Transforming greenery for transformation
Revitalizing Minneapolis: The Urban Agriculture Initiative Transforms City Spaces
The Urban Agriculture Initiative, a collaborative effort between the University of Minnesota, Hennepin County, and community partners, is transforming vacant urban lots in the 6th Street and West Broadway neighborhoods of Minneapolis into thriving community gardens.
These gardens produce a variety of crops, including squash, strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, kale, garlic, lemon balm, chamomile, mint, and flowers. The initiative aims to improve food access, foster community building, and create educational opportunities.
The project is led by community mentors Sheronda Orridge and Elba Negron, who guided a group of youth interns in the summer of 2022. One of these youth leaders, Sadaya Bronson, 18, joined the initiative as a summer intern.
Sadaya played an active role in the project, participating in a workshop to paint a sign for the 6th Street garden, renaming it the Sunflower Community Garden. She and her fellow interns, who named themselves the 'Gardens for Change Crew', set out to take care of the community by helping neighbors with yard projects.
The youth leaders worked alongside Master Gardener volunteers, SNAP-Ed, and EFNEP educators to design garden spaces and make nutritious foods like salsa and pesto. Community partners like Sisters' Camelot joined the team in inviting neighbors to gather and enjoy nutritious meals.
Bridie Musser, the mother of a youth leader named Ben, noticed her son was building a garden in their backyard and became interested in the project. Attending gardening events with Ben, she has enjoyed connecting with the project team, residents from the neighborhood, and the University of Minnesota.
Craig Taylor, the regional director of the University of Minnesota, states that the initiative is not only about growing food but also about connecting and bringing power back to the community. The Urban Agriculture Initiative aims to create pathways for greater food access, foster community building, promote closer neighborhood ties, improve physical and mental wellbeing, and provide educational opportunities.
The initiative is part of a broader movement that integrates agriculture into the fabric of cities, cultivating fruits, vegetables, herbs, and sometimes small livestock within urban spaces like vacant lots, rooftops, and schoolyards. Examples include organizations like Gateway Greening in St. Louis and the Michigan Urban Farming Initiative in Detroit.
As the upcoming season approaches, Bridie Musser expresses her excitement for watching the gardens and community continue to grow. The Urban Agriculture Initiative is a testament to the power of community collaboration and the transformative potential of urban agriculture.
[1] https://www.urbanagriculture.umn.edu/ [2] https://www.gatewaygreening.org/ [3] https://mufi.org/ [4] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214629618301832 [5] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13504851.2018.1460076
- By taking care of the community garden and helping neighbors with yard projects, the youth leaders, such as Sadaya Bronson, hope to create a better home-and-garden lifestyle in their neighborhood.
- The Urban Agriculture Initiative isn't just about growing food; it is also about improving lifestyle and fostering community building, as it expands into different areas, such as home-and-garden spaces and vacant lots in various cities nationwide.
