Everything we do is rooted in three pillars: Community Education, Food Entrepreneurship Pathways, and Community-Based Participatory Research. Our programming brings these pillars to life through hands-on, community-centered experiences.
We build knowledge from the ground up — connecting community members to the science, history, and practice of growing food in the South. Our education programming is led by and for the communities we serve.
We create economic on-ramps through agriculture, training individuals in urban farming, value-added food production, and cooperative business ownership. Every pathway is designed for dignity and shared wealth.
We lead research with our communities, not about them, while measuring the real impact of fresh food intervention on environmental resilience, social health, and individual wellbeing. Our current focus is urban soil restoration in Birmingham.
Led by our Community Engagement & Wellness Officer, our wellness programming addresses the full range of what our communities are carrying beyond just physical health, but social, emotional, and relational wellbeing. Programming includes garden-based therapeutic activities, nutrition education, community meals, and social wellness events. We currently support a senior food program in Titusville with a dedicated relational care component.
Pillar: Community Education • Frequency: Quarterly • Lead: Grace Wettstone, CEWO
Our skill-share programming teaches practical building and infrastructure skills in the context of urban agriculture, like raised bed construction, irrigation setup, tool use and maintenance, and site development. Led by our Innovation & Operations Development Officer, these sessions equip community members with transferable construction and technical skills while directly building out our growing infrastructure. Skill-share creates a direct pathway from learning to ownership.
Pillar: Community Education • Frequency: Quarterly • Lead: Quinton Harvill, IODO
A monthly gathering series where experienced growers and agricultural practitioners from across the region share knowledge on growing practices, challenges in urban agriculture in the South, and the history of cultural foodways and land stewardship. Each session is topic-driven, accessible, and open to the public. No experience necessary.
Pillar: Community Education • Frequency: Monthly • Open to the public
"What you put your energy into GROWS." NRG employs and trains individuals in urban agriculture who have been stigmatized by previous convictions. Each cohort partners together to establish and operate an agricultural or value-added food business with every graduated member as a co-owner. NRG is workforce development rooted in dignity, skill-building, and shared economic ownership.
Pillar: Food Entrepreneurship Pathways • Model: Cohort-based, cooperative ownership
Whether you want to volunteer, participate in programming, or bring our work to your community, we want to hear from you.
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