A veteran works in a vegetable farm during an Armed to Urban Farm training.

Connecting people and agriculture is a critical need. We face challenges in feeding our growing population, and most Americans lack of exposure to agriculture and food production. With ever more people living in urban areas, understanding agriculture through an urban lens can provide both a connection and an educational opportunity. Since the U.S. Botanic Garden’s creation 200 years ago, one of the Garden’s primary functions has been growing and demonstrating plants to tell the story of agriculture and economic plants to the public.

Using our own urban setting and building on our long history of growing plants and educating people about them, the USBG is:

  • Working to promote science and environmental learning through sustainable agriculture in urban settings;
  • Supporting health and well-being in urban communities by increasing food access through local food production;
  • Fostering community engagement through meaningful connections with food and agriculture.

By building a network of organizations helping with food production and education across the country, the Garden is strengthening people’s capacity to transform their lives, institutions, and communities through engagement in urban agriculture.

Read below to learn more about the U.S. Botanic Garden’s urban agriculture work.

 

Two men and one woman pick leafy greens in a gardenUrban Agriculture Resilience Program 2024

The United States Botanic Garden (USBG) and American Public Gardens Association (Association) are awarding support to 26 public gardens and their community partners engaging in urban agriculture, food-growing, and related education work. The 26 awards total $445,600 in support for public garden partnerships across the United States that will foster public engagement and education in urban food growing and build capacity in urban agriculture programs. The Urban Agriculture Resilience Program aims to strengthen collaborations, promote resilience, and gather best practices from across the U.S.

The funds will help programs in 18 states and Washington, D.C. integrate urban food growing and urban agriculture education while addressing food security challenges in their communities. The program seeks to leverage the strength of public gardens working with partners in their communities, ranging from schools, universities, and urban farms to food pantries, community gardens, local government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. This year, the program especially sought to support collaborations involving smaller public gardens, as well as organizations demonstrating a strong commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility.

Over the UARP’s previous four years, the program has awarded $1.57 million to 80 collaborations in 30 states and D.C. These programs have grown and shared over 690,000 pounds of produce, distributed more than 260,000 seedlings, and provided more than 46,000 hours of urban agriculture training to students, interns, and trainees.

“The collaborations supported through this year’s Urban Agriculture Resilience Program demonstrate many creative ways that urban agriculture can connect people and plants through food,” said Dr. Susan Pell, USBG executive director. “We are thrilled to embark on a fifth year of supporting such vital urban food-growing programs across the country and to expand the existing Urban Agriculture Resilience Program community with these 26 new projects.”

The Urban Agriculture Resilience Program began in 2020 as a way for the USBG and the Association to support and expand urban agriculture and food-growing programs at public gardens. Learn more about previous awardees at www.USBG.gov/UrbanAg.

2024 Urban Agriculture Resilience Program Awardees:

Alabama

  • Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens, in collaboration with the City of Birmingham Park and Recreation Department

Alaska

  • Georgeson Botanical Garden, in collaboration with the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Office of Sustainability; UAF AFES Vegetable Variety Trials; Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation District; and Calypso Farm and Ecology Center

Arkansas

  • Botanical Garden of the Ozarks, in collaboration with Seeds that Feed

California

  • Healthy Day Partners in collaboration with San Diego Botanic Garden

Colorado

  • The Gardens on Spring Creek in collaboration with First People’s Community Center
  • The Urban Farm in collaboration with Denver Public Youth Services

District of Columbia

  • Covenant House Greater Washington, in collaboration with OurFarm DC; Run Hope Work; and THEARC Farm–Building Bridges Across the River

Florida

  • Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, in collaboration with Operation Eco Vets and Easterseals Southwest Florida

Georgia

  • Historic Westside Gardens, in collaboration with Green Team of English Avenue
  • Smith-Gilbert Gardens, in collaboration with Our Giving Garden

Idaho

  • Idaho Botanical Garden, in collaboration with City of Good

Illinois

  • Growing Healthy Veterans, in collaboration with Cool Learning Experience and Roberti Community House

Maryland

  • Charles Koiner Center for Urban Farming, in collaboration with Montgomery County Public Schools, Division of Sustainability and Compliance

Michigan

  • Michigan State University Extension, in collaboration with Keep Growing Detroit and Peace Tree Parks

North Carolina

  • Raleigh City Farm, in collaboration with Salvation Army of Wake County Red Shield Club of Raleigh

New York

  • Buffalo Botanical Gardens, in collaboration with Gerard Place
  • Ithaca Children's Garden, in collaboration with The Learning Farm and Children’s Reading Connection
  • Randall's Island Park Alliance, in collaboration with LSA Family Health Service

Oregon

  • Growing Gardens, in collaboration with Providence Hospital Garden of Giving and Community Teaching Kitchen
  • Zenger Farm, in collaboration with David Douglas School District

Pennsylvania

  • Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, in collaboration with Just Harvest
  • Wyck Association, in collaboration with People’s Kitchen Philadelphia

Tennessee

  • Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum, in collaboration with Little Chefs, Big Change and Shora Foundation

Texas

  • Botanical Research Institute of Texas, in collaboration with Union Gospel Mission of Tarrant County
  • Clark Gardens, in collaboration with Let’s Grow Crazy

Wisconsin

  • Allen Centennial Garden, in collaboration with Rooted WI and REAP Food Group

 

Learn about the 2020 Urban Agriculture Resilience Program, the 2021 Program, the 2022 Program, and the 2023 Capstone Program >

See the all awardees of Urban Agriculture Resilience Program 2020 to present:

Learn about the 2020 Urban Agriculture Resilience Program >

Learn about the 2021 Urban Agriculture Resilience Program >

Learn about the 2022 Urban Agriculture Resilience Program >

Learn about the 2023 Urban Agriculture Resilience Program Capstone >

 

Veterans constructing a greenhouseTraining Veterans in Urban Farming as a Career

The USBG and the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) have partnered to create week-long Armed to Urban Farm sustainable agriculture trainings for veterans and their farm partners. Armed to Urban Farm gives military veterans an opportunity to experience sustainable, profitable small-scale farming enterprises and learn about urban farming as a career. Armed to Urban Farm, which is based on NCAT's popular Armed to Farm program, combines engaging classroom sessions with farm tours and hands-on activities. Participants learn about business planning, budgeting, recordkeeping, marketing, urban soils, land access, vegetable production, and more. Participants gain a strong foundation in the basic principles of operating a sustainable farming enterprise. In addition, attendees join a nationwide network of supportive farmer-veterans and agricultural advisors.

Previous workshops:

  • St. Paul, MN - October 2023
  • Memphis, TN - October 2022
  • Baltimore, MD - September 2021
  • Cleveland - September 2019
  • Washington, D.C. - September 2018

Learn more about the Armed to Urban Farm program and upcoming training opportunities

 

Urban Ag Toolkit coverBuilding Urban Ag Capacity at Public Gardens

The U.S. Botanic Garden has partnered with Chicago Botanic Garden’s Windy City Harvest, an established urban agriculture program within the public gardens community, to develop a train-the-trainer program and urban agriculture toolkit. This collaboration provides hands-on, practical support for public gardens and their partner organizations interested in developing or expanding urban agriculture programming. Based on feedback from other gardens, the collaboration has designed and offered three-day intensive urban agriculture workshops for public garden professionals and their partners. Information and resources from these workshops is compiled in the Building Capacity for Urban Agriculture Programs Toolkit.

The workshops and toolkit incorporate topics such as designing urban agriculture programs, developing community partnerships, selecting and establishing urban farm sites, cultivating donors and identifying funding opportunities, and evaluating and communicating program successes. 

Previous workshops:

  • 2021 Virtual Workshop: July 2021-December 2021
  • New Orleans - March 2020
  • Chicago - August 2019

 

Greenhouse Manual coverGreenhouse Manual and Trainings for Educators

The U.S. Botanic Garden, the National Center for Appropriate Technology, and City Blossoms recognized the emerging need for user-friendly guidance on operating educational greenhouses and maximizing their potential in school settings. The partners developed an introductory manual for educators wanting to better use new or existing greenhouses for programming. The manual clearly and concisely lays out a basic understanding of greenhouses, how to integrate them into lessons, and how to effectively use greenhouses in classroom curricula and out-of-school activities.

The manual includes lesson plans as well as basic information on layout and operations of a greenhouse, growing plants (especially during the school year), growing from seed, seedling nutrition, identifying and treating diseases, pest management in greenhouses, basic budgeting, and succession planting.

This useful resource will help facilitate transformative learning experiences in schools nationwide, while cultivating students' appreciation of the importance of plants.

Download the manual [PDF] >

USBG Greenhouse Manual
Document

Learn more about this partnership and manual

 

Report: The Role of Botanic Gardens in Urban Agriculture

The U.S. Botanic Garden and the American Public Gardens Association undertook this study to identify viable urban agriculture program models that are self-sustaining and environmentally, socially, and economically enriching, and to better understand how public gardens could achieve meaningful impact. The research used a three-pronged approach to evaluate the state of urban agriculture at community-based nonprofit and for-profit organizations, government agencies, universities, and public gardens. Insights were gained by exploring literature, surveying the community of practice, and interviewing practitioners and experts about urban agriculture initiatives and related educational programming.

Download the report [PDF] >

 

Corn grows in the Kitchen Garden with the Conservatory and Capitol dome behindOnline Food and Agriculture Programs

As part of our ongoing educational programming, we offer periodic online programs about food and agriculture, including programs specifically focused on the urban environment.

Find upcoming programs at www.USBG.gov/Programs
 

The USBG Kitchen Garden

The USBG Kitchen Garden demonstrates food growing in an urban setting, with tours, tastings, workshops, and children’s activities. The fruits and vegetables from the Garden are used for educational classes and cooking demonstrations, and excess produce is donated to local community-based hunger relief organizations.

Find the Kitchen Garden in Bartholdi Fountain and Gardens