The City of Somerville and Green City Growers (GCG), a local urban farming business, have teamed up to offer select applicants a four-week intensive training in urban agriculture. In return, the trainees will be expected to share their newfound skills by volunteering 30 hours in the Somerville community.
The UAAP was publicized to Somerville residents through The City of Somerville’s website and Green City Growers’ network. Organizers who reviewed the applications were impressed by both the number and quality of the UAAP applicants. Ultimately, the fifteen slots were reserved for those who would be true “ambassadors” to their community. Additionally, applicants were chosen based on teaching experience, gardening knowledge, and their overall enthusiasm for the urban farming movement.
The Urban Ag Ambassadors will spend four Saturdays with GCG farmers, learning all aspects of urban farming, from season extension to growing intensively in small spaces. Once the course is completed, the Ambassadors will be connected to local nonprofits such as Groundwork Somerville and Shape Up Somerville to carry out their volunteer hours.
In addition to urban farmer training, Green City Growers offers many other urban farming services. They specialize in building, installing, and maintaining raised bed gardens and roof top farms. They also offer educational programming for private residences, schools, houses of worship, and employee wellness programs. With their restaurant and rooftop clients, they focus solely production. GCG has been maintaining raised bed urban farms in unused spaces for the past five years. They believe the time spent learning about food outside and away from desks boosts morale, inspires healthy lifestyles, and creates self-sufficient individuals and cities.
The Urban Ag Ambassador Program continues to build on Somerville Mayor Curtatone’s urban agriculture initiative, launched last year. Like the Mayor’s other educational initiatives, the UAAP will connect Somerville residents to their food, their surrounding environment, and each other.
According to Jessie Banhazl, founder of GCG: “Offering this education is a great way for our growing business to give back and help inspire others to explore the possibility of growing food in an urban environment. Without the help of the City of Somerville, this never would have been possible.” Green City Growers is looking to expand this workshop program to assist residents of other communities in the Greater Boston area. The valuable hands-on training will support their ultimate goals of transforming unused spaces into thriving urban farms, provide all people with immediate access to nutritious food, and inspire self-sufficiency.
