New Stories From 'Urban Agriculture Notes'
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From you-pick to Underground Railroad gardens, Ypsi-area community growers have big plans for 2021

Home vegetable coordinator Teria Moore-Berry and Urban Farm Coordinator Charlotte Thurston

Other new plans for 2021 include adding a volunteer who can teach people about raising chicken, pigs, and cattle

By Sarah Rigg
Concentrate
Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Excerpt:

This year, the nonprofit is scaling back to its normal 25 households, with a focus on people of color and people living with disability in two neighborhoods: Ypsilanti’s Southside and Ypsilanti Township’s West Willow neighborhood. Growing Hope provides gardening supplies, seeds, seedlings, and expertise, and matches home gardeners with an experienced gardening mentor.

Ayer says focusing on specific neighborhoods allows Growing Hope to build relationships between Growing Hope and residents, and between neighbors in those areas.

“With COVID-19, we’ve seen the importance of building interconnectedness in our community and providing for ourselves,” she says. “Growing Hope is building up our community of people with knowledge and resources.”

She says that while Growing Hope staff have a lot of expertise, they don’t necessarily have all the answers, so sometimes they seek mentors who have specific niche knowledge or experience. For instance, last year the nonprofit tapped a community member with a disability who had deep knowledge of gardening. Growing Hope can recruit mentors with other specialties for participants with specific goals.

Read the complete article here.