RECOMMENDATION / ACTION STEP

6.13 cont’d

Build a relationship between PASA and agriculture programs within the School District of Philadelphia to connect graduates with potential training or placement options at host farms in the city and region.

6.14 Help entrepreneurs establish and grow agricultural businesses.

Build awareness among growers and food entrepreneurs about business resources (e.g., Department of Public Health’s Good Food Accelerator Program), and expand opportunities for local growers and food entrepreneurs to access these services as clients.

Provide educational resources to help new businesses access land, soil, and water, and navigate Philadelphia business licensing and funding opportunities.

Support incubator programs that train and support new businesses and agricultural businesses.

Type Of Change

LEAD AGENCY & PARTNERS TIMELINE

Partnership School District, Nonprofits

Medium-Term

Operations Commerce, Office of Economic Opportunity Long-Term

Operations Dept of Public Health, Area Universities, Parks & Rec, Nonprofits, Grassroots Orgs, Local Growers

Operations Commerce, Office of Economic Opportunity

Partnership Commerce, Office of Economic Opportunity, Nonprofits, Area Universities

Short-Term

CASE STUDY GARDENING FOR GREENBACKS, CLEVELAND

This program provides an example of how City departments can provide financial support to for-profit agriculture operations.

Medium-Term

Short-Term

Support community-based models for shared business support including legal resources, insurance, technology, and skills training.

Create opportunities for agricultural entrepreneurs to access start-up capital and grants - especially BIPOC and/or immigrant-owned businesses.

Provide funding for training and certifications in emerging food and cottage industry businesses (e.g., certifications and technical assistance in food safety, licensing, marketing, financing).

Ensure investment in diverse models of agriculture, not just aquaponic, hydroponic and vertical but also largerscale, soil building farms, and support businesses to provide living wages.

Continue to support and invest in programs that directly invest in culturally relevant food businesses and organizations (e.g., Philadelphia Food Justice Initiative).

Partnership Commerce, Office of Economic Opportunity, Nonprofits, Area Universities

Budget Commerce, Office of Economic Opportunity, Nonprofits

Budget, Operations Commerce, Office of Economic Opportunity

Budget, Operations Commerce, Office of Economic Opportunity

Partnership City Council, Finance, Dept of Public Health Commerce, Grassroots Orgs, Nonprofits

Medium-Term

“The Cleveland Department of Economic Development, through its Gardening for Greenbacks program, awards grants of up to $5,000 to for-profit urban farms. The program aims to help reduce the overhead cost of urban farming, and grants may be used to purchase tools, hoop houses, irrigation systems, rain barrels, fencing, and soil, among other things.”97

Medium-Term

Medium-Term

Long-Term

Long-Term

Local Profile

Philadelphia Food Justice Initiative

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health, in partnership with the Reinvestment Fund and Wells Fargo, launched the Philadelphia Food Justice Initiative in 2019, which makes funds available to creative community-led projects that increase access to healthier food and community well-being. The program, which “prioritizes projects led by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, immigrants, and people living with disabilities, and those with lived experience with health injustice,”98 is a valuable example of a City initiative providing funds to BIPOC community-led projects.