Growing Gardens

Growing Gardens is a Boulder-based non-profit organization established in 1998. Growing Gardens mission is to enrich the lives of our community through sustainable urban agriculture.

Growing Gardens envisions people experiencing a direct and deep connection with plants, the land and each other. Through its many gardening-based programs, Growing Gardens strives to reach gardeners and would-be gardeners of all ages to work alongside the organization and build community through urban agriculture.

Urban agriculture is the practice of cultivating and caretaking of the land, processing and distributing food in, or around, a village, town or city.[1] Urban agriculture in addition can also involve animal husbandry, aquaculture, agro-forestry and horticulture. These activities also occur in peri-urban areas as well.[2]

Urban farming is generally practiced for income-earning or food-producing activities, though in some communities the main impetus is recreation and relaxation.[3] Urban agriculture contributes to food security and food safety in two ways: first, it increases the amount of food available to people living in cities, and, second, it allows fresh vegetables and fruits and meat products to be made available to urban consumers. A common and efficient form of urban agriculture is the biointensive method. Because urban agriculture promotes energy-saving local food production, caretaking of the land, urban and peri-urban agriculture are generally seen as sustainable agriculture.

Why Urban Agriculture? The recognition of environmental degradation within cities through the relocation of resources to serve urban populations has inspired the implementation of different schemes of urban agriculture across the developed and developing world. From historic models such as Machu Picchu to designs for new productive city farms, the idea of locating agriculture in or around the city takes on many characteristics.