Grants fund youth agriculture, community gardens in Bemidji, Hermantown

Four projects in Northern Minnesota gained support from the urban agriculture grants from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

The state agriculture department announced the grant awards on Wednesday, Aug. 20. These competitive grants aim to promote youth agricultural education and agriculture-connected community development.

The program serves cities with a population over 5,000 and communities on federally recognized tribal land regardless of population size.

Local recipients and projects include:

• Boys & Girls Club of the Bemidji Area, Bemidji: Revitalize the club's garden space by incorporating a new curriculum, capturing rainwater to eliminate flooding, adding a pollinator garden, and developing a plan to build sustainability into the garden program.
• Headwaters Regional Development Commission, Bemidji: Revitalize Conifer Estates community garden in Bemidji by replacing 10 raised beds with fresh soil, installing irrigation and supplying seeds and tools. Funds will also be used to organize workshops to connect residents to the garden spaces.
• Hermantown Community Schools, Hermantown: Develop the Hermantown Learning Garden to expose youths ages pre-kindergarten through 5 years old to the growth cycle and process of growing food through hands-on learning opportunities. Funds will be used to purchase supplies for raised beds, garden infrastructure, starter plants, and other garden equipment.
• Northwestern Minnesota Juvenile Center, Bemidji: Provide Northwestern Minnesota Juvenile Center's youths hands-on agricultural opportunities by restoring a greenhouse with utilities, creating a fenced-in space to add more garden beds, and purchasing necessary equipment to support the programs' growth.

The ag department awarded grant funds to 33 projects, receiving a combined $1,692,957 to strengthen urban agriculture and expand access to locally grown foods in communities across the state.

Awardees include nonprofit organizations, schools and school districts, and local government entities. Funding can be used to purchase equipment, make physical improvements and support staff time needed to deliver urban agriculture programming.

The Urban Agriculture Grant Program is funded through the Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation Program. Through the program, the ag department administers grants to farmers, agribusinesses, schools and more throughout Minnesota to advance the state’s agricultural and renewable energy sectors.