1. Columbia, Missouri
Food Is Good It began as a university composting project, which is the first thing you need for organic growing, so morphing into an urban farm was the natural second step. Today, the downtown Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture is a place for growing fresh food, connecting people and educating them about gardening, the food system, and the environment. Inspiring residents since 2010, the nonprofit’s influence continues to spread through the city. Project funding comes from grants and produce sales. Both fulltime employees and volunteers maintain the 1.3-acre farm’s gardens, edible landscape plantings and orchard, and run its various educational programs. They mentor new gardens, empower new gardeners, and teach youngsters about natural systems. The annual CCUA Harvest Hootenanny celebrates each successful season with local food, craft wine and beer, and live music.
2. St. Paul, MN
Coming together to create change has contagious impact. Learn more: bit.ly/about-ccua
The Grand Experiment In 2012, aquaponics and urban agriculture was all a grand experiment, but that didn’t stop Dave and Kristen Haider from diving in. Along with partners, Fred Haberman and Chris Ames, they secured private and city funding to refurbish an old brewery building. Urban Organics planted their first crop in Fall 2013; a mix of swiss chard, kale, and lettuce grown for a local upscale grocer with 25 stores. Expanding operations to other floors of the building proved a roadblock due to the astronomical cost of meeting building codes. Instead, they purchased a massive vacant warehouse across town in 2015. Now actively producing certified organic fish and produce, at full capacity, the Schmidt building will make them one of the largest aquaponic farms in the world with two acres of crop space, and an annual harvest of 275,000 pounds of fish and 475,000 pounds of produce. They’re way past the experiment stage, and growing like a weed. Learn more: bit.ly/UO-fb and featured on the GCM website at bit.ly/UO-interview.