Project Lead: Anu Rangarajan
Are you an existing or aspiring urban farmer?
Urban farms can not only be commercially viable and economically self-sufficient small farm businesses, they also offer a multitude of quality of life benefits for community residents. These farms serve to build community cohesion, teach about food and farming, connect urban and rural producers, and generate fresh produce (and sometimes meat) for local eaters.
Building a successful commercial urban farm requires careful consideration of unique issues created by farming in the urban environment.
Learn about success stories as well as resources to build your urban farm.
Urban Ag Resources
Join our email list to hear about new resources as they’re added.
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The Promise of Urban Agriculture
National Study of Commercial Farming in Urban Areas Urban and peri-urban farms have proliferated around the United…
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Guide to Urban Farming
The guide is designed to inform urban farmers about advocating for urban agriculture, accessing and reclaiming land,…
The Promise of Urban Agriculture Curriculum
Understand the practices and policies that support successful urban farming endeavors.
Our Urban Ag project has partnered with USDA-AMS Marketing Services Division and Rooted, the Madison, WI-based center for urban agriculture enterprise and education, to collaborate and develop classes for commercial urban agriculturists, city planners, and policymakers.
The project is informed by our publication, The Promise of Urban Agriculture, a national study of commercial farming in urban areas released in 2019. The following year we began to create trainings and educational resources for multiple audiences engaged in urban agriculture and, specifically, commercial urban agriculture.
This curriculum development draws on the evolution of 14 urban farms, and insights from over 150 policymakers, urban planners, funders, and nonprofit and community organizers engaged in local food systems and urban farming. Through this work we uncovered the policies, resources, and future research and development needed to support the successful development of commercial urban farms.
We are excited to bring this suite of urban agriculture courses for growers, farmers, planners and policymakers, to provide critical information for building or supporting successful urban farms.
We realize that not everyone is able to afford the price of our courses. So, in addition to our tiered pricing system, we offer a small number of scholarships each year to New York State residents. To apply, please read all the requirements and complete the application here.
Enroll today!
Courses for Growers & Planners
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PUA 101 + PUA 102 Bundle
Enroll together and save! Includes: PUA 101: Deciding Where to Farm in the City and PUA 102: Urban Farm Planning and Management.
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PUA 201: Urban Agriculture Skills for Planners
Incorporate urban agriculture into planning practice — gain critical knowledge on structures, approaches and policies for community engagement, comprehensive planning, zoning reforms, and resource provision, including example plans and ordinances.
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PUA 103: Urban Farming by Community Nonprofits
Operate a nonprofit urban farm — this course guides farm staff and community organizations on establishing and managing a nonprofit urban farm
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PUA 102: Urban Farm Planning and Management
Establish an economically viable urban farm — select a solid business model and learn basics of crop planning, analyzing markets, managing on-farm labor, and promoting a strong farm culture.
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PUA 101: Deciding Where to Farm in the City
Create an urban farm with community in mind — identify the key physical, economic, and social factors for site assessment and development.
News and Updates
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En Manhattan, una Nueva Finca Urbana Hará Florecer el Desarrollo Juvenil
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Oportunidades para juventud de la ciudad de Nueva York conocer sus raíces, tanto en el sentido de sus tradiciones familiares como en el de las mismas raíces, tallos, y hojas que componen las plantas que producen los alimentos que consumen. Una parcela de tres acres abandonada desde hace décadas en el área de Washington Heights,…
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Manhattan Urban Farm to Prioritize Youth Development
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An opportunity for New York City youth to connect to their roots, both in the sense of their family traditions as well as the actual roots, stems, leaves, and vines that produce the food they eat. A long-abandoned three-acre plot in the Washington Heights neighborhood of upper Manhattan will soon be home to a youth…
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In the News: How We’re Imagining the Future of Urban Agriculture
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In 2019, our director Anu Ranjarajan, and Molly Riordan, now an urban agriculture specialist with our program, published a report titled “The Promise of Urban Agriculture.” This report was drawn from data collected from a wide network of active urban growers was designed to further augment our Urban Ag project. Over the past two years,…
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Healthy Soil for Urban Farm Production: Building from Scratch
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Thanks to a SARE-funded grant, a nonprofit Urban Farm in Binghamton, NY, was able to experiment with new ways of creating a vegetable production field from scratch. As we all know, a robust regional food system is an important step toward becoming a more sustainable and equitable society. While rural agriculture is the backbone of a regional…
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Extension Plants Seeds for Urban Growth
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CCE Harvest New York urban agricultural specialists travel from their Brooklyn office by bus, subway and ferry providing educational programming and on-site technical assistance in all five boroughs for commercial vegetable growers and non-profits operating commercial urban gardens. From the rooftops of New York City to the weathered sidewalks of inner-city Buffalo, urban farms are…
About Anu Rangarajan
Anu was appointed director the Cornell Small Farms Program in 2004. At the same time, she opened a U-pick strawberry farm in Freeville, NY. The experience of operating a small farm changed her entire approach to research and extension, and deepened her commitment to NY farms and local food systems.
Read Articles by Anu Rangarajan
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