AT GROW: Johnson County, we are working toward a just food system.
Our mission is to improve healthy food access through SUSTAINABLE food production and hands-on education.
training growers.
We believe that a just food system needs more growers. In particular, we seek to train growers that are underrepresented in the food system, to build a more inclusive, equitable future. Interested in volunteering? We have opportunities for all experience levels and interests. Our educational initiative Can You Dig It has on-farm opportunities for youth and teen groups. Whether you want to become a backyard gardener, want to learn more about sustainable agriculture, are dreaming of starting a farm, or just enjoy looking at veggies, bugs, and flowers, we are here for you.
Growing Food.
There is an immediate need for fresh produce in our community. The Grow farm produces over 40,000 pounds of produce every year that is directly donated to our partner agencies throughout Johnson County. We believe that those receiving this food should tell us what to grow and how it should be grown. Each year, we ask our community what their favorite veggies are and make production decisions based on what they tell us. Our production model focuses on sustainable practices, including cover cropping, beneficial insect habitat, and organic pest and weed management.
RACIAL EQUITY STATEMENT
Grow: Johnson County acknowledges the systemic oppression of people of color in this country. We are committed to centering racial justice and social equity in our ongoing efforts as a program and within Johnson County. Through collaborative, intentional, and actionable efforts we are working alongside Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in exploring our relationships with food, land, and agriculture. We will lend our skills, resources, and voice to work toward a future of equity, justice, redistributed power, and shared leadership.
Our daily work on the farm and in the community is to be listeners, learners, unlearners, and active partners in the movement toward food sovereignty. We do this work so that we all may have the ability to shape the food systems that impact us where we live, work, learn, and play. It is our vision that everyone can access and grow healthy, culturally relevant food.
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