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Urban ag movement looks to “grow growers”

An urban agriculture movement in Minneapolis is looking to grow growers.

Michael Chaney is an activist organizer and founder of Project Sweety Pie, a non-profit organization that he says works to achieve justice in the environment, food, climate, and economics.

“So this Foster Green, adopt a lot, adopt a plot, adopt a garden box, is really an effort where we raise all boats in the marina. That we have to think of this as an ecosystem that feeds each other and fuels each other.”

His organization is partnering with national non-profit Big Green, which is debuting a Grow Together bus tour that will stop in Minneapolis Saturday.

Assistant director of events Parker Rechsteiner says their goal is to get everyone in America growing food.

“So we say that growing food changes lives because it connects people to nature, gets them outside, it improves their mental health, gives them control over their food supply. And when people grow together, we see communities come together in the garden.”

Rechsteiner tells Brownfield they ask people what’s preventing them from growing their own food and then support local leaders and organizations trying to address those challenges.

The Grow Together Bus Tour will be in North Minneapolis Saturday to deliver more than 400 raised garden beds.