CHICAGO, ILL. (RFD News) — Across America, nearly 150,000 farms sell directly to consumers, and a growing number of those are located in urban areas. In Chicago, one organization is taking that a step further, using agriculture to help feed the community while creating opportunities for others.
Erika Allen, founder and CEO of Urban Growers Collective, says farming plays a bigger role than just producing food: “Agriculture to me defines our humanity in a lot of ways, and the arts. How we express ourselves, how we nurture each other. It’s how civilization was built. It’s also why empires fall.”
Allen says her goal has been to create pathways for at-risk youth, giving them access to therapy, job training, and hands-on experience in agriculture. She says the organization focuses on growing food while also providing workforce development and education in a safe, welcoming environment.
The group also operates a community garden where around 60 families grow their own produce, with the nonprofit supplying compost and plant starts.
Allen says even the artwork on-site reflects that mission, with murals on shipping containers telling the story of the community and its growth.
According to USDA data, roughly 148,000 direct-to-consumer farms generate about $14 billion in sales each year.
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