Good Community Food
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 seven 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 program will establish a cohort of passionate advocates dedicated to the cultivation of healthy communities.
Over 11 months, Community Food Fellows will attend workshops led by local farmers and chefs, 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 in the management of individual garden plots at the Center for Food Education. Individuals who complete the fellowship will be eligible to apply for assistance in establishing new community garden sites of their own.
Applications will open in October 2024 for the 2025 Fellowship.
Signup for our newsletter to receive the application link when it’s available.
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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