Seeds of Change: Building Capacity among New Urban Growers with Educational Seed Grants

View the project final report

Commodities

• Agronomic: grass (misc. annual), peas (field, cowpeas), sunflower
• Fruits: berries (blueberries), berries (brambles), berries (cranberries), berries (other), berries (strawberries), melons, paw-paws, pears
• Vegetables: asparagus, beans, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucurbits, eggplant, garlic, greens (leafy), greens (lettuces), leeks, lentils, okra, onions, parsnips, peas (culinary), peppers, radishes (culinary), tomatoes, turnips
• Additional Plants: herbs, native plants
• Miscellaneous: Native perrenials

Practices

• Crop Production: agroforestry, conservation tillage, cover crops, crop improvement and selection, cropping systems, crop rotation, double cropping, drainage systems, drought tolerance, fertilizers, forest farming, greenhouses, high tunnels or hoop houses, intercropping, irrigation, low tunnels, multiple cropping, no-till, nutrient cycling, nutrient management, organic fertilizers, plant breeding and genetics, pollination, pollinator habitat, pollinator health, relay cropping, seed saving
• Education and Training: decision support system, demonstration, farmer to farmer, mentoring, networking, technical assistance, workshop
• Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity, habitat enhancement, soil stabilization
• Pest Management: biological control, botanical pesticides, competition, field monitoring/scouting, genetic resistance, integrated pest management, mulches - general, prevention, weed ecology
• Production Systems: organic agriculture
• Soil Management: composting, earthworms
• Sustainable Communities: community development, community planning, community services, ethnic differences/cultural and demographic change, food hubs, leadership development, local and regional food systems, partnerships, quality of life, social capital, social networks, urban agriculture

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.