Somerville Awarded Grant for ARTFarm Urban Agriculture Project

SOMERVILLE, MA – The state awarded thousands in grant money to Somerville on Wednesday, to be used in its development of an urban agriculture center.

The city received $23,656 for ARTFarm, a 2.2-acre former waste transfer station that is being transformed into a community art and urban growing facility. The initiative is part of Shape Up Somerville, a 15-year program designed to build a healthier and more equitable Somerville through community projects.

Shape Up Somerville will use the grant to purchase and install an outdoor walk-in cooler and a 50- by 20-foot raised bed for ARTFarm.

Seven communities, including Somerville, received a total of $350,000 in grant money Wednesday through the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources' Urban Agriculture Program to support the growth of the burgeoning urban agriculture sector and provide residents with access to fresh food.

"Our administration recognizes the impact farming entrepreneurs make in our cities," Gov. Charlie Baker said in a statement. "The recipients of Urban Agriculture Program funding continue to create opportunities for local economic impact through food production, as they increase ready access to nutritious food for their communities."

Established in 2014, the Urban Agriculture Program has since provided funding for 41 projects and facilitated four state-wide urban agriculture conferences.

"A priority of our administration is to increase access to fresh, nutritious food in underserved urban communities," said Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito in a statement. "The communities and entrepreneurs receiving these grants are at the forefront of this effort and are providing opportunities for economic impact and youth engagement while encouraging healthier local food systems."

Urban agriculture initiatives range from in-ground growing and rooftop farms, to greenhouses, freight farms and aquaponics, a system that filters waste from farmed fish and aquatic animals into nutrients for plants.

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