Food Sovereignty: Growing Urban Farmers and Farms
More and more people want to know how, where, and by whom the food they eat is grown. Too often, the answer is far away, by big machines with chemical fertilizers and pesticides. This program is about another way of producing food: certified, naturally grown, and near to the people who eat it. It is about creating an accountable, local, and healthy food system for all. ECO City Farms — a Prince George’s County urban teaching and learning farm — offers a year-long Intensive Beginning Urban/Suburban Farmer Apprenticeship Program that covers a wide range of farm and food production skills, as well as the construction, business, and management knowledge required of a successful urban farmer and food marketer.
This program consists of both in-class and on-farm instruction at ECO City Farm sites in Edmonston and Bladensburg.
About Our Courses
The coursework begins with PGCC's AGR 322: An Intensive Introduction to Urban Commercial Agriculture. AGR 322 is a major component of the larger program with a well-tested, graphics-rich, culturally-appropriate curriculum.
This intensive course will teach you the strategies for planning and designing an ecologically sound urban farm based on your needs, goals, and resources. Starting with the basic principles of sustainable farming, AGR-322 will touch on crop and soil science, composting, resource management, and farm business planning. Additionally, you will learn food safety regulations and necessary strategies to know how to prepare produce for sale.
The spring 2024 class will be held from January 10 to March 20 from 6-9 p.m. Classes are held at the College's University Town Center (UTC) location, Room 148, 6505 Belcrest Road in Hyattsville, MD. Tuition for Prince George's County residents (excluding the registration fee) is $583.
You can register for AGR 322 (Syn# 05393) via Owl Link, the College's online registration system. If you are interested in the full 10-month course, please contact econewfarmer@gmail.com. A Continuing Education Certificate will be issued upon successful course completion.