Phipps Conservatory’s Homegrown Awarded Funding by Urban Garden Agriculture Resilience Program
For Immediate Release: Fri., March 1
Contact:
Joe Reed | Senior Director of Communications
412-622-6915, ext. 3801 | jreed@phipps.conservatory.org
Devin Dotson | U.S. Botanic Garden
202-306-6743 | .dotson@aoc.gov
Richard Doran | American Public Gardens Association
610-708-3013 | rdoran@publicgardens.org
Phipps Conservatory’s Homegrown Program Awarded Funding by the Urban Garden Agriculture Resilience Program
Homegrown Recognized by U.S. Botanic Garden and American Public Gardens Association
Pittsburgh, PA – The United States Botanic Garden (USBG) and American Public Gardens Association (Association) are awarding support to 26 public gardens and their community partners engaging in urban agriculture, food-growing and related education work. The 26 awards total $445,600 in support for public garden partnerships across the United States that will foster public engagement and education in urban food growing and build capacity in urban agriculture programs. The Urban Agriculture Resilience Program aims to strengthen collaborations, promote resilience and gather best practices from across the U.S.
As one of the 2024 recipients, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, in partnership with Just Harvest, will bring senior residential living facilities budget friendly, veggie-forward cooking demos and an informational session on how to access benefits such as SNAP, Food Bucks and the Senior Food Box Program.
The funds will help programs in 26 states and Washington, D.C. integrate urban food growing and urban agriculture education while addressing food security challenges in their communities. The program seeks to leverage the strength of public gardens working with partners in their communities, ranging from schools, universities, and urban farms to food pantries, community gardens, local government agencies and nonprofit organizations. This year, the program especially sought to support collaborations involving smaller public gardens, as well as organizations demonstrating a strong commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility.
Over the UARP’s previous four years, the program has awarded $1.57 million to 80 collaborations in 30 states and D.C. These programs have grown and shared over 690,000 pounds of produce, distributed more than 260,000 seedlings, and provided more than 46,000 hours of urban agriculture training to students, interns, and trainees.
“The collaborations supported through this year’s Urban Agriculture Resilience Program demonstrate many creative ways that urban agriculture can connect people and plants through food,” said Dr. Susan Pell, USBG executive director. “We are thrilled to embark on a fifth year of supporting such vital urban food-growing programs across the country and to expand the existing Urban Agriculture Resilience Program community with these 26 new projects.”
The Urban Agriculture Resilience Program began in 2020 as a way for the USBG and the Association to support and expand urban agriculture and food-growing programs at public gardens. Learn more about previous awardees at www.USBG.gov/UrbanAg.
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About Phipps: Founded in 1893, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, PA is a globally recognized green leader with a mission to inspire and educate all with the beauty and importance of plants; to advance sustainability and promote human and environmental well-being through action and research; and to celebrate its historic glasshouse. Encompassing 15 acres including a historic 14-room glasshouse, 23 distinct indoor and outdoor gardens and industry-leading sustainable architecture and operations, Phipps attracts more than half a million visitors annually from around the world. Learn more at phipps.conservatory.org.
Watch TEDx: What We Can Learn From an Old Glasshouse: A look at the evolving way we connect people to nature at Phipps, demonstrate how human and environmental health are inextricably connected, and show that to age gracefully, we must continually reinvent ourselves to evolve with the rest of the world.
About the United States Botanic Garden
The United States Botanic Garden (USBG) is the oldest continuously operating public garden in the United States. The Garden informs visitors about the importance and fundamental value and diversity of plants, as well as their aesthetic, cultural, economic, therapeutic, and ecological significance. With over a million visitors annually, the USBG strives to demonstrate and promote sustainable practices. The U.S. Botanic Garden is a living plant museum accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and Botanic Gardens Conservation International. www.USBG.gov
About the American Public Gardens Association
The American Public Gardens Association is the leading professional organization for the field of public horticulture. We advance the field by encouraging best practices, offering educational and networking opportunities, and advocating on behalf of our members, our programs and public gardens worldwide. We work together with our members and others to strengthen and shape public horticulture, providing the tools and support industry professionals need to better serve the public while preserving and celebrating plants creatively and sustainably. Since 1940, we have been committed to increasing cooperation and awareness among gardens. Our members include more than 600 institutions, spanning 49 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, and 20 countries. Our members include, but are not limited to, botanic gardens, arboreta, zoos, museums, colleges and universities, display gardens, and research facilities. www.publicgardens.org
