Inner city or town agriculture is not fully met its potential due to various confines including limited land access, lack of capital or funding, insufficient community support, and lack of…

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Kentucky State University $344,560 under the 1890 Institution Capacity Building Grants program on February 15, 2026.

The award funds a three-year integrated collaborative project addressing barriers to urban and town agriculture through hands-on activities at a student-run micro farm, KSU's research and demonstration farm, and other sites. The project delivers training and certification workshops in innovative urban food systems and food marketing strategies to middle and high school youths, urban growers, and KSU students, faculty, and extension personnel. It expands extension outreach capacity in sustainable urban agriculture, food security, and human nutrition and health, and advances food security in urban communities by promoting access to fresh and local produce.

The project period runs through February 14, 2029, with place of performance at Frankfort, Kentucky. The work aligns with Executive Order 14283, the White House Initiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and advances KSU's land-grant mission to serve limited-resource and underserved populations through research-informed education and extension programming in sustainable agriculture and food security.

Inner city or town agriculture is not fully met its potential due to various confines including limited land access, lack of capital or funding, insufficient community support, and lack of innovative and supportable farming skills. Besides, inner city or town agriculture can provide farming skills to dwellers, access to fresh produce, readily promote community and local farmer's markets and establish collaboration among other growers. With the social, economic, ecological, and other benefits associated with city or town agriculture, the proposed integrated collaborative three-year project which will include hands-on activities at a student-run micro farm and at kentucky state university (KSU) research and demonstration farm and elsewhere and will attempt to address specific barriers confronting the enhancement of city or town agriculture. Objectives of this project are, 1) providing knowledge and skills to city or town middle and high school youths, city or town growers, KSU students faculty and extension personnel (training certification workshops) ininnovative city or town food systems and food marketing strategies; 2) expanding extension outreach capacity in topics related to sustainable city or town agriculture food security and human nutrition and health. The project will also advance food security in communities in city or town dwellings by promoting access to fresh and local produce. This program aligned with the EO 14283, titled white house initiative to promote excellence and innovation at historically black colleges and universities to bolster hbcus by enhancing their capacity for high-quality education and improving workforce preparation in key industries.