s Business Centers network. In their latest Impact Report, the organization tallied 14,000 California businesses that they have served, with a remarkable return on their investment: a 21% increase in jobs created and retained (26,761 total), a 36% rise in gross sales revenue ($525 million), and $785.5 million reinvested into local economies. For every $1 of funding received, the WBC Network generated an impressive $79 in local economic benefits.
For more information on the California Women’s Business Center Network, visit californiawbc.org.
About California Women's Business Centers Network: The California WBC Network continues to be at the forefront of fostering an inclusive business environment where women entrepreneurs thrive. In their mission to create opportunities for growth and success for the talented and innovative entrepreneurs of California, the Network works closely with both legislative leaders and the communities they serve. Visit californiawbc.org.