urban agriculture

Urban farms can take blighted vacant lots and turn them into green space that provides food for neighborhoods, but in Kansas City and the Midwest, they struggle to get that land from private owners and city land banks. Plus: For one local forager, fall weather is the best time for hunting mushrooms.

Urban farmers are trying to buy vacant lots for their farms to bring fresh, healthy food and green space to their neighborhoods, but they face challenges in acquiring that land.

Kansas City has more than 5,000 vacant lots. The Heartland Conservation Alliance wants to renovate a 20-acre urban forest in a neighborhood on the east side of the city — but not until they hear what neighbors want.

The Missouri Department of Agriculture has opened applications for a grant for urban farmers who tackle food insecurity in their communities. While grants are crucial for urban farms, some find this one to be inaccessible.

Mo Hive KC has helped create nearly a dozen beehives in Kansas City community gardens and rooftops over the last two years. Now they've expanded their hives to Jefferson City in the hopes of educating the public about conservation and exposing youth to urban agriculture.

You might be surprised to know that the Kansas City metro has lots of goat attractions and pride, from farms and petting zoos to a whole mob history. Around the city, you can find locations and businesses that pay homage to the "Goats," a faction of the Kansas City Democrats controlled by Tom Pendergast.

Vertical farms stack rows of plants on top of each other. Those indoor farms control the lighting, water and temperature to create ideal conditions to grow fresh produce year-round close to customers. But the industry relies on artificial lighting and has a large carbon footprint.

As another growing season approaches, gardeners may need to change the varieties or the types of vegetables they plant.

A Kansas City man's plea for native flower justice has united gardeners around the world. Plus, the latest news from Kevin Strickland's innocence case.

As more Americans go without enough food during the coronavirus pandemic, one East Community nonprofit is trying to fill a gap in the city's urban core. It's the brainchild of the late local lawmaker Carol Coe.

Known as a "fierce warrior" and for speaking truth to power, the longtime activist died February 14, 2021 at the age of 74.

Springtime anxiety about access to food turned ordinary people into novice homesteaders, yielding a bounty of produce in Kansas City backyards — and a feverish search for online farming instruction.