The Philadelphia Urban Agriculture Plan
Year Complete: 2023
Local Government: Philadelphia, PA
Local Foundation: William Penn Foundation
Project Purpose
To develop a comprehensive citywide Urban Agriculture Plan that establishes a unified narrative and goals for agriculture, as well as strategies and targets to implement and track progress.
Key Lessons Learned
Bringing local foundations out to the land stewarded by the community is instrumental and supports the understanding of what the direct needs and challenges are for residents/growers.
Working with local foundations to encourage them to reduce the barriers and paperwork for community organizations and residents is a pertinent step towards funding community-rooted organizations rolling out food justice initiatives.
Sometimes partnering agencies whose scope of work is to address waste, energy and environmental sustainability do not have the project management or operations staff and infrastructure to roll out comprehensive projects. Partnering planning and policy agencies with agencies that have operations (e.g., staff, trucks, facilities) is incredibly helpful and proven to better public services and projects.
Local sustainability goals must be connected to the needs of residents most impacted by environmental racism. When thinking about actualizing goals into programs and projects, engagement and paid exchange with residents should be completed in order to design a program/project that will reach those communities. Centering communities that have experienced food apartheid, environmental racism and disinvestment (and the history of that) is central to the process of an Urban Agriculture Plan.
Additional Information and Resources
Learn and download the Philadelphia Urban Agriculture Plan, Growing from the Root here.