Growing Communities, Hennepin County partner to turn vacant lots into community gardens

A presenter for Growing Communities told attendees that the nonprofit converts tax-forfeited and other vacant lots into urban agricultural projects and is working with Hennepin County to secure land for gardens in Minneapolis.

The presenter said Growing Communities focuses on "climate vulnerable communities, areas where there's food deserts and a need for restoring land that has been neglected or fallen into disrepair," and described a three-site project called Four Sisters Farm that includes a main community garden, a maple tree arbor and a "soon-to-be medicine garden" created in partnership with Hennepin County.

Why it matters: The presenter argued these projects aim to expand local access to fresh food in neighborhoods with food insecurity, offer green space that can mitigate heat-island effects, and provide places for community gathering. The presentation emphasized county support in enabling longer-term planning and workforce opportunities for young people who helped transform an empty lot into the current garden site.

Details: The speaker said the group’s work is driven by community-based organizations that lead planning and engagement to determine neighborhood needs and assets. "Our projects are made possible by partnerships with community-based organizations," the presenter said, adding that projects are planned to reflect "what the neighborhood need[s]." The presenter noted, "The Four Sisters Farm has three sites. We have our main community garden site, we have our maple tree arbor, and then we have the soon-to-be medicine garden, which is where our partnership with Hennepin County is happening."

On county partnership and workforce: The presenter said the garden currently being described was an empty lot before the partnership and that county support made it possible to hire young people "to transform these vacant lots into beautiful spaces." They also said Growing Communities works with Hennepin County’s climate resiliency team: "We're really fortunate to be able to partner with the climate resiliency team in Hennepin County."

Environmental and community impacts: The presentation listed ecological benefits including urban biodiversity, habitat for wildlife, mitigation of heat islands, stormwater-runoff processing and community beautification. "These urban spaces are really important because they provide um much needed green space. It also provides that fresh access to local food," the presenter said. The speaker added that food insecurity "is experienced in all places of Hennepin County."

Next steps: The presenter said Growing Communities is looking to acquire more land to develop additional gardens with other community-based organizations. No formal action, vote or funding amounts were stated during the presentation.

The presentation concluded with a call for continued partnership with county and neighborhood groups to scale urban-agriculture projects and support local planning and workforce opportunities.