Progress report for ONC23-125
Project Information
In partnership with prominent BIPOC urban farmers, UHSTL coordinated a series of workshops that qualified participants to apply for a Seed Grant of $500. 12 grants were dispersed in year one and 20 in year two. Applicants sited needs from small personal greenhouses to cedar wood raised beds to composters. UHSTL used grant funds to build and repair 10 community garden beds at Body N Soil and supported 3 community garden memberships at Coahoma Orchards.
The seed funding and workshop series have been intentionally designed to benefit participants living in low-food-access neighborhoods in St. Louis. These residents are primarily people of color and face specific barriers to entry into urban agricultural spaces. Studies such as the USDA's RBS Research Report #194 acknowledge that until recently, the USDA had a history of discriminating against growers of color. Economically, this has put them at a disadvantage for generations. Land acquisition is also a large barrier, especially in urban spaces. In a case study on Chicago, urban growers identified a lack of educational support as an additional barrier.
Unique to our program, each grant recipient identified their own farming goals and invested the funds in the way that best suits their individual circumstances. The Missouri University Ag Report notes that small grants have worked to revitalize urban agriculture in other cities.
This collaboration built an integrated community of practice with St. Louis urban farmers, with a specific focus on training, mentorship, seed funding, and access to garden beds.
To support program participants, we funded 12 grants in year one and 20 grants in year two of the program. We also provided 10 community bed scholarships in year two.
Each partner farm was compensated for hosting 3 farming workshops and 3 hands-on work days per year, creating a total of 46 events that participants attended to meet eligibility requirements for the seed grant.
Cooperators
- - Technical Advisor (Educator)
- - Technical Advisor (Educator)
- - Technical Advisor (Educator)
- - Technical Advisor (Educator)
Research
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation Summary:
The farm collaborative offered 8 farm demonstrations, 17 workshops and field days in 2023, and 2 online trainings in February 2024. The collaborative offered 46 educational and outreach activities including workshops, field days, and online trainings. In February 2023, UHSTL staff and 2 partners (Dail and Heru) presented the project at Missouri Botanical Garden’s panel for urban gardeners on Food Justice in St. Louis. In 2023 and 2024, each farm professional led 3 hour-long educational workshops and farm demonstrations on topics including container gardening, animal husbandry, tomato trellising, soil management, native plantings and seeds, and raised bed construction. The collaborators also each offered 2 field days per year on their farm sites in which participants were able to gain hands-on practical experience in planting, trellising, pest control, and farm maintenance. In February 2024, our new series of workshops launched with 2 online training opportunities, focused on community engagement and crop planning, respectively. We produced 2 educational tools, one is a budget guideline for common garden materials, and the other was a guided grant proposal template to assist our participants in determining their goals for their seed grants. We held a final educational activity with our Oct 2023 and 2024 Grant Workshops in which we gathered our applicants with farm mentors to assist and develop their seed grant proposals and budgets. In total, 32 grants worth $500 each were given to participants who completed at least 4 of the educational opportunities, a short proposal, and a budget.
Learning Outcomes
Programs and other farmers to engage with
Organic growing methods
General urban garden maintenance
Project Outcomes
This project had many benefits on agricultural sustainability. The educational workshops platformed local BILPOC farmers interested in sharing knowledge and methods. Providing stipends for the workshop presenters in addition to a supply budget supported their sustainable growing practices financially as well, as the NGA estimates that $70 invested in home food gardening can yield a return of around $600. The 24 workshops or workdays provided beginning farmers with the knowledge, and sometimes with the resources, needed to apply sustainable farming practices to their own growing operations. Sharing this knowledge will lead to a greater amount of urban farmland in St. Louis that is being managed with sustainable methods, many of which are approved and promoted by NRCS.
The 32 participants who received Seed Funding have already begun utilizing these methods at their urban farming spaces. Similarly to the stipend for workshop presenters, this Seed Grant is designed to help urban farmers realize up to a 750% return on investment for their spaces. Multiple collaborators used the funding to expand access to community garden beds, including Dail Chambers at The Labadie garden and Ashley Bailey at Body N Soil garden. Each space was able to add up to 6 beds.
UHSTL collected feedback from participants who received an award. 100% of respondents were satisfied with program workshops. Some workshop respondents offered the following feedback:
“I'm so delighted that this organization exists and thankful!"
"I enjoyed the workshops. Everyone was enthusiastic about what they were teaching."
"I'm so grateful for this program!"
"I enjoyed the workshops, they were a great variety of choices. Perhaps offer some of the same classes with different date choices."
"This was a great program. I wish we would have known about it sooner. We are looking forward to attending more workshops in the future.”
After completing the Urban Harvest apprenticeship program, one 75 year old participant, Bert Coleman felt empowered with new knowledge—from soil health and pest control to understanding plant needs and growing techniques. Motivated by what he’d learned, he applied for and received a We Grow Microgrant, which he used to build a third garden bed and double his growing space. With the expanded garden, Bert harvested over 50 pounds of produce last season, including tomatoes, collard greens, peppers, and exotic melons he hadn’t considered growing before. “It’s amazing what you can do with the right tools and support,” Bert says. “Urban Harvest helped me take my gardening to the next level, and now I’m using what I’ve learned to help other gardens in my community thrive.”
UHSTL learned that there is a large interest in this type of education. The workshops were all well attended, however there were a few people who did not apply for the Seed Funding despite meeting the attendance requirements. These short workshops proved to be integral to the development of other programs as participants expressed interest in re-engagement with many of the partner organizations, including UHSTL. Providing take-home incentives for the classes, such as sunflowers and sunflower seeds, encouraged participants to utilize the skills they learned in the workshop immediately.
A majority of participants reported Saturday mornings (9am-12pm) as being the most available with no reports of inconvenience. Sunday mornings and afternoons were most commonly reported as inconvenient followed by weekday evenings (6-9pm). Saturday afternoons (1-4pm) were most commonly selected as a second choice. 57% of respondents said they would be interested in longer ‘hands-on’ workshops that combine a learning topic and volunteer work shift.