Growing In Community Workshop

On May 20, Cultivate KC, Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council, Young Family Farm, Longfellow Farm, and Bread and Roses Farm co-hosted the Growing in Community workshop. This event featured discussion about the vital role neighborhood relationships play in the success of urban farms.

Attendees from a variety of backgrounds, including farmers and community members, developed strategies for engaging one’s neighbors throughout the development of a successful, thriving urban farm. Thank you to the presenters who did a fantastic job of creating a safe space for honest, vulnerable discussions and facilitated everyone to help each other navigate common issues. To connect with them or engage with their farms:

• Alana Young-Henry of Young Family Farm, ahenry@incthrives.org
• Flora Mahaffy of Bread and Roses Farm, floraandthefarm@gmail.com
• Ami Freeberg of Longfellow Farm, ami@cultivatekc.org

Looking for more ways to engage? Try these resources:

• Ivanhoe Neighborhood Center – our generous host for this event; they provide all different kinds of resources to the members of the Ivanhoe neighborhood
• UMKC’s Center for Neighborhoods – for more about neighborhood-based leadership
• KC Farmers Market Passport – this is the first year of this exciting endeavor, and we encourage you to get out and explore the various farmers markets of KC while connecting with our local food system and surrounding communities!
• Cultivate KC Events calendar – stay engaged with growing-related events in KC!
• Cultivate KC TA intake form – if you want to meet 1:1 with a Cultivate KC staff member to address specific concerns about your operation
• Looking for land to farm on or have other land access questions? Contact Eric Hemphill at eric@cultivatekc.org

We look forward to continuing these kinds of conversations together in the future.

photos by Alana Henry