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Community gardens, farms and resources in Kansas City
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Predicting the weather in Kansas City is risky business no matter the season, but you know what they say: April showers bring May flowers. Or heirloom tomatoes in July. Or rows of bushes strung with fuzzy green beans. Weāll take several of each, please.
Whatever your favorite fruit or vegetable, itās possible to pick it up, have it delivered or even help grow it yourself at one of Kansas Cityās urban farms, community gardens or nonprofits working to put an end to food insecurity.
Here, find a sampling of local organizations daring enough to get dirt under their nails in the name of shared growth and equity ā often in the middle of the city. With a new season upon us, isnāt that what itās all about? š±
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Urbavore Urban FarmĀ is more than just a clever name.
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Located just off Blue Parkway nearĀ LCās Bar-B-Q, Urbavoreās sprawling 13.5-acre farmstead is home to two hundred heritage breed laying hens.Ā šĀ The flock roams free-range, turning up the soil in unused fields to ready them for the next growing season.
Urbavore also has pigs, who you will (probably) be introduced to if youĀ sign up to helpĀ on the farm as a casual volunteer, volunteer apprentice or full-time apprentice.Ā š āTurn off your cell phone and embrace the dirt!ā reads a message on the farmās website. Getting outsideĀ has its benefits, and helping others lets us help ourselves.
Besides the pork and eggs available throughĀ Urbavoreās market, where orders are placed on Wednesdays and picked up on Thursdays, youāll find a cornucopia of fruits and veggies ripe for purchase. Some of these include strawberries, blueberries, muskmelons, asparagus, potatoes, garlic, specialty roots and those heirloom tomatoes we mentioned before.Ā š
On top of everything else, Urbavore is persistent in its goal of building a community that āproduces and creates more than it consumes and destroys.ā For Urbavore, sustainability is the name of the game. The farm engages in healthy soil practices, which involve a no-till approach, zero pesticides, the planting of native wildflowers and even aĀ composting programĀ that is free to all residential households in the metro area.
š Urbavore Urban Farm: 5500 Bennington Ave., Kansas City, Missouri
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Located in south Kansas City between Grandview and Leeās Summit, theĀ BoysGrowĀ nonprofit collective is an agricultural epicenter of learning.
Each summer, 30 teenagers commit to two years of paid work on the 10-acre farm, acquiring skills that can be utilized to further their careers after graduation.Ā šĀ However, agrarian know-how isnāt all that the annual crop of entrepreneurs comes away with.
Individuals with interest in the culinary arts can choose to cook for other youth and farm staff, which means preparing meals for about 35 people.Ā š³Ā According to the website, these future chefs ālearn how to give and receive direction in the kitchen,ā plus ādevelop necessary teamwork and the confidence to make decisionsā in a fast-paced environment.
BoysGrow residents, who live off-campus but are bussed in from downtown Kansas City, can also delve into construction, mechanics, public speaking and even marketing, where they help run the nonprofitās website and social media pages.Ā All of this, in turn, fosters empathy and a business-savvy, real-world skillset.
Thanks to the farmās young caretakers and long-term staff,Ā food from BoysGrowĀ has appeared all over the city.Ā šĀ From grocery stores like the Hy-Vee in Leeās Summit toĀ NovelĀ andĀ CafĆ© Gratitude, harvests have yielded approximately 20,000 pounds of organic produce, with over 1,000 pounds going to local food banks and shelters so far.
šĀ BoysGrow: 9301 E. 147th St., Kansas City, Missouri
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To sayĀ Kanbeās MarketsĀ has made a big splash in its five years would be an understatement.
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With products inĀ corner stores all over town, the nonprofit is a force of nature and goodwill. For Kanbeās, the mission is simple: the ever-expanding group of grassroots volunteers and staff work to put fresh, budget-friendly fruits and veggies in places where they might not yet exist.Ā š
Though Kansas City has its fair share of grocery stores, families living in the middle of the city have to drive a few neighborhoods over, or into the suburbs, to get to them.Ā šĀ Gas is expensive. And the price of groceries is on the rise, too ā already 8.6% higher now than in February 2021, according to aĀ reportĀ from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
āThe lack of grocery stores and limited transportation resources on the east side of the cityās racially-dividing line, Troost Avenue, has created a stark division of residents experiencing food insecurity,ā reads a statement on the Kanbeās Markets website.
The organization recognized that supplying corner stores with quality goods would put those goods in the hands of people who needed them most. Plus, the stores themselves make a profit.
Additionally, seasonal produce is either sourced from local farms or donated or sold from wholesalers to Kanbeās at discounted prices.Ā šĀ Prices stay low, anything that can be composted is brought back to farms andĀ 30% of shared revenueĀ stays in the community.
Get all the details on upcoming events like Kanbeās Earth Day pop-up party and the annual Kanbeās Fest onĀ Instagram.
šĀ Kanbe's Markets: 3119 Terrace St., Kansas City, Missouri
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Kansas City is a city of collaborators, andĀ Cultivate KCĀ is no different.
Founded by organic farmers in 2005, the nonprofit has always advocated for equal access to food and ā according to the website ā a democratic system in which āthe ecological and personal health and well-being of Kansas City residents is prioritized.ā
Over the years, Cultivate KC has become a pillar of the local food-sharing community, working withĀ an astonishing numberĀ of Kansas City-area farms, restaurants, farmers markets and programs like Food Not Lawns, which offers classes in sustainable gardening through UMKC.Ā šæ
Add to the list the management ofĀ three food-growing sites, including the Westport Commons Farm, a garden near the Plexpod on E. 39th Street in Midtown. Other plots of land include the Juniper Gardens Training Farm on Richmond Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas, and the Food Forest in Merriam, Kansas.
The Food Forest is a rarity indeed: its grounds are home to 39 varieties of fruit and nut trees.Ā šĀ Human interference is minimal ā with the goal being soil improvement ā and stability in the space depends on cooperation between insects, trees including Chinese chestnut and persimmon and shrubs like thyme, sage and sea kale.
Cultivate KC also maintains theĀ New Roots for RefugeesĀ program, which helps displaced individuals regain agency over their lives.Ā š»Ā Through a four-year series of workshops relating to pest control, marketing, infrastructure and the sale of produce at farmers markets and area restaurants, refugees with agricultural experience become independent farmers.
And for those looking toĀ pitch in, the Westport Commons Farm hosts open volunteer days on Tuesdays from March 1 until September 30. Time to get planting!
šĀ Cultivate KC: 300 E. 39th St., Kansas City, Missouri
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Today's Creative Adventure email was written by Emily Standlee.
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| Ā More Adventures in Kansas City
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|  | Art Garden KC
EveryĀ Sunday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m., you can head to the Historic Pendleton Heights neighborhood for Art Garden KC. This weekly festival features local vendors, live art demos, free activities for adults and children, open mics, food trucks and more. Check out Art Garden KC'sĀ InstagramĀ to see what's coming up each week.Ā š Learn more here. | |  A Night to Remember: Up-Down Prom
Up-Down arcade bar in the Crossroads is offering you a second chance to make prom memories onĀ Saturday, April 16 from 8 p.m.-1 a.m.Ā Formal attire isn't required but highly encouraged, so dust off that old prom getup and invite the date you wish you'd had the first time around for an evening of free fun.Ā šŗĀ Learn more here.
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Photo Credits:
1. Urbavore Urban Garden
2. BoysGrow
3. Kanbe's Markets
4. IM Photography
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