Kansas City, Missouri – The city of Kansas City is putting more than $200,000 toward making its local food system stronger. The money is being given to 26 community organizations through the Promoting Local Agriculture and Neighborhood Transformation (PLANT) Microgrant Program. The Neighborhood Services Department of the city runs the program, which aims to support urban agriculture and make healthy food more available.
Mayor Quinton Lucas said the program highlights the city’s commitment to investing in neighborhood-driven solutions.
“Kansas City’s strength has always been rooted in our neighborhoods, and the PLANT Microgrant Program exemplifies our commitment to growing from the ground up”, said Mayor Lucas. “By investing in local growers and community gardens, we’re cultivating economic opportunity, environmental sustainability, and neighborhood pride. Our City is planting seeds in our communities, building stronger, more resilient neighborhoods for all our residents.”
The funds will give farmers and gardeners in Kansas City communities the tools they need to do their jobs. The help is supposed to increase output, improve food networks, and make fresh fruits and vegetables more accessible. The city seeks to fix food insecurity and make neighborhoods stronger by investing directly in farmers.
“I am thrilled that such an impressive group of urban growers will receive much-needed support,” said Councilwoman Melissa Patterson Hazley. “Urban Agriculture is vital to Kansas City, and I am proud that so many are working to feed our community.”
A wide range of groups, from small farms to community gardens, will get the 2025 PLANT awards. Asteroid Acres, Bite Size Farm, BoysGrow Farm, Global One Urban Farming, Pendleton Heights Community Garden, and Young Family Farm are some of them. Each group has its own way of doing urban farming, like teaching gardens or cooperative farming, but they all want to make sure that people in the area have access to good food.
Other grant recipients are Dunbar Farms, Lykins Orchard, Manheim Gardens, Sankara Farm, Vine & Fig Tree, and the Ozanam Therapeutic Teaching Farm, which is run by Build Trybe. Many of the groups on this list, including these, are already deeply rooted in Kansas City’s communities. This makes them well-suited to use the grants to make an even bigger difference.
Click here to see the full list of recipients.
Kansas City is putting money into community-based agriculture as a method to bring neighbors together and address food insecurity. City leaders envision the awards as seeds that will blossom into stronger networks of support, better access to healthy food, and communities that can handle more stress.
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