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.
-
The Promise of Urban Agriculture
National Study of Commercial Farming in Urban Areas Urban and peri-urban farms have proliferated around the United…
-
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
-
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.
-
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.
-
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
-
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.
-
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
-
Growing Urban – a Lower West Side Story
by
|
Two farmers are committed to providing the Buffalo, NY community with a variety of produce. By Lynnette Wright, New York FSA Public Affairs and Outreach Specialist A Perfect Blend Prior to their partnership, Carrie Nader had been working the land since 2014. When she was growing up, she loved helping her grandfather tend his large…
-
In Camden, a Hot Sauce is Helping Young Urban Entrepreneurs Fight Poverty
by
|
A teen-focused entrepreneurial program in Southern NJ offers job training and education By Suzanne Cope Last fall, a half-dozen teenagers from the Southern New Jersey city of Camden brought hot peppers they’d grown in an urban garden to a rented industrial kitchen. Donning latex gloves, they de-seeded and chopped the chilies before adding them to…
-
Mushrooms Are Fruiting in Philadelphia
by
|
One mushroom growing operation proves farming in the city is possible and profitable. by Molly R. Bucknum Most urban farmers have a tough time finding space to grow food. Location, high rent costs, and lack of infrastructure all make securing farmland in a city difficult. That’s why Tyler Case and Brian Versek of Philadelphia were…
-
Growing Edible Forests as a Community
by
|
Communities across the United States are establishing food forests, also known as forest gardens, to ecologically grow perennial and annual foods, herbs and medicinals for free public harvesting. by Catherine Bukowski Community food forests serve multiple educational roles such as introducing people to alternative agriculture, forest ecology, food security issues, social justice, and food literacy.…
-
Small Farm in the Big City
by
|
Closing the bad-food gap in urban communities. by Regina A. Bernard-Carreno My grandfather was an “urban farmer,” in the city of Georgetown, Guyana. He farmed to eat, to feed others, and to supplement his income as a worker in the Guyanese sugar estates. He grew things out of necessity and scarcity. Whether he found pleasure…
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
Subscribe for Updates and Opportunities
Join the Small Farms Program email list and set your preferences in the form to be first to hear about Urban Ag news, resources and more.
