Urban Agriculture Alliance

Draft Strategic Plans for the Urban Agriculture Alliance &
Twin Cities Agricultural Land Trust 

As of December 1, 2011 both the Urban Agriculture Alliance Advisory Committee and the Land Access Working Group have completed drafts of their strategic plans! These roadmaps for each effort embody all of the community feedback generated at numerous gatherings over the past 2 years.

View the Draft Urban Agriculture Alliance Strategic Plan (PDF)

View the Draft Land Access Working Group Strategic Plan (PDF)

The drafts were open for public comment until December 15th and a public meeting was held on December 14th to discuss the drafts and answer any questions. Comments on both drafts are being incorporated into these plans and will be shared with the public when they are finished. If you have any questions or further comments, please email info@gardeningmatters.org or call the Gardening Matters office at 612-821-2358.

November 28, 2011 Update

Since mid-summer, our efforts to develop the Urban Agriculture Alliance and Land Access Working Group have moved to a very exciting stage. 

Making strategic steps towards our vision for an effective coalition 

The concept of an Urban Agriculture Alliance (UAA) was truly birthed from a community longing for supportive, engaging and collaborative network for urban agriculture. Last spring, many of us gathered to begin defining the vision, goals and structure for UAA. We presented the work needed to do this at a public workshop in July and found that the request was too much of a demand to ask of so many volunteers.

To streamline that work, Gardening Matters convened an advisory group dedicated to transforming the volumes of community feedback into a comprehensive framework to advance our collective vision. The Urban Agriculture Alliance Advisory Group is made up of leaders in the urban agriculture community with experience in public health, direct service, health care, community building and education.

The advisory committee is wrapping up its work in mid-November, having met in September and October to draft the goals, communications, strategic directions, and next steps for UAA. We're looking forward to sharing their work with you and hearing your thoughts through a public review process to be announced by December of this year.

Moving forward with our work surrounding land access and permanency

The lack of adequate land access and permanency for urban agriculture in the Twin Cities has been one of the main issues that came out of our gatherings. To tactically address these issues, the Land Access Working Group (LAWG) came together in April 2010. This group has met regularly since then and is now ready to continue defining a new land preservation program. 

This November, the LAWG began a series of working meetings to define a new program or organizational model to expand access to and preserve urban agricultural land uses.

By the end of the year, we expect to have a proposal for a new urban agriculture land protection program. If you would like to know more about these efforts, please email info@gardeningmatters.org or call the Gardening Matters office at 612-821-2358.

As we move forward, we will be providing regular progress reports on the efforts of both groups and let you know how you can take part in shaping the outputs. Please feel free to share this update with anyone who might be interested, as well.

UPDATE on April 3, 2011 Meeting at McKnight Foundation offices

 On April 3rd, 2011 over 80 members of the Twin Cities urban agriculture community gathered together to discuss ways we can all work together in a more coordinated way to advance a Metro-wide urban agriculture agenda.

We shared ideas on the current challenges we face in our work, and imagined the possible benefits we could all share by working more closely together. Smaller groups put their heads together around different sectors of the urban agriculture to voice their ideas. Each group was asked to share their thoughts on the opportunities and challenges we face today, and possible benefits and outcomes that an urban agriculture coalition or alliance could achieve. April 3rd 2011 Meeting Summary Report summarizes the conversations of that day.

Here are the areas where there was significant agreement from April 3rd

* We need improved access to land for agricultural uses, and we need more permanent access to land.

* An urban agriculture coalition has the potential to help build a common vision and common language among our community and assist with networking and communication among all members.

* We need more research, particularly economic research, to measure the benefits of urban agriculture.

* The urban agriculture movement offers great potential for green job creation and economic and community development.

Please read the April 3rd 2011 Meeting Summary Report for more details of the conversations, including additional areas of agreement, the complete set of notes from all group exercises, and questions to consider as we move forward.

Meeting participants also identified the need for a directory of the Twin Cities urban agriculture community that could be compiled and shared.

Please call or email info@gardeningmatters.org  with any questions regarding the work of the Urban Agriculture Alliance and the Land Access Working Group or call the Gardening Matters office at 612-821-2358.