Minnesota State Horticultural Society

**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THIS THREE-YEAR PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON INCREASING FOOD SECURITY IN SOME OF THE HIGHEST-NEED COMMUNITIES IN THE URBAN AREAS OF MINNEAPOLIS AND ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA. THE TWIN CITIES ARE HOME TO A RAPIDLY GROWING POPULATION OF IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES, PRIMARILY IN THE SOMALI, HMONG, LATINO, AND KAREN COMMUNITIES, AND URBAN AGRICULTURE PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR MORE DIVERSE POPULATIONS TO PARTICIPATE IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION. (MN DEPT OF AGRICULTURE REPORT TO MN LEGISLATURE, 2016).THE TWIN CITIES EXPERIENCED A SHARP RISE IN FOOD INSECURITY IN 2020: APPROXIMATELY 1.6 MILLION MINNESOTANS, NEARLY 30 PERCENT OF THE STATE'S POPULATION, LACK ACCESS TO HEALTHY FOOD (MN DEPT OF HEALTH), WITH BLACK AND HISPANIC/LATINO MINNESOTANS REPORTING FOOD INSECURITY AT MORE THAN DOUBLE THE RATE OF WHITE RESIDENTS - 83% OF BLACK RESIDENTS AND 70% OF HISPANIC/LATINO RESIDENTS, IN CONTRAST WITH 32% OF WHITE RESIDENTS - AND ASIAN AND AMERICAN INDIAN RESIDENTS OVER 50% (WILDER FOUNDATION, 2020).AS THE LEAD APPLICANT FOR THIS PROJECT, THE MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY (MSHS) WILL USE ITS GARDENING EXPERTISE AND CROSS-SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS TO RESPOND TO THE INCREASED NEED AND INTEREST IN GROWING FOOD AMONGST LOW-INCOME COMMUNITY MEMBERS BY PROVIDING GARDENING MATERIALS, EDUCATION, AND RESOURCES TO REMOVE BARRIERS FOR NEW GARDENERS; CONNECTING GARDENERS WITH EXCESS PRODUCE TO FOOD DISTRIBUTION PROGRAMS; AND OFFERING COORDINATION, TRAINING, AND AN ONLINE RESOURCE HUB TO STRENGTHEN THE INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDED TO MAKE COMMUNITY GARDENING SUSTAINABLE OVER THE LONG TERM.THESE INITIATIVES DIRECTLY RESPOND TO THE 5 HIGHEST-RANKED NEEDS EXPRESSED BY COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN OUR 2021 SURVEY OF 28 COMMUNITY GARDENS (SEE APPENDIX):COMMUNITY NEED#THIS PROJECT'S RESPONSEMORE PLANT DONATIONS FOR COMMUNITY GARDENS14INCREASE MINNESOTA GREEN'S PLANT DONATIONSCONNECTIONS TO RESOURCES SUCH AS OTHER GARDENING ORGANIZATIONS, FOOD SHELVES, MASTER GARDENERS, ETC14DEVELOP ONLINE RESOURCE HUBMORE GARDENING EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR YOUTH10INCREASE GARDEN-IN-A-BOX YOUTH PROGRAMSFOOD WASHING STATIONS IN COMMUNITY GARDENS6INSTALL FOOD/HAND WASHING STATIONSMORE SPACE FOR COMMUNITY GARDENS5CREATE NEW URBAN COMMUNITY GARDENSONE CLEAR MEASURE OF THE INCREASED INTEREST AND NEED FOR GARDENING DURING THE PANDEMIC IS THAT WORKSHOP ATTENDANCE IN MSHS'S GARDENING WEBINARS AND ONLINE CLASSES HAS ALMOST TRIPLED, FROM 1,200 TO 3,200. BIG RIVER FARMS' SUPPORT LETTER CONCURS, WE RECEIVE MANY INQUIRIES ABOUT ACCESS TO LAND FOR GROWING FROM THIS POPULATION OF URBAN GARDENERS THAT WE ARE NOT ABLE TO MEET. IN RESPONSE TO THE DIVERSITY OF INDIVIDUALS INTERESTED IN GROWING FOOD, WE WILL INCREASE ACCESSIBILITY FOR OUR GARDENING EDUCATION PROGRAMS BY TRANSLATING KEY BEGINNING GARDENING CURRICULA INTO THE FOUR MOST COMMON LANGUAGES IN OUR 2021 COMMUNITY GARDEN SURVEY (SOMALI, HMONG, SPANISH AND KAREN) AND EXPAND OUR PROGRAMS OFFERING FREE GARDEN START-UP KITS AND PLANTS TO COMMUNITIES IN NEED TO REMOVE ECONOMIC BARRIERS TO GROWING FOOD.MULTIPLE COMMUNITY PARTNERS REPORT THAT DEMAND FOR COMMUNITY GARDENING SPACE HAS OUTPACED THE AVAILABLE SPOTS, WITH NEARLY EVERY COMMUNITY GARDEN RUNNING A WAITING LIST FOR THE 2022 GROWING SEASON. SIX OF THE COMMUNITY GARDENS IN OUR SURVEY REPORTED WAITING LISTS AS HIGH AS 30 PEOPLE. ALSO, THERE IS A NEED IN THE COMMUNITY FOR A CENTRAL SITE THAT ORGANIZES RESOURCES AND ACTS ASA SOURCE OF REFERRALS FOR INDIVIDUALS INTERESTED IN GROWING THEIR OWN FOOD... TO COORDINATE THE LOCAL COMMUNITY GARDEN RESOURCES, SUCH ASAVAILABLE LAND, AND EDUCATION ABOUT GROWING FOOD AND RUNNING A COMMUNITY GARDEN. (TWIN CITIES COMMUNITY AGRICULTURAL LAND TRUST SUPPORT LETTER.) FINALLY, COMMUNITY GARDENERS CALL FOR WASHING STATIONS: A GARDEN WASHING STATION WOULD BE SUPER HELPFUL! WE COULD CLEANHANDSAFTER AND BEFORE GARDENING TO CREATE A SANITARY COMMUNITYSETTING.WE WOULD BE ABLE TO CLEAN VEGETABLES TO HAVE THEM READY TO DONATE TOCLIENTS. (THE OPEN DOOR SUPPORT LETTER). THESE COMMUNITY NEEDS WE WILL BE ADDRESSED BY THE CREATION OF AN ONLINE RESOURCE HUB, THREE NEW COMMUNITY GARDENS, AND WASHING STATIONS.WE HAVE IDENTIFIED A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES IN WHICH TO DEVELOP NEW COMMUNITY GARDENS, THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS WITH COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES EMBEDDED IN THOSE COMMUNITIES. ONCE SUCH LOCATION IS THE CAPITOL AREA OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, A CULTURALLY DIVERSE URBAN DISTRICT THAT INCLUDES THE MINNESOTA STATE CAPITOL CAMPUS AND PORTIONS OF SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS. THE CAPITOL AREA HAS LONG BEEN THE HOME TO NEW IMMIGRANT POPULATIONS, AND IS CURRENTLY IDENTIFIED BY THE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL AS AN AREA OF CONCENTRATED POVERTY WHERE 50% OR MORE OF THE RESIDENTS ARE PEOPLE OF COLOR (AND WHERE PEOPLE OF COLOR EXPERIENCE THE MOST EXPOSURE TO CONCENTRATED POVERTY).IN ADDITION TO CREATING NEW COMMUNITY GARDENS IN LOW-INCOME AREAS, WE WILL ALSO WORK WITH TWO COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS SERVING HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS TO START COMMUNITY GARDENS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITHOUT STABLE ACCESS TO LAND AND TOOLS. HANDS-ON GARDENING EDUCATION WILL BE PROVIDED ON-SITE, AND FOOD GROWN WILL BE USED IN THEIR PROGRAMS AND DISTRIBUTED AMONGST PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS. ONE PARTNER HOST WILL BE AVIVO, A COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATION THAT OPERATES A TRANSITIONAL HOUSING FOR 100 ADULTS IN AN AREA OF CONCENTRATED POVERTY, NORTH MINNEAPOLIS. OUR PROPOSED GARDEN SITES AT AVIVO AND FACE2FACE HAVE 49.9% AND 27.7% OF THE POPULATION LIVING BELOW THE 100%POVERTY THRESHOLD (MN DEPT. OF HEALTH).