Community Food

Our Community Food Programs seek to re-envision our food system by fostering connections between people, the land, and food. Through local food aggregation, we connect suppliers, value and supply chain workers, and customers. We also work on city policies that impact urban growers. 

Community Food Quick Links

 
 

Community Food Systems

 

community Garden

The ReFresh Community Farm is a SPROUT project, but it's our community gardeners that make it happen. The farm is home to over 30 individual gardeners who work hard to organize projects like a medicinal herb garden, monthly potlucks and community classes. The community garden has beds accessible to the neighborhood, a community fridge, programming three days a week (September-June), and a monthly gardener potluck. Check out our community’s mission, vision, and values, and sign up to volunteer here.

Food Aggregation

Rebuilding a food system not only involves getting fresh, local goods to consumers, but also providing ways for farmers to profit from their goods. Through our partnership with Recirculating Farms and Top Box, we aim to further increase the farmer support by selling leftover produce from our market to create local produce boxes that are available to the wider community.

Disaster Response

As an organization that reckons daily with the agricultural implications of climate change, SPROUT is well-positioned to respond to community need. During the COVID-19 pandemic, SPROUT worked in partnership with Top Box Foods and the Crescent City Farmers Market to pioneer a local food distribution solution to closed markets and supply chain issues. Following Hurricane Ida, our offices at Press Street Garden became a community feeding and mutual aid distribution site. As climate change intensifies storms and flooding, we will continue to work towards creating a resilient local food system. We are building our disaster-response coalition. If you would like to help in the case of a disaster relief effort, sign up here.

Truck Farm Table

Truck Farms are New Orleans' oldest model of Urban Agriculture. Farmers in the fertile areas around the city grew crops for trade at the local market. SPROUT's Truck Farm Table has built off this tradition to create a marketing cooperative for small and beginning farmers in Louisiana. We gather local food, flowers, and plant starts and sell them free of charge for vendors at the Crescent City Farmers Market. We offer technical support with labeling, licensing, and community connections. We are especially interested in reducing barriers for BIPOC, Women-identifying, LGBTQIA+, and Veteran farmers and vendors. Read more about the Truck Farm Table or fill out a vendor application.

Restorative justice for farmers & gardeners

We know the challenges urban growers face accessing land in New Orleans, and how that can lead to complex relationships and, sometimes, conflict. So Sprout partnered with Marie-Isbelle of Restorative & Resilient, to offer Restorative Justice training and funding for gardeners and farmers in New Orleans. After an introduction to Restorative Justice Practices, gardeners and farmers are eligible to receive funding for Restorative Justice sessions. To inquire, contact here.

fiscal sponsorship

Sprout supports small local community organizations and farms through fiscal sponsorship. To learn more, visit here.

 

Grower Resources

events & classes

SPROUT works with experts in our community to provide educational opportunities for growers. Our in-person and online offerings range from gardening classes for kids, to urban ecology workshops for families, to a series of technical workshops for advanced farmers. Most of our classes are open to and free for community members. See our calendar of classes. Learn about upcoming Learning Cohorts for growers.

Greenhouse

The SPROUT Greenhouse supports home gardeners and urban farmers with plant starts throughout the year. The plants grown in the greenhouse make their way to the community garden and to gardeners throughout the city. Click here to email your inquiry about what’s “growing on” in the greenhouse.

community cooler

In response to the need for more cold storage, SPROUT maintains a community cooler at Press Street Gardens. Farmers can utilize the community cooler for storage before taking produce to market. Click here to email your inquiry about using the community cooler.

Seed library & heritage seed collection

We carry a seasonal seed library at our open garden hours every week. Growers are welcome to come look through our seeds and take some for their gardens. We also have a selection of seeds saved from our gardens and love sharing with our community.  If you're unsure about what to plant and when, come chat with us at our open hours. ​Click here to request seeds for your home garden.

Additionally, in partnership with the LSU Ag Center and the Meraux Foundation, Sprout co-owns the largest heritage seed collection in Louisiana.

 

City Policy

POLICY WIN! - A Greener New Orleans

With The Greater New Orleans Grower’s Alliance and New Orleans Food Policy Action Committee (FPAC), Sprout premiered our city-wide policy platform “A Greener New Orleans.” This platform is protecting the food sovereignty of the City of New Orleans with the addition of an Urban Agriculture Liaison position to the City of New Orleans office of Resilience & Sustainability. This role will decrease municipal barriers to urban gardening and farming.

Greater New Orleans Grower’s Alliance

SPROUT sits on the leadership committee of the Greater New Orleans Grower’s Alliance (GNOGA). GNOGA is a space for new and seasoned farmers to meet, share resources and collaborate on future endeavors. This network provides the resources to allow people to try their hand at farming and collaborate with others to create a social sphere around the local farming community. Our goal is to build power for those that are professionalizing urban horticulture. Join GNOGA here.

 

Community Food Program Impacts

“I love spending time with people from other generations. You know, in life and my circle it’s people around our age. But here, I get to spend time with older people, younger kids, and learn and share stories.” - Luisa, community gardener 

“I love it. The atmosphere, the people, the greenery. It gives me life. And it helps me grow my business as well.” - Ms. Dera, community gardener

"Participating in the Truck Farm Table allowed (my business) to be able to end a market and start selling our produce when we didn’t have enough to get our own farmers market booth. Without the Truck Farm Table, we wouldn't have been able to continue expanding our own farm and sales." - Sierra Torres, Cicada Calling Farm / Truck Farm Vendor

"The Truck Farm Table has helped me connect with other vendors. Because of these connections my business has increased its use of locally-produced ingredients and my sales." - Kaitlin Guerin, Lagniappe Baking / Truck Farm Vendor