For Urban Farmers
Urban farming contributes to our city’s food security and food safety in two ways: first, it increases the total amount of food available to people living in cities, and second, it allows fresh, high quality vegetables, fruits, and other food products to be made available to urban consumers. Starting or expanding an urban farm may not be easy, but it can be very rewarding -- and the City of Minneapolis wants to help. Explore the resources below to learn more about programs and grants for urban farmers that can provide financial and technical assistance.
Urban Farming Resources
- The Spring Rose Growers Cooperative has produced educational videos in Spanish and Hmong, covering topics such as how to make an organic soil mix, how to build a low cost cooler, and how to build a low cost hoophouse.
- Want to sell your food at a farmers market in Minneapolis? Apply for a market distributor license (pdf).
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture has finalized a new program that will provide microloans up to $35,000 aimed at assisting small farmers, veterans, and disadvantaged producers.
- Catch up on recent urban farming news and resources with this update from December 2012.
- NCR-SARE’s Farmer Rancher Grant Program is a competitive grants program for farmers and ranchers who want to explore sustainable solutions to problems through on-farm research, demonstration, and education projects.
- The Land Stewardship Project recently launched a Journeyperson Course as a way to fill the continuing education gap between farm start-up and farm establishment.
- The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has released a new report detailing the financial performance of nine types of specialty crops (pdf) in Minnesota.
- Interested in organic farming? The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Organic Program works to ensure the integrity of USDA organic products in the U.S. and throughout the world.
- Farm Beginnings is a farmer-led, community based training and support program aimed at getting more farmers on the land farming sustainably.
- The Natural Resources Conservation Service's Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers.
Last updated Apr. 24, 2013