Garden partnership blossoms

University researchers and community members all are harvesting the benefits of a university-community agricultural partnership on Madison’s North Side.

The university and Friends of Troy Gardens have begun a project dedicated to sustainable agriculture research, and education and outreach at Troy Gardens. The project is led by the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems and funded by a grant from the Kellogg Foundation.

Photo of three women harvesting soybeans in a garden on the north side of Madison.

Troy Gardens is a community-owned-and managed-property that integrates urban agriculture, natural areas restoration and affordable housing, says Sharon Lezberg, executive director of the Friends of Troy Gardens. Student interns and faculty have worked at the site alongside members of the friends organization as part of the Troy Gardens Sustainable Urban Agriculture Learning Community.

A $493,603 Kellogg grant supports the development of the Troy Gardens Community Farm, community gardens and youth gardens. The funding is used to:

Further research and education.
Develop and enhance a sustainable food system aspect of Troy Gardens.
Support community outreach, participation and education goals of the project.

“This project is an innovative model for community involvement in sustainable urban food systems,” says Marcia Caton Campbell, assistant professor of urban and regional planning, and co-principal investigator of the project.

“It engages faculty and students from the UW–Madison as partners in multidisciplinary research, learning and service activities,” says Lydia Zepeda, professor in the School of Human Ecology and principal investigator of the project.

Faculty and staff interested in participating in the new Troy Gardens Learning Community may attend a meeting Tuesday, Oct. 1, 1-3 p.m., in 3190 Grainger Hall.

“The Learning Community offers a unique opportunity to bring a broad interdisciplinary group of faculty and students together in a common endeavor,” says Steve Stevenson, associate director of the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems. “It’s a rare form of institutional engagement with the local community.”

The Friends of Troy Gardens is a non-profit membership organization responsible for the stewardship of the land dedicated to urban agriculture and natural areas restoration.

Member organizations include the Northside Planning Council, Madison Area Community Land Trust, Community Action Coalition of South Central Wisconsin, Urban Open Space Foundation and the university.

The Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems is a research and outreach center in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Its major focus is the sustainability of agriculture and food systems.