THE MOTHERLAND GARDENS COMMUNITY PROJECT

The Motherland Community Project is a 501c3 incorporated in Springfield in 2021. Motherland Gardens aims to address food insecurity, to reduce diet related chronic diseases and inspire underserved communities to develop interest in agriculture as a career. Our mission is to improve the health of underserved communities in urban settings by addressing disparities in access to healthy fresh food while inspiring youth and communities to engage in urban agriculture and entrepreneurship. Our vision is for a thriving community where everyone has equitable access to fresh and healthy food to live an active and healthy life. Motherland works with neighborhoods and communities to acquire and transform vacant land into urban farms to grow culturally relevant and fresh food to meet the diverse needs of the community. Given the complexity of the situation, we collaborate with local healthcare institutions, educational institutions, and community leaders to address food insecurity holistically and through a system approach. We consider and address multiple factors affecting access and consumption of healthy food. For example, we collaborate with local hospitals and other healthcare institutions to host educational events onsite where community members participate and receive education on different topics, including nutrition, diet related chronic diseases, and physical activities. During the growing seasons, we hold cultural food festivals where neighbors share cultural foods. We also provide education and demonstrations on how to prepare healthy food from scratch and on a budget. This has been a great experience to promote connections and relationships among neighbors and organizations that provide services in the area. Motherland owns about two acres of land in the city. We grow various crops including vegetables, herbs, and fruits based on input from the community. We also have a beekeeping operation which we use for education for people interested in beekeeping. This has attracted many residents and has brought people to the site to explore urban farming and community gardening as well as to access fresh and healthy food. n the past four years, we donated all our produce to the community to help address food security. We will continue to donate some of our produce and offer spots for community members to grow their own produce for consumption.

As a nonprofit organization, Motherland seeks to reduce food insecurity and inspire underserved youth and communities to engage in urban agriculture and food entrepreneurship. Our business model is based on community-centered and equitable access to fresh healthy food through educating and inspiring underserved communities to engage in urban agriculture to address food insecurity and spur interest in agricultural entrepreneurship. Motherland advocates for land access for underserved populations and provides training on food production and entrepreneurship through business incubation. In terms of economic viability, we have been leveraging small grants and resources from various organizations to establish the project. In the past four years, we donated most of our produce to the community and neighborhood struggling with food insecurity. This year, we are establishing a Community Support Agriculture model to generate income to help pay for operations.