Good Community Food
Building healthy, food-resilient communities
Jones Valley Teaching Farm is committed to improving access to fresh food and building food-resilient, healthy, and connected communities in Birmingham. Good Community Food (GCF) is a citywide initiative designed to strengthen the local food system by increasing food access, providing agricultural skills-based training, and sharing resources with urban growers and community gardens.
Food Access
Our farmers create crop plans with a focus on seasonal diversity, innovation, and soil health. Our Teaching Farms are home to more than 200 varieties of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers. Each year, we harvest thousands of pounds of fresh produce from our eight sites. This bounty is utilized in our Good School Food educational programming and shared across the city through our Farm Stands, Harvest Share program, and with the help of our community partner distribution network at no cost to residents.
If you are moved to support JVTF’s efforts to build food-resilient, healthy, and connected communities, donations are also accepted at the farm stands and online.
Fellowship
Jones Valley Teaching Farm’s Good Community Food Fellowship is an initiative designed to strengthen the local food system in Birmingham, Alabama, by providing an exceptional training opportunity for urban growers. This free program will establish a cohort of passionate advocates dedicated to cultivating healthy communities. For 11 months, Fellows will attend a series of workshops led by local farmers, chefs, and Jones Valley staff where they will gain practical skills & knowledge in agriculture, culinary arts, food justice, & community gardening. Fellows will also deepen their practice by applying what they learn to manage individual garden plots at the Center for Food Education.
Applications due January 12, 2025
Workshop Series
Jones Valley Teaching Farm hosts culinary and agricultural workshops in partnership with the Alabama Cooperative Extension at the Center for Food Education. All experience levels are welcome. Classes are low to no cost and seating is limited. Please pre-register to attend. If cost is prohibitive, please email community@jvtf.org
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