Help Build Iron Street Farm on Chicago's Southside

In 2013, Growing Power Chicago received a three year grant from the USDA through the Community Food Projects program to address the concerns of food insecurity and economic disinvestment in low-income communities of Chicago. Through advanced training and farm and marketing infrastructure development, Growing Power will work with food desert communities to secure land, build farms and mentor farmers within designated food desert communities. New farmers will be provided with opportunities for land access through a new 7-acre urban farm in partnership with the Chicago Park District and other city owned land as well as shared infrastructure and resources (compost, seeds, tools, hoop house construction).

The project, which is now underway, will provide new farmers and food entrepreneurs direct market access for their product through a new aggregation pilot that will provide fresh produce to a variety of commercial retailers, corner stores, farmers’ markets, and local businesses. We are currently working with three local organizations that specifically address food insecurity in the Roseland and Washington Park neighborhoods: Inner City Muslim Action Network (IMAN); Southside Education and Economic Development Systems (S.E.E.D.S.); and Keep Loving Each Other (KLEO).

Through this grant Growing Power Chicago started offering a workshop series that provide hands-on training in creating and maintaining urban farms for individuals. The series began in February and will run through May. Individual workshops concentrate on a variety of sustainable farming topics covering: project planning; marketing; Good Agricultural Practices; dismantling racism in the food system; beekeeping; composting; and hoop house construction.

The Farmers for Chicago project, which will conclude in 2016, aims to provide training to:

• 50 new farmers to receive direct training and farm incubation support.
• 150 farmers to benefit from shared infrastructure support.
• 1500 individuals to receive training and educational opportunities in urban agriculture via workshops offered at Iron Street Urban Farm
• 900 youth are provided with meaningful work experience in urban agriculture.
• 30 commercial retailers and independent corner storeowners increase the availability of fresh food in their businesses.