LU-CAEHS Research Seminar

"Empowering Small Farmers and Gardeners with the FINCA EcoFarm at Lincoln University"

“Finca” are farms in Latin America where native plants, fruits, flowers, and vegetables are grown for food and income. Lincoln University’s (LU) Finca EcoFarm was created in 2014 with funds from a NIFA-capacity building grant titled “FINCA Project.” In Missouri, the acronym “FINCA” stands for Families Integrating Nature, Conservation, and Agriculture. This urban farm is highly diversified, with more than 60 wellestablished native plants, 30 or more of which are for human consumption, and offers food and shelter for pollinators and other wildlife. 

The Finca EcoFarm is maintained and used for outreach and education by the LU Native and Specialty Crops Program but is open for students, faculty and staff. Established in the 1960’s on the grounds of the Teaching Greenhouse at 1204 Chestnut Street, the greenhouse was renovated in 2010 and now offers space for training and processing native plants such wild plums and persimmons. 

In the Finca, volunteers and visitors can learn how to identify and grow native plants for food and prepare value-added products. Workshops, guided tours, U-pick wild plum days, and Finca Fests are offered every year. Recently, the Finca Community Garden was completed. There, students and local community members can adopt garden beds to grow their own vegetables in a friendly environment.

Presented by Dr. Nadia Navarrete-Tindall, Director of the Native and Specialty Crops Program at LU Professor and State Extension Specialist

Dr. Nadia Navarrete-Tindall is a professor, state extension specialist and director of the Native and Specialty Crops Program at Lincoln University. She earned a bachelor’s degree in agronomy from the Universidad de El Salvador, as well as a master’s degree in forestry and a doctorate in plant biology from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

At Lincoln University, she leads outreach and education efforts that support both people and wildlife, including the FINCA Project. This initiative provides tools and training for students, small farmers and the public to identify, grow and market native plants for food, conservation and landscaping. In 2009, she founded the Native and Specialty Crops Program to expand awareness of native plants and their role in conservation, habitat creation and specialty crop production.

Navarrete-Tindall works closely with university partners, farmers, gardeners and organizations to advance these efforts. Demonstration gardens on campus, at Busby Farm and across Missouri highlight native plant use through community collaboration. Since 2024, she has hosted the annual Grow Native! conference, bringing more than 150 professionals to campus each year. She received Missouri’s Master Conservationist Award in 2008 and maintains a diverse native plant garden in Columbia with her husband.