To provide underserved youth with hands on instruction in urban farming and food sovereignty including planting and harvesting, climate smart regenerative indigenous agriculture techniques, soil…

This Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers (CFDA 10.443) program will provide $690,000 over 3 years to the John Bartram Association to deliver hands-on urban farming and food sovereignty education for underserved youth. Key activities include:

Implementing a youth farmer curriculum for up to 25 local high school students annually, providing technical assistance and home garden installations for an estimated 225 beginning farmers per year, operating a weekly farm stand and greenhouse to produce 13,000 lbs of produce and 60,000 vegetable seedlings annually, hosting 20 free farming skill-building workshops per year, and leading an annual USDA skillshare event. The grant will also fund sub-awards to the Urban Tree Connection and Philadelphia Orchard Project to support additional training, technical assistance, and produce distribution for beginning farmers in the community.

To provide underserved youth with hands on instruction in urban farming and food sovereignty including planting and harvesting, climate smart regenerative indigenous agriculture techniques, soil management, chemical free pest management, financial literacy, use of USDA products such as snap, greenhouse management, crop planning, and customer service.