Urban agriculture is a cornerstone of healthy, resilient communities — and yet it has long lacked resources and institutional support. Urban farms grow food, create green space in dense neighborhoods, build community across cultures and generations, reduce carbon emissions, and provide economic opportunity in places that need it most. And yet, the farmers running these efforts have historically been overlooked by government programs, often due to systemic inequity.
Over the past three years, CAFF has been in partnership with the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), Veggielution, Agroecology Commons, Los Angeles Food Policy Council, Food Access LA, and University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources to bridge the gap between California’s urban farmers and the government programs designed to support them. Through farmer gatherings, a leadership fellowship, and an accessible microgrant program, we built lasting infrastructure for the state’s diverse and dynamic urban agriculture community.
From soil to systems: What the microgrants made possible
We distributed 52 microgrants to farms in Los Angeles and Orange County, and across the Bay Area — including Contra Costa, Sonoma, San Francisco, Alameda, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties.The results were tangible, diverse, and remarkable.
Several farms expanded composting infrastructure, improved soil health, and invested in refrigeration to support farmstand and wholesale operations. One urban farm increased their land from ⅓ acres to 1.3 acres, and is able to expand production to grow even more than the 3,000 pounds donated last year. A microgreens operation automated its growing process with a new rack system featuring built-in irrigation, lighting, and ventilation.
Nearly all microgrant recipients highlighted the reach to community members and the events and workshops held as among the most meaningful outcomes of their projects.
The community impact was just as significant as the agricultural gains. Across the board, the vast majority of recipients reported serving disadvantaged groups including youth, elders, and low-income populations.
Creativity in the field
Some of the most inspiring projects came from grantees who took creative approaches to old challenges. One organization converted a hitch trailer into a mobile garden bed — complete with a vermicompost bin and tool storage. Another expanded into herbal tea production and mushroom cultivation, eventually launching a mini farm market. A school-based program built compost systems across multiple sites, deployed microirrigation lines, and launched a seed and seedling automation project, all while engaging students as hands-on participants.
Some of the most inspiring projects came from grantees who took creative approaches to old challenges. One organization converted a hitch trailer into a mobile garden bed — complete with a vermicompost bin and tool storage. Another expanded into herbal tea production and mushroom cultivation, eventually launching a mini farm market. A school-based program built compost systems across multiple sites, deployed microirrigation lines, and launched a seed and seedling automation project, all while engaging students as hands-on participants.
One organization planted a hedgerow of 16 mulberry trees integrated into an urban goat and sheep grazing system, creating on-site fodder production and carbon sequestration.
Building the next generation of urban farm leaders
Alongside the microgrant program, CAFF launched the Growing Urban Agriculture Fellowship, an 18-month leadership program for farmers in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. Fellows came together through facilitated workshops, farmer-to-farmer learning, and climate resilience training to build the skills and networks needed to advance their work in their communities over the long term.
Topics ranged from grant writing and business administration to sustainable pest management, community organizing, and urban landscape management in partnership with UC ANR Cooperative Extension. The fellowship was about individual skill-building and cultivating a cohort of advocates who understand both the ground-level realities of urban farming and the systems-level changes needed to support it.
Looking ahead
California’s urban agriculture community is extraordinarily diverse, spanning languages, cultures, farm sizes, and geographies. Many of the farms that received microgrants when asked how the projects will carry forward noted they’d expand food production and growing capacity, continue community education and engagement, build networks and partnerships, and diversify their revenue sources to build capacity. We are looking forward to seeing the impact these growers continue to have on the land and on California’s communities.
Projects funded in 2024 can be found here, and the 2025 project awardees were: