Urban growers play a crucial role in increasing food security and providing sustainable economic opportunities in Philadelphia. On Monday, February 8th, FPAC’s Urban Agriculture Subcommittee hosted a free, family-friendly open house at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to engage voices from the community in its work and raffle off some great prizes.

As the FPAC’s Urban Agriculture subcommittee moves ahead to achieve its goals and plan for the future, your participation is crucial to shaping our policies. The Open House brought together nearly 100 people to learn more and discuss issues of land access, soil safety, and water resources. The feedback on FPAC’s urban agriculture work was a lively discussion and immensely appreciated, which we are currently incorporating into our 2016 goals. We also covered topics from chickens to consolidating land for use of urban agriculture to preservation, youth outreach and involvement as well as how to engage city agencies to support the use of properties for urban agriculture and food production ventures. The FPAC Urban Agriculture subcommittee wants to keep the momentum up with this expanded group of advocates, urban agriculture enthusiasts, gardeners and growers, city officials, and FPAC representatives. There is much work to be done and FPAC intends to be as inclusive as possible to address the issues facing our Philadelphia communities. We need your voices to help influence policies that meet the needs of your neighborhoods. Join the Urban Agriculture Subcommittee monthly on the 3rd Wednesdays of each month. We look forward to seeing you there!

About the Urban Agriculture Subcommittee

FPAC’s Urban Agriculture Subcommittee guides the City of Philadelphia to develop and implement innovative laws and policies to support the conversion of Philadelphia’s vacant and underutilized lands into sustainable community assets that increase food security and sovereignty for all Philadelphia residents. The subcommittee engages diverse stakeholders to inform recommendations and make current policies more transparent.