TWIN CITIES, Minn. — This growing season, 13 Twin Cities gardening initiatives have been awarded People’s Garden Microgrants by Renewing the Countryside, with funds and resources provided by USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service of Minnesota. The People’s Garden Initiative is a part of a nationwide effort on the part of USDA to invest in urban agriculture with a goal of centering equity, food access, advancement of local and regional food systems, as well as environmental conservation.
People’s Gardens are collaborative endeavors, benefitting their community with a focus on education and a commitment to using environmentally sustainable gardening practices. The new Twin Cities People’s Gardens are equally distributed across the Minneapolis and Saint Paul areas, and include two school-based projects, a university project, community gardens, neighborhood associations, and youth-focused gardens. Please help us in celebrating the vital community work of the following People’s Garden Microgrant Awardees:
- Hamline University MicroFarm
- Jardin de Armonia en Accion
- Capitol View Communal Garden and Orchard
- YMCA Camp Ihduhapi Garden
- Saint Paul Public Schools: Nokomis North Montessori Garden, Txuj Ci Upper Garden, Washington Technology Magnet Middle School Garden
- Great River Montessori School Urban Farm
- Hancock Recreation Center Youth Garden
- Pillsbury Farm
- Sheridan Neighborhood Organization Community Garden
- Southside Star Garden
- Eat Street Community Garden
- Four Sisters Urban Farm
- Mounds Park Community Garden
“Urban agriculture has been around as long as the Cities,” says Alexandria Harris, Renewing the Countryside’s People’s Garden Microgrant Program Manager and a Saint Paul resident. “Some community members grow food in their backyards for family and friends, while others develop sustainable businesses selling their city-grown harvests. Folks also come together to grow food in a community-way, educating one another on how to better grow and nourish ourselves and our environment. A problem, however, is that urban and peri-urban growers have been without many of the resources and funds available for conventional large-scale operations outside of the city. It’s time to change that.”
The Twin Cities Urban Agriculture Team at Renewing the Countryside was created to manage the People’s Garden Microgrant program along with the Urban Agriculture Microgrant program funded by the USDA’s Farm Service Agency. With the crucial experience and community-rooted guidance of the Twin Cities Urban Ag Steering Committee, these grantmaking processes have been intentionally designed to reflect and respond to the Twin Cities community that they are meant to serve.
“This work is new to USDA, and these opportunities are new to the Twin Cities,” Harris emphasizes. “We are hoping to learn how to best support our community as we try, and try again. We also want to offer feedback to the USDA in its efforts to support Urban Agriculture effectively in our community.”
Renewing the Countryside is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization working to strengthen rural areas by building awareness and support for sustainable endeavors, reinforcing urban-rural connections, and providing practical assistance and networking opportunities for people who are renewing the countryside through sustainable and innovative initiatives, businesses, and projects. Learn more at usda.gov/peoples-garden and renewingthecountryside.org/urbanag_microgrants.
— Alexandria Harris, Renewing the Countryside, [email protected]
