The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has awarded a total of $551,000 in grants to 14 statewide projects under the Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation (AGRI) Urban Agriculture Grant Program.
This is the fifth year of the program. Its purpose is to encourage urban youth agricultural education and urban agriculture community development by assisting organizations and communities in obtaining the materials and services necessary for the successful promotion of urban agriculture.
“The recipients for this year’s grants will use their awards to expand on agriculture projects within their communities,” said MDA Assistant Commissioner Patrice Bailey. “These projects not only allow Minnesota’s youth the opportunity to gain hands-on experiences in agriculture and food production, but also strengthen the food system as a whole within each community.”
The 2022 AGRI Urban Agriculture Grant recipients include:
| Organization | Project Summary |
| American Indian Community Housing Organization, Duluth | Continue Giinawiind Giginitaawigi'gomin programming with Indigenous youth in the Duluth community to restore connections to cultural food practices through gardening, farming, and entrepreneurial skill-building. |
| Appetite For Change, Minneapolis | Establish two “Urban Agriculture Campus” sites in North Minneapolis and transform an existing site into a community garden space. |
| Boys and Girls Club of the Bemidji Area, Bemidji | Continue to support their youth urban agriculture program with additional staff support from the garden manager, an assistant garden manager, a culinary program consultant, an additional hydroponic growing unit, and other essential supplies. |
| Brooklyn Center Community Schools, Brooklyn Center | Support the Gathering Gifts from the Garden Project at Brooklyn Community Schools by developing three distinct garden spaces: a giving garden, a pollinator garden, and a community garden. |
| Family Freedom Center, Duluth | Increase food production and access at Family Freedom Center’s two farm sites in the Lincoln Park and Hillside neighborhoods of Duluth. |
| Hand In Hand Montessori, Roseville | Teach youth sustainable agricultural practices through the development of a productive urban forest. |
| Lower Phalen Creek Project, St. Paul | Create the Indigenous Teaching Gardens at Wakáŋ Tipi Center within Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary in Saint Paul. |
| Native American Community Development Institute, Minneapolis | Advance Indigenous food sovereignty, strengthen farmer to consumer enterprises, and reverse health disparities in Urban Indian communities via the Four Sisters Urban Farm. |
| Northside Residents Redevelopment Council, Minneapolis | Train youth as urban farmers at the Demonstration Site for Healthy Urban Living by teaching hands-on gardening, backyard chicken raising, and the benefits of rain barrels in urban farming enterprises. |
| Nova Classical Academy Green Team, St. Paul | Continue to build Nova’s Green Team community garden by creating a drip irrigation system and adding a bee and pollinator space to further agricultural education opportunities for the community. |
| Minneapolis Public Schools, Minneapolis | Increase the capacity to host students at the Culinary Center’s Education Farm with hands-on, agricultural education experiences through the installation of an orchard and medicinal garden, and expanded curriculum development. |
| Urban Roots MN, St. Paul | Increase urban agricultural youth enterprise and community engagement on the East Side of St. Paul by rebuilding the produce wash station at 845 Edgerton Street, purchasing, and installing equipment, materials, and shipping containers at Rivoli Bluff Farm & Restoration Site, and hiring additional program staff. |
| Urban Ventures, Minneapolis | Support the Urban Ventures Farm & Nutrition project, educating youth in environmental and horticulture science through hands-on farming experiences. |
| YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities, Minneapolis | Engage BIPOC students and provide the opportunity to participate in hands-on, immersive agriculture education in their urban setting. Youth will plant heritage seeds, learn how to use solar systems to power aeroponic growing systems, and explore various agriculture methods. |
Funding for this program is made available through the AGRI Program, which administers grants to farmers, agribusinesses, schools, and more throughout the state of Minnesota. The AGRI Program exists to advance Minnesota’s agricultural and renewable energy sectors.
Visit our website for more information about this year’s grantees and their projects.
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Media Contact
Larry Schumacher, MDA Communications
651-201-6629
Larry.Schumacher@state.mn.us
