Urban agriculture

Urban agriculture is the practice of growing, processing and distributing food in urban areas.

How we help

We work with Homegrown Minneapolis to help communities have access to fresh and healthy foods.

To do this, we:

• Support efforts to make City-owned vacant land available for permanent community garden space
• Advocate for changes in City rules to make it easier to:
  • Use greenhouses and hoop houses
  • Grow food in public spaces such as sidewalk boulevards

Learn about garden leases in Minneapolis 

Fruit and vegetable voucher programs

SNAP, WIC and other federal and state food assistance benefits offer vouchers to buy fruits, vegetables, and other nutritious foods.

The voucher programs include:

• Market Bucks
• Senior/Farmers Market Nutrition Program’s vouchers

Guidance for hospitals, clinics and community organizations

We're working with healthcare providers and community groups to help more people get connected to these voucher programs and learn how to use them to shop at farmers markets and other food outlets.

To do this, we're:

• Training staff at hospitals, clinics and community organizations to help people learn about, register for and use these benefits
• Creating a communications campaign that:
  • Speaks to different cultures
  • Explains how to access and use these vouchers

Breastfeeding-friendly worksites

Breastfeeding is beneficial because it:

• Provides babies with the essential nutrients needed for healthy growth
• Can protect the breastfeeding parent’s health

Many parents stop breastfeeding earlier than they want to because they face obstacles when they go back to work.

How we support breastfeeding parents

We work with partners to help more workplaces in the city to support breastfeeding parents.

Our partners:

• Encourage worksites to create policies that are friendly to breastfeeding
• Create spaces that are comfortable for lactation

Apply to be a breastfeeding-friendly workplace