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Case Study
URBAN FOOD INITIATIVES, DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS, USA
Description:The Urban Food Initiatives began in 2013 and
reached 3,000 people in its first year alone. It is a three-
stranded programme focusing on communities in Denver with
little or no access to fresh healthy food and on individuals
living in government housing. One strand of the programme
provides training to local people at the garden or its satellite
site, Denver Botanic Garden at Chatfield, where there is an
active farm. Through the training provided, the local community
gains skills to grow their own food, as well as knowledge and
advice about healthy lifestyles, food preparation and nutrition.
The produce from the farm is distributed in the second strand
of the programme. Through farm stalls, the produce is either
sold or given to the local community, depending on their
socio-economic status. Foods can also be purchased through
the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (similar
to food stamps) and so enables people on low incomes to eat
healthily. Recipe cards in English and Spanish are also provided,
to help people cook vegetables they may not have come into
contact with before. In the third strand of the programme
the garden is working with the mayor’s office to expand the
capacity for marketing local food and processing it, with the
goal that 20 per cent of food consumed in Denver will be either
packaged or produced in Colorado.
Focus of the programme: The programme ties into all of the
four core values in the garden’s mission: relevance, diversity,
sustainability and transformation, by improving the health
and livelihoods of diverse communities in a way that
encourages sustainability. It also links with broader global
issues to do with food security. Focusing on people from low
socio-economic backgrounds with poor access to healthy food,
the programme not only provides the nourishment, skills and
information to make a balanced diet possible, but also tackles
poverty by supporting people to raise income by selling their
produce. In addition, the garden training has provided some
younger participants with the skills and inspiration to follow
related careers.
22 CARING FOR YOUR COMMUNITY | A MANUAL FOR BOTANIC GARDENS
Engagement approach: The garden has partnered with
Denver Housing Authority, Denver Human Services; government
bodies that offer housing, financial support and training to
the target audience of Urban Food Initiatives. Since these are
trusted organizations who have well-established relationships
with the community, working through them has facilitated
the programme’s own community relations. The programme
engages local people on a variety of levels, from providing food
and information to developing long-term relationships through
training, which is flexible enough to cater to the interests and
skills of particular groups.
Audience research: So far evaluation has focused on the
number of people reached. In the future, the garden hopes
to monitor health impacts of the programme – for example,
participants’ cholesterol levels.
Funding:The programme was started and continues to run
through grant funding, but the garden is currently working on
their business model with the aim of becoming self-sustaining
via the income generated by farm stalls.
Challenges: Funding has been the main issue for continuing
the programme. In addition to its plan to be self-sustaining,
the programme has also formed alliances and collaborated
with other organizations offering similar programmes, to avoid
duplication, broaden reach and attract funding.
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Denver Botanic Gardens