This story was emailed to me recently and it’s a great example of some of the services Cultivate KC provides:
Hoop house dreamsBryon Postlethwait thought he was all set to start farming on his small lot on the corner of 15th St. and Sterling Ave. in Independence. He received an NRCS grant to build a high tunnel, but then he got notice from the city that he didn’t have the permits or clearance to farm. He didn’t know what to do; so he reached out to Cultivate KC. “I knew Cultivate supports local farms, so I said this is my situation, can you help?” he said. “I was very thankful because I had no idea where to go or who to talk to.” Cultivate KC’s Metro Farms & Food Systems develops urban farms and community-based food projects through technical assistance, growers network development, collaborative projects, and policy/systems change. Over three months, Metro Farms program manager Mark Gawron reviewed and edited applications with Bryon, appeared before city officials and found engineer inspectors to please all parties and get the farming structure approved. “Making it through this process in our conversations with the engineer and the permit department will only help the process for the next farmer.” Mark said. |
Aside from helping local, urban farmers and increasing food access for the metro area, Cultivate KC also uses urban farming to help refugees. In partnership with Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, Cultivate KC manages the New Roots for Refugees program, which trains refugees with agricultural experience to become independent farmers. The goal for farmers in the program is to learn how to successfully grow in the Kansas City region and to acquire the marketing skills and confidence to become independent small business owners.
If this organization speaks to you, then check out their volunteer opportunities!