Grant Report

Report on Teamwork

Arkansas IPL just completed a 3-year "Grow Food Where People Live" grant from USDA-NRCS-UAIP. We are happy to report on overall success.

Team Success. AIPL teams exceeded grant expectations, goals, obligations, and commitments. Credit belongs to the part-time trainers and interns. Thirty-eight interns developed sustainable urban agriculture skills across 67 community gardens in two counties, shared what they learned with volunteers and neighbors, and used their knowledge, skills, and relationships to launch new local food-related nonprofit organizations. They also secured additional garden grants beyond AIPL funding. That’s nice workforce development!

Jimmy! Before turning to the numbers, it is important to recognize how this work was made possible: Jimmy Parks, our Urban Agriculture Manager. Jimmy built community among interns, neighbors, and volunteers—including through informal, often spontaneous “ping-pong and potluck” gatherings—and provided outstanding leadership and steady support for the interns. Our straw hats are off to Jimmy, with enthusiastic applause from garden-gloved hands.

Community Engagement. Over three years, 46,713 people participated in 245 training events and community garden days. This total does not include informal gatherings when interns, friends, and neighbors planted, watered, weeded, and harvested together. Although the total includes some duplicate participants, we far exceeded our goal of engaging 260 people through 30 to 36 community garden days.

Chickens & Greenhouses. We installed 22 chicken coops, exceeding our goal of 18. Eleven sites added grow lights, surpassing the goal of five. We installed nine greenhouses, above the goal of six, along with 14 irrigation systems and 14 vertical farming structures, compared with goals of nine each. We also repaired nine greenhouses, exceeding the goal of six, and installed three high tunnels as shared growing spaces to extend the growing season for our network of growers.

Food to Pantries. We delivered 16,312 pounds of surplus fresh produce to food pantries, shelters, community centers, clinics, schools, and other community locations. This total does not include produce gleaned by friends and neighbors who visited our gardens and picked fresh food we shared.

Waste Reduction. We diverted 45,020 pounds of organic matter from landfills—more than double our goal of 21,600 pounds. This material included yard waste and perishable food no longer suitable for human consumption. Some was used to feed chickens and hogs, while most went into compost systems and returned to local growers as nutrient-rich soil.

There's More! We also tested eight hydroponic systems, turned felled trees into mulch, and repurposed wooden pallets into compost systems.

Not All Went as Planned. Where did we fall slightly short? In only a few areas. We completed eight solar installations for climate control in greenhouses and chicken brooders, as well as for small food pantries that light up at night. The goal was nine. We committed to six grow tents but installed four. Gardeners may have lost interest because grow tents can blow away easily. We committed to six worm bins but installed or demonstrated five. There may well be another worm bin somewhere among our 67 growing spaces that I have not yet discovered.

Above & Beyond. We also exceeded our grant commitments in several other ways not listed as commitments. We added bee boxes at 50 garden spaces, held nine mushroom log workshops, and offered workshops on small-engine repair for garden equipment and welding for projects such as garden tools. We built garden beds, chicken coops, and small greenhouses. And while ping-pong games were not part of the original commitments, they emerged naturally as our network of growers grew stronger.

Reducing Impact on the Planet. We stayed within budget, although we requested a few variances. This was possible because of frugality, dedication, and a shared commitment to limiting our impact on the planet.

A Model. We have created a replicable model that does not require office space or any large overhead expenses. This model can be reproduced other places, although nobody can do it like we can.

More to Come. What’s next? Stay tuned. Additional opportunities may come our way.
- Scharmel Roussel, Executive Director