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A week-long, city-wide urban farm open house was planned to commemorate Pennsylvania’s Urban Ag Week (July 20-26), but due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the need to remain steadfast in protecting community health, tours of three Pittsburgh urban farms will be hosted virtually via Zoom.
Attendees will learn about unique urban farms in the Pittsburgh area and ask questions directly to growers. Each tour will also share highlights from community partners in the urban ag community. Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding will kick off the week-long virtual tour with opening remarks on Monday, July 20.
An honorarium will be awarded to each participating farm. The East End Food Co-op is contributing the remainder of the tour budget to the Urban Growers Scholarship Fund, which is designed to increase access to professional development opportunities for urban growers.
How to register: Register below for the individual virtual farm tours you wish to attend.
Sol Patch Garden
Monday, July 20th, 7–8:15 p.m.
A 1/4-acre urban flower garden managed by Collette Walsh on the Hilltop Urban Farm. Part of The Farmer Incubation Program at Hilltop Urban Farm, a three-year workforce development program for new small-scale organic urban farm enterprises. Learn more about this site.
Community partner highlights: Farmer Incubator Program, The Hilltop Urban Farm; Ned Brockmeyer, Director of Farm Programs
Q&A Moderator: Karen Gardner, National Young Farmers Coalition
Register here.
Duquesne Community Victory Garden
Wednesday, July 22, 7–8:15 p.m.
Duquesne Community Victory Garden was established in 2018 with the help of local gardening advocates and Grow Pittsburgh. The garden offers plots for rent for personal use, while also offering plots that are maintained by volunteers that help feed the community. Learn more about this site.
Community partner highlights: Master Composter Program, Grow Pittsburgh; Russ Thorsen, Community Garden Coordinator; Community Garden Sustainability Fund, Grow Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, sponsored in part by Allegheny County Economic Development; Alyssa Kail, Community Garden Sustainability Coordinator
Q&A Moderator: Jon Burgess, Allegheny County Conservation District & Urban Ag working group co-chair
Register here.
Mwanakuche Community Garden
Friday, July 24, 12–1:15 p.m.
A nearly one-acre site in Pittsburgh’s Perry Hilltop neighborhood transformed from vacant lots through the city’s Adopt-A-Lot program. Currently, there are 151 lots covering 11 total acres that are used for a variety of purposes. Learn more about this site.
Community partner highlights: Adopt-A-Lot Program, City of Pittsburgh; Shelly Danko+Day, Urban Agriculture and Food Policy Advisor
Q&A Moderator: Dan Dalton, Pasa Sustainable Agriculture
Register here.
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