- Author: Rachel Surls, Sustainable Food Systems Advisor Emerita
Whatupdoe! That was the enthusiastic and distinctly Detroit greeting that welcomed more than 500 attendees to the city often considered the mecca of urban agriculture in the U.S. The first-ever national urban agriculture conference, held in the Motor City from August 4-6, was inspiring and informative.
The three-day event was sponsored by the US Department of Agriculture, which has been stepping up its engagement in urban ag due to provisions in the 2018 Farm Bill. The cornerstone of the conference was an update on the USDA's new National Urban Agriculture Initiative (NUAg), which has already rolled out in 17 cities, and is being expanded to 10 new cities. The cohort of cities includes Los Angeles and Oakland. (In California, the nonprofit partner helping to build bridges between USDA programs and urban farmers is CAFF, the Community Alliance with Family Farmers).
The conference featured high-profile speakers including keynote speaker US Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. According to Stabenow, urban agriculture has grown by more than 30% in the last couple of decades and is finally receiving the recognition it deserves. “People need to understand that urban agriculture provides fresh local produce directly to the community.”
New investment in urban agriculture and champions like Senator Stabenow speak to the elevation of urban agriculture as an important and emerging sector in agriculture and natural resources. Urban agriculture is increasingly seen as an area “at the crossroads of critical issues including food insecurity, the climate crisis, human rights, environmental stewardship, and more” according to another speaker, Malik Yakini, the renowned co-founder of the Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network (DBCFSN).
Field trips to several local farms were part of conference activities. One stop was the for-profit Beaverland Farms. It's pieced together from vacant lots that the farm owners were able to purchase. Because of the collapse of the Detroit auto industry beginning in 2008, and the subsequent financial crisis and significant loss of population, many houses around the city were abandoned and demolished. Given this surplus of vacant land, Detroit became an early center of the urban agriculture movement. At first, farming in residential areas wasn't legal. The city has slowly caught up in terms of having more progressive urban agriculture policies. Detroiters passed an Urban Agriculture Ordinance in 2013 that made provisions for legal gardening and farming in the city, and are currently working on an animal husbandry ordinance that will codify poultry raising and beekeeping.
Another stop on the tour was the venerable D-Town Farm, a non-profit farm on seven acres of city land. D-Town leaders recently negotiated a 20-year lease with the city. Parts of the land are flood-prone and they're experimenting with raised beds and other strategies to adapt to periodic flooding of some of their fields. D-Town is the largest urban farm in Detroit and is a project of DBCFSN.
The information-packed workshops held over two days were excellent. One favorite was an introduction to aquaponics with Yemi Amu, who founded and runs Oko Farms in Brooklyn. Oko Farms is New York's largest publicly accessible (and outdoor) aquaponics farm. Other sessions explored urban land access, agribusiness aspects of urban farming, and climate-smart urban agriculture, among many topics.
The conference was capped off by a presentation from Will Allen, founder of Growing Power, the Milwaukee nonprofit that offered training and technical assistance to urban growers throughout the nation from its founding in 1995. Allen has inspired countless gardeners and farmers throughout his decades-long career. Hearing from Allen was the perfect way to close out this conference, which we hope will be the first of many opportunities to meet up with and learn from urban farmers around the country.
Additional information
- Learn more about USDA resources for urban farmers and gardeners here.
- Get updates about the next National Urban Agriculture Conference here.
- Author: Annie Edwards, Urban Conservationist
- Author: Catherine de la Peña, Soil Conservationist
Are you an urban grower looking to improve the sustainability of your farm? If so, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) may be able to help you achieve your conservation goals. NRCS is a federal agency focused on implementing on-farm conservation across agricultural operations. NRCS provides America's farmers and ranchers with financial and technical assistance to voluntarily put conservation on the ground, helping both the environment and agricultural land. While NRCS is a federal agency, our office in California tailors our financial assistance to meet the unique natural resource concerns we see across the state.
As NRCS evolves to address the changing needs of our farmers and ranchers, the agency has taken strides to better serve urban producers. As of today, 17 Urban Service Centers have opened in major metropolitan centers across the US, with an additional 10 offices being planned. In California, we have two new Urban Service Centers.
- Oakland Urban Service Center Contacts:
- Compton Urban Service Center Contacts:
NRCS has a variety of programs to assist producers, including our flagship programs, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). These programs provide financial assistance to producers for implementing and maintaining conservation practices including high tunnels, hedgerows, structures for wildlife, and irrigation systems. To learn if your operation would be a good fit, refer to Is EQIP Right for Me? and Is CSP Right for Me?.
NRCS is also connected to the USDA Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovation Production (UAIP), which offers the UAIP Grant and Composting and Food Waste Reduction (CFWR) Cooperative Agreements.
How to apply. We recommend that once you have a basic idea of what your conservation goals are, you reach out to your closest Urban Service Center and set up an appointment. At this meeting, you can connect face-to-face with your county's NRCS and USDA Farm Services Agency (FSA) staff. Before you come in, review USDA's getting started guide and take a moment to look over NRCS definitions of historically underserved farmers and ranchers (HUFR). Many NRCS programs— including EQIP and CSP offer higher rates for self-identified HUFR. A specific guide for HUFR can be found here.
If you are interested in applying to any of our programs, you'll need to work with FSA to establish a farm and tract number. Along with registering for NRCS programs, there are added benefits of receiving a farm number, including alerts about new programs, inclusion in the agricultural census, and becoming eligible to elect FSA county committee members. To create a farm and tract number, you will need the following:
- A completed New Customer Data Worksheet, submitted to your local NRCS office. Find the form, as well as instructions on how to apply, here.
- A deed/lease certifying that you have control of the land.
To apply for NRCS programs, you will need to submit a CPA-1200 application to your local NRCS office, which accepts applications year-round. After we receive your application, we will work with FSA to ensure that you are eligible for our programs.
NRCS is committed to helping people help the land— that means all people, including urban and small-scale growers. We look forward to working with you and providing the best service possible to you on your journey.
- Author: Amrita Mukherjee
The California Department of Food and Agriculture's (CDFA) Urban Agriculture Grant Program, 2023 is an exclusive and competitive funding opportunity designed to support and elevate agriculture in urban areas across California. This one-time grant program will fund programs and projects that enhance the sustainability and success of urban agriculture throughout California.
Urban agriculture encompasses a variety of practices aimed at cultivating, processing, and distributing agricultural products within urban environments. These practices can include small plot cultivation on the ground, raised beds, vertical farming, warehouse farms, mushroom cultivation, urban forestry, community gardens, and rooftop farms, as well as innovative methods such as hydroponics, aeroponics, and aquaponics. The goal is to explore and implement diverse approaches to sustainably grow food within city settings. Urban farmers and gardeners collaborate with a wide range of people to enhance the availability of nourishing food, promote community involvement, offer vocational training, educate communities about agriculture, and expand green areas in urban settings.
CDFA defines "urban" as a geographic area within 25 miles of an Urbanized Area with a population of 50,000 or more. This definition guides the CDFA in determining the boundaries of urban areas for their programs and initiatives.
There are two funding tracks: The Systems Builder Community-Based Block Grant will provide funding ranging from $75,000 to $400,000 for community-based organizations involved in urban and regional food systems planning. This funding aims to increase staff capacity and support organizations with grassroots involvement in this field. The Urban Agriculture Practitioner Grant will offer direct funding to urban agriculture projects, providing grants ranging from $75,000 to $250,000. The CDFA has allocated up to $5,870,000 for proposals received through this solicitation.
Application deadline: October 23, 2023
Eligibility:
Track 1: Systems Builder Community-Based Block Grant
- Nonprofit organizations and Tribal governments and Tribal-based nonprofit organizations with knowledge and experience in regional food systems are eligible to apply.
- Individuals; for-profit organizations; local, state, and federal government entities; and public or private colleges and universities are not eligible to apply.
Track 2: Urban Agriculture Practitioner Grant
- Nonprofit organizations, for-profit organizations, Tribal governments, and Tribal-based nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply.
- Individuals; local, state, and federal government entities; and public or private colleges and universities are not eligible to apply.
For more information:
Please review the FAQs sheet
Please connect to CDFA's Urban Ag Program Lead at caurbanag@cdfa.ca.gov with questions.
CDFA Urban Agriculture Grant Program News Letter
- Author: Rob Bennaton, UCCE Bay Area Urban Agriculture Advisor
- Author: Julio Contreras, UCCE Urban Ag & Food Systems Program Community Education Specialist III
On August 25th, UCCE's Urban Ag & Food Systems Program tabled, paneled and supported the 8th Annual Food, Faith and Farms Conference in San Rafael, CA, hosted by Interfaith Sustainable Food Collaborative. The national Faithlands Conference, coordinated between Interfaith and the Agrarian Trust, which hosts the national Faithlands web page as a hub for sharing resources, followed on August 26-27. Rob Bennaton, Urban Ag and Food Systems Advisor, was panel moderator for the Successful Farms and Gardens on Faith Community Owned Lands panel. Julia Van Soelen Kim, North Bay Food Systems Advisor led a workshop focused on Making the Most of Commercial Kitchens, and Vince Trotter, Sustainable Ag Coordinator & Agricultural Ombudsman with UCCE Marin County, led a different workshop on Halal and Kosher: Exploring Relationships with Local Small Livestock Producers. Julio Contreras, UCCE Community Education Specialist III with the UCCE Urban Ag & Food Systems Program, shared urban farming information, supported and facilitated throughout the conference.
The discussion was on one of the most challenging hurdles for beginning and immigrant farmers: securing land to grow food. Meanwhile, religious institutions own lands throughout the United States that are often suitable for agriculture. These plots of land may vary in size from a 1,000 square foot community garden to over 100 acres. Partnerships can allow faith groups to simultaneously save resources, advance food security, connect traditional faith-based stories to land and agriculture, and help small farmers overcome economic and structural barriers. The presenters described innovative projects, including a farmer leasing from a Seventh Day Adventist middle school that successfully transferred ownership 3 times in Sonoma County, CA. There was also a farmer who leased land from her church while developing a farm project, allowing for her to scale to the point she qualified for a USDA loan for a piece of land that has a home and infrastructure. Finally, partnerships were highlighted in which a perennial food forest and seed bank on the grounds of a 4-acre Episcopal Church site were established.
The Faithlands movement is growing nationally to connect and inspire faith communities to use their land in new ways that promote ecological and human health, support local food and farming, enact reparative justice, and strengthen communities. On the Agrarian Trust's Faithlands web page, download the free FAITHLANDS TOOLKIT A Guide to Transformative Land Use. Interfaith is a regional and national organization which supports congregations of all faiths, denominations and backgrounds by connecting them with farmers and supporting farm stand initiation, farmers markets, and CSAs.
The idea is innovative and yet traditional, since so many faith-based groups are doing community-based food systems work, such as emergency food distribution, operating commercial-scale kitchens, or stewarding lands that could be cultivated by local farmers.
In particular, lands stewarded by faith-based groups in urban areas present a huge opportunity for cultivation by urban farmers, given high costs of land values in cities. Land for Good is another great organization that supports land transfers for farming and the development of land use agreements. Their amazing ToolBox web page has significant resources for building and negotiating leases for- and with- farmers and landowners.
The conference had a great turnout with powerful speakers and groups doing inspiring work around the nation. Speaker Rabbi Justin Goldstein from Yesod Farm+Kitchen in Fairview, North Carolina, opened the conference, sharing key points on building relationships for indigenous lands stewardship, and the process of returning this unceded land. Food justice and sustainability leaders representing 47 different religious communities were in attendance. While most came from the North Bay and East Bay, there were also participants from elsewhere in California and eight other states.
As described on the Interfaith Sustainable Food Collaborative website, “For the first time the conference included tours of farms and gardens at 7 different faith-community sites. Diverse speakers included 8 farmers growing food on lands owned by religious institutions. Ammar Ahmed of Islamic Circle of North America in Washington, D.C. spoke about the response of Muslim communities in the U.S. to hunger during theCOVID Pandemic. He called on attendees to help with the national effort by Muslim and Jewish groups to urge USDA to make kosher and halal meat available to observant Jews and Muslims through an emergency food program. Advocates are concerned about protein options available to observant individuals who utilize TEFAP, The Emergency Food Assistance Program (A letter signed by some 47 members of Congress went toUSDA last week; we will keep the Interfaith Food network apprised of how to help with this work.)” - Steve Schwartz, Executive Director, Interfaith Sustainable Food Collaborative.
In the Bay Area, South Berkeley, East and West Oakland, and South Hayward congregations have established small farms and gardens with their congregations. UCCE's Urban Ag & Food Systems Program with Alameda County RCD and Interfaith is providing technical support to a new East Alameda Gurdwara farming initiative managed by the Sikh community there. If you know of a faith-based group interested in this work, please reach out to Interfaith Sustainable Food Collaborative. Our Urban Ag collaborative team is also ready to work with you.
What does it mean to build a just and sustainable Agroecological City? Over this past year, the pandemic, climate disruptions and ongoing harm caused by racial violence have challenged our urban communities and food systems in unprecedented ways. Pathways for healing and community resilience can be found in many urban farms. An upcoming free, online conference, The Agroecological City: Sovereignty, Resilience, and the Future of Food, seeks to engage in critical conversations around what it means to build a just, sustainable and resilient Agroecological City.
The multi-track event will take place from March 2-11. Join urban farmers, food and farming justice advocates, policy makers, educators, community organizers, and engaged citizens to share strategies for strengthening our urban food and farming systems. Although the event has a strong focus on urban farms in the Bay Area, it will be valuable to anyone interested in urban agroecology, regardless of their geographic location. Through panel discussions and break-out sessions over two weeks, participants will have the opportunity to:
- Turn over ideas for different and innovative pathways to access land for urban farming
- Dig into the intersection of food and land stewardship for community healing and Just Transitions
- Explore the latest agroecological research and policy work alongside educational institutions in farm and food system resilience and more!
Throughout all these themes, the commitment to food justice is paramount. Organizers and guest speakers will weave in discussions of power, race, class, health, and wellbeing, and will invite participant contributions to these urgent conversations. Register for one or more free sessions, which include:
Day 1: Ancestral healing through food and land: A peer-to-peer workshop
Day 2: Innovative land access for urban farming: private partnerships
Day 3: Innovative land access for urban farming: Public partnerships
Day 3: Challenges and Opportunities within the Role of Education in Urban Agroecology
Day 4: Just Transition to Agroecology: Transferring power and restoring sovereignty to BIPOC land stewards
Day 5: Innovative land access for urban farming: Legal & policy dimensions
Day 6: Strengthening Agroecological Resilience in the City
Find out more about each event within the conference here: https://nature.berkeley.edu/growingroots/agroeco-conference-2021/. The conference is organized by UC Berkeley Growing Roots, UC Berkeley Food Institute, UC ANR, and other partners.