The Urban Farm Tour celebrates the power of urban agriculture and the people that do this important work.
Urban farmers and gardeners exist at the heart of their communities, providing nutritious food, community building, workforce development, education and safe spaces to their neighbors. The Pittsburgh Urban Farm Tour began in 2017 as a way to highlight the countless community benefits that urban agriculture brings to Pittsburgh communities.
Over the years, this annual event has featured 30+ urban farms and community partners, raised $1,965.00 for PASA Sustainable Agriculture and $6,100.64 for the Urban Growers Scholarship Fund, contributedover $4,100.00 in honorariums to participating farms and community partners, and attracted 467 tour-goers. The tour has evolved over time to meet the changing needs of farms and gardens and of our times. In 2020 the Urban Farm Tour merged with Pennsylvania’s Urban Ag week to highlight that urban ag is agriculture and to shine a light on the impact that policy (local, state and federal) have on food growing and food sovereignty.
Whatever the year, the purpose of the Urban Farm Tour is to promote urban agriculture as a viable means for food production and community to connect more local purchasers to these unique and bountiful urban farms, and to support the future of urban farming in Pittsburgh with the Urban Growers Professional Development Scholarship Fund.
The Farm Tour planning committee envisions future farm tours that are co-designed with the urban ag community, increase visibility for urban farms in our region, enhance collaboration and access to shared resources, and are accessible to all community members.
2017
The inaugural Pittsburgh Urban Farm Tour was held on Saturday, September 23rd, 2017. The East End Food Coop, PASA Sustainable Agriculture and the Pittsburgh Food Policy Council focused the planning of the tour on production agriculture to complement ongoing work with the URA to develop their Farm-A-Lot land access program. All participating farms received a free one-year business membership to PASA. This was a ticketed event. $20 for coop/PASA members, $30 for non members. 2017 proceeds benefited PASA.
Participating sites: Braddock Farms Drew Mathieson Center Fit Farms Frick Greenhouse Garden Dreams Urban Farm & Nursery Garfield Community Farm Homewood HIstorical Community Farm Hops on Lots Oasis Farm & Fishery Sankofa Village Community Garden Steel City Soils Shiloh Farm
2018
The 2018 tour was held on Saturday, September 8th. The East End Food Coop paid an honorarium of $100 to each participating site. Proceeds from the 2018 tour seeded the Urban Growers Professional Development scholarship. This was a ticketed ($15) event.
$1389.00 to scholarship fund
Participating sites: African Healing Garden Ballfield Farm Bandi Shaum Braddock Farms BUGS Homewood Historical Community Farm Burgh Bees Apiary Centervue Gardens Drew Mathieson Center Garden Dreams Urban Farm & Nursery Garfield Community Farm Hilltop Urban Farm Shiloh Farm Steel City Soils
Tour sponsors: Trellis Legal, Construction Junction, Four Seasons, East End Brewing, Sustainable Pittsburgh, Underground Shirts, Pittsburgh Food Policy Council, East End Food Coop
2019
The 2019 tour was held on Saturday, September 14th.
Participating sites: African Healing Garden Ballfield Farm Braddock Farms BUGS Homewood Historical Community Farm Burgh Bees Apiary Community Garden of Wilkins Township Duquesne Community Victory Garden Homeplate Garden Manchester Growing Together Farm Sankofa Village Community Garden Shiloh Farm
Tour sponsors: Farm to Table, Lady Moon Farms, Trellis Legal LLC, Grounded Strategie, Underground Printing
2020
The 2020 Farm Tour was held during the week of July 20th- PA’s Urban Ag week- and included virtual tours of three area farms hosted via Zoom. Each tour included a pre-recorded visit to an area farm and was followed by a live moderated Q&A. Viewers learned about unique urban farms in the Pittsburgh area and had the opportunity to ask questions directly to growers. Each tour also shared highlights from community partners in the urban ag community. An honorarium was awarded to each participating farm and community partner.
Participating sites included: Duquesne Community Victory Garden Mwanakuche Community Garden Sol Patch Farm Soil Sisters
Participating programs: City of Pittsburgh’s Adopt-A-Lot Program Community Garden Sustainability Fund Hilltop Urban Farm’s Farmer Incubator Program Master Composter Program
Tour sponsors:
2021
The July 24th, 2021 tour was wrapped into a week of urban ag events planned to celebrate Pennsylvania’s Urban Ag week. Events included a visit from PA Secretary of Agriculture, Russell Redding, 3 workshops (on the subjects of growing hops, composting and bee keeping), a virtual tour and community partner highlights, and the open farm tour on Saturday.
Participating sites: African Healing Garden Braddock Farms BUGS Homewood Historical Community Farm Farmer Girl Eb Freeman Family Farm & Greenhouse Hamnett Place Community Garden Hazelwood Community Garden Hilltop Urban Farm Mwanakuche Community Garden Oasis Farm & Fishery Sankofa Village Community Garden
Tour sponsors: Trellis Legal, Farm to Table, Fleet Feet, PASA Sustainable Agriculture, Pittsburgh Food Policy Council
