Heifer's Urban Agriculture Projects
Revision House Urban Agriculture Project
Dorchester, MA
Heifer is supporting Revision House in improving its small scale fish farming and organic vegetable production in concert with job skills building programs in a long-term shelter for women who are pregnant or have small children.
East New York Farms!
Brooklyn, NY
The East New York Farms! (ENYF!) project works to strengthen and sustain food security and increase economic opportunities for approximately eighty families in East New York, Brooklyn. Composed largely of women immigrants from the West Indies and neighborhood youth, this multi-generational urban agriculture program restores vacant land for bio-intensive vegetable and small-scale livestock production for sale in a local farmers' market managed by the group.
CONTACT: Georgine Yorgey, Garden and Youth Coordinator/Project Leader, ENYF! (718) 649-7979, Ext. 14 or georginey@yahoo.com
Added Value and Herban Solutions, Inc.
Brooklyn, NY
Youth ages 14-19 in the Red Hook neighborhood are active participants in the local economy and community through projects that reclaim vacant urban land for organic agriculture and marketing. The group has established an urban farm on 2 acres of a rarely- used city baseball field. The youth initiated and now manage a farmers' market that caters to the growing, economically diverse population in Red Hook, including recipients of WIC Farmers' Market coupons.
CONTACT: Ian Marvy, Executive Director, Added Value
(718) 855-5531 or imarvy@added-value.org
New Farmer Development Project
New York, NY
This program supports agriculturally experienced Latino immigrants in the New York City area to establish economically and ecologically sound farming operations. The project strengthens farmers' markets and helps to meet New York City's need for fresh, high-quality, locally grown farm produce.
CONTACT: Maria Alvarez, Project Coordinator, NFDP
(212) 341-2255 or malverez@greenmarket.cc
The City Farms
New York, NY
This network of organizations and urban food producers helps urban gardeners contribute to their community's food security. The project is transforming urban gardens into urban micro-farms, helping these urban farmers grow more food in their gardens, distribute and market it within their neighborhoods, as well as train others to do so.
Garden of Angels
York, PA
Located in a low-income neighborhood in this former industrial town, the Garden of Angels Vermicomposting Project, begun in 2000, provides youth with the opportunity to learn entrepreneurial skills and provide food for their community and families.
Field to Table's Urban Bees Project
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Heifer's first urban bees project, Field to Table works with community entrepreneurs in Toronto providing training in honey bee production and access to cooperatively managed hives. The cooperative benefits from the sales of honey through retail and distributes honey through a low-income community supported agriculture program.
FoodShare Community & Agriculture Project
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Project participants include mental health clients, youth at risk, and urban and rural farmers working in partnership to contribute to the building of a local food system. Through innovative agricultural projects such as urban farming; community supported agriculture programs emphasizing ethnic foods; neighbor-hood farm stands; and value-added product development, low-income communities in the Toronto area receive access to high quality food, job skills development and opportunities for training and marketing.
CONTACT: Karine Jaouich, Urban Agriculture Coordinator, FoodShare
(416) 363-6441, ext. 225 or karine@foodshare.net
From Growers to Leaders
Caledonia, IL
From Growers to Leaders will build upon the farm and educational center established in Passing on the Whole Farm (Phase I). The CSA Learning Center will provide training, technical assistance and small grant support to a selected group of community based organizations so that low-income youth and adults develop a greater capacity to produce their own food (vegetables and livestock), market their produce for income, and advocate for a regional food system that serves the needs of low-income communities. The CSA Learning Center will also take a larger step towards greater economic sustainability by strengthening their livestock system as part of the whole farm organism and marketing their value-added products.
CONTACT: Tom Spaulding, Executive Director, CSA Learning Center at Angelic Organics
(815) 389-8455 or learndirector@scalearningcenter.org
From the Ground Up/De La Tierra Para Arriba
Chicago, IL
Humboldt Park is a high-risk neighborhood on the west side of Chicago, known for gang violence. From the Ground Up is the project of a coalition of neighborhood churches and social service organizations who will empower youth through the raising of fish, worms and vegetables. This multicultural urban agriculture project will provide entrepreneurial opportunities to youth, who will then form the leadership and direction for the project. The money from the sale of these items will be placed into a scholarship fund as incentive to finish high school and move on to better opportunities. This project will bring together youth from all over Humboldt Park, empowering the youth through the ownership and stewardship of animals. This is a priceless opportunity currently unavailable within this community.
God’s Gang Planting Dreams Fish and Worm Project
Chicago, IL
The Robert Taylor Homes Public Housing Project, infamous for its gang activity, covered 92 acres of Chicago’s Southside before the city demolished these buildings, leaving a trail of vacant land and vacated people who await the new housing promised them. God’s Gang Worm and Fish Project offers job training and entrepreneurial skills to both children and adults in this high-risk environment, providing not only a means of income and food, but also a source of self-esteem. Phase II of God’s Gang Planting Dreams builds on three years of pioneering in urban agriculture to develop a formal non-profit business that will support up to 39 families and continue to provide youth and adults with the means for building self-confidence as they contribute to their family’s income. Heifer’s assistance will enable the group to acquire the additional training and resources they need to develop marketing and production skills in order to turn hundreds of pounds of fish and worms into saleable products.
CONTACT: Carolyn Thomas, Executive Director, God's Gang
(773) 264-2652 (best) or gg60628@aol.com
Growing Capacity: Growing Power through Community Food Centers
Milwaukee, WI
Growing Power will expand the capacity of its Community Food Center (CFC) in Milwaukee to serve as a training center for emerging community-based agricultural groups from around the country. In this project, Growing Power will work with several communities in Chicago and Milwaukee to plan, train, develop and monitor the building of their own community food centers. The primary goal of a CFC is to improve access to healthy foods and to develop opportunities for economic development through participating in their local food system. Heifer International’s support of this project will enable Growing Power to provide technical training and marketing support for four new urban agriculture sub-project partner groups in Chicago and Milwaukee. To improve Growing Power’s capacity to assist the sub-project holders, they will receive training in Heifer’s model of participatory community development including planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
CONTACT: Will Allen, Executive Director, Growing Power, Inc.
(414) 527-1546 or will@growingpower.org
Growing Home Urban Farm
Chicago, IL
The Growing Home Urban Farm will expand the programming of the rural farm (above) to an urban organic agriculture business. The project will develop a year-round urban farm where the project will train 66 homeless or low-income individuals in the art of organic farming and marketing, nutrition, and general life skills. These individuals will complete a year long training program that includes producing high quality organic vegetables, honey, and vermicompost; marketing goods at farmers markets, restaurants, and via weekly boxes to shareholders; and participating in classes on farming, nutrition and life skills. Growing Home Urban Farm will serve as a replicable model for urban agriculture and job training and will pass-on their knowledge and experience by assisting 7 community organizations begin and maintain urban market gardens in Chicago.
CONTACT: Harry Rhodes, Executive Director, Growing Home, Inc.
(312) 435-8601 or hrhodes@growinghomeinc.org
Proyecto Pescado
Chicago, IL
The Pilsen community on the Southside of Chicago is characterized by a large poor and working poor immigrant Latino population with little access to grocery stores or economic opportunity. Heifer’s assistance in the form of fish, red worms, and community development will enable EcoVida’s project participants to produce nutritious whole food for their families, earn supplemental income leading to the development of a micro-enterprise, and begin to build a community of women and youth with confidence in their abilities to provide for their families. In addition EcoVida has a strong commitment to educating this community in the impact we all have on the earth we share.
Youth Corps
Milwaukee, WI
The Youth Corps is an economic development and apprenticeship program of Growing Power, Inc. offering experience in managing, operating, and promoting community based local food systems to youth from low-income backgrounds in Milwaukee. During their three-year commitment, the recipients will increase their income, earn high school credits for their work, learn a diverse set of job training skills, and improve the quality of their diet. This project will empower young people by providing the skills and knowledge that will increase their self-confidence to become leaders within their community.
CONTACT: Will Allen, Executive Director, Growing Power, Inc.
(414) 527-1546 or will@growingpower.org
Y-Worms
Milwaukee, WI
Working in one of the most impoverished neighborhoods in Milwaukee, "Y" Worms project enables youth to participate in building a microenterprise with vermiculture and organic herb production as the centerpiece. Youth are learning to develop concrete life skills, increase their personal income and grow nutritious food for their families and community.
Somali Bantu Refugee Food Security, Training and Community Building Project
Portland, OR
"When we were in Africa these education programs are what we dreamed about and now it is here. Tell us when to start and we are ready." Bantu refugee in Portland upon learning about the Somali Bantu Refugee Food Security, Training & Community Building Project (8/31/04)
The Somali Bantu Refugee Food Security, Training and Community Building Project will strategically assist new arrivals to survive and succeed through capacity building, raising their awareness about agricultural opportunities in the US, and providing hands-on training in all aspects of local farming and English to Bantu families. This project will encourage the 240 Somali Bantu refugees currently resettling in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area to draw on their agricultural skills to strengthen their household food security and nutrition, increase their potential employment in ag-related jobs, expand their social integration and support networks (especially for women, children and elders), and improve their English language proficiency. Specifically, this community-based agricultural project will provide 30 Somali Bantu families (~150 people) with extensive training, mentors and motivation to engage in community gardening, work in agricultural on nearby commercial farms, and supplement their English language instruction through individual tutoring. This project will also help prepare the Somali Bantu refugees for the long-term goal of engaging in small-scale commercial agriculture on their own farm.
Inner City Futurenet
Little Rock, AR
Located in an economically depressed neighborhood in south Little Rock, Arkansas, the Inner City Futurenet provides opportunities for at-risk and low-income youth to earn supplemental income while learning a variety of skills related to entrepreneurship. In particular, ICF’s Neighborhood Pride Program addresses the environmental surroundings of the project, including the Centennial Park where in 1994 HBO produced a documentary revealing the area as a heavy gang and drug scene. Today ICF youth, volunteers and neighbors have cleaned and restored the park to a family/child playground. Fortunately, flowers and family’s pride now grow and prevent it from deteriorating again. The Urban Agriculture program is a joint partnership with Heifer International, the city of Little Rock, and area churches. The project has emphasized restoring restore vacant lots into community/youth gardens to improve the nutritional and economic needs of youth and families.
Dunbar Garden Project
Little Rock, AR
The Dunbar Garden Project is a multiracial urban school/community garden located in an economically depressed neighborhood of South Little Rock. The project expands its current educational programs with a full time Education Director working with the Dunbar Middle and Gibbs Elementary School. They also work a summer first job (Life Skills) program that offers youth gardening entrepreneurial activities. By providing worms/chickens and an intensive training program around organic gardening, leadership, and entrepreneurship, youth learn about the nurturing environment of community, develop the technical skills to produce fresh food and teach others.
CONTACT: Sylvia Blain or Pratt Bremmel, Coordinators, Dunbar Garden Project
(501) 765-2469 or sylvia@blain.org
Birmingham Urban Gardening Society Community and School Garden Project
Birmingham, AL
For the past five years, the Birmingham Urban Gardening Society (BUGS) Community and School Garden Project has helped establish community and school gardens in low-income sections of Birmingham and surrounding towns. BUGS has taught numerous courses on vermicomposting, organic gardening, and nutrition for teachers, students, and community members. In 2003, BUGS completed an Alabama Garden and Nutrition Curriculum that is now used by a number of area teachers and agricultural educators. More recently, BUGS joined with Jones Valley Urban Farm to develop three demonstration community gardens in Birmingham and expand Jones Valley’s food systems education course at the Alabama School of Fine Arts. JVUF and BUGS are currently developing a weeklong exchange between urban Birmingham students and a group of students from Alabama’s rural Black Belt region. Students will explore rural-urban food system linkages, learn about the landscape, economy, culture, history, and architecture of the region they are visiting, and get to know one another through on-farm work and fun activities.
Atlanta Garden for Youth
Atlanta, GA
As a part of the Atlanta Community Food Bank’s mission of providing food to people in need, and addressing food security, the Heifer-funded Atlanta Garden for Youth project began in 2000 with the goal of instilling urban, low-income, at-risk youth with gardening and marketing skills. Using an urban gardening site, youth are taught the basics of gardening, composting, nutrition, leadership, teamwork and marketing skills. Some of the produce is contributed to the Food Bank, while some is sold to sustain the project. The program has used both curriculum designed by the project holders, as well as the Youth Masters Gardener’s. This project has provided an opportunity for youth to market fresh produce in their own low-income neighborhoods and through the farmers market in Decatur, GA; they also have successfully provided worm castings as a soil amendment to area schools for completing pass-ons.
Gardeners in Community Development (GICD)
Dallas, TX
Gardeners in Community Development (GICD) program works to improve the quality of life in Dallas’ limited-resource and immigrant area neighborhoods through community gardening. They currently have six urban community gardens. This network of gardens includes 3 Southeast Asian refugee gardens; a school community garden; and two church gardens in diverse, low-income neighborhoods. The network donates a portion of their harvest to local food pantries. The first purpose of the GICD Dallas Urban Gardening Initiative project is to help one of these gardens, Our Saviour Community Garden, become a model sustainable and productive community garden including an additional 30 or more family garden plots, a gardening training area composting and vermiculture demonstration features, and an apiary. Secondly, the improved Our Saviour site, which includes church classroom space, would expand to provide support and training so that at least one or two new groups may begin neighborhood community gardens annually for a period of three years. GICD anticipates adding at least 100 new families and tons of donated produce to area food pantries over the three-year period.
CONTACT: Dr. Don Lambert, Director, GCIID
(972) 231-3565 or grower@flash.net
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