The City of Asheville is excited to announce that the Office of Sustainability has launched the Asheville Edibles Program.
The purpose of this program is to provide an opportunity for community members to grow food and pollinator plants on publicly-owned land — goals identified in both the Council-adopted Food Policy Action Plan and the designation of Asheville as the inaugural Bee City USA. New this year, the City of Asheville is partnering with Asheville GreenWorks to expand Bee City and pollinator projects.
The Asheville Edibles Program consists of three different opportunities: Adopt-A-Spot, Community Gardens, and Urban Agriculture Leases.
Adopt-A-Spot
The City has teamed up with Asheville GreenWorks to provide oversight of the new Adopt-A-Spot program. Businesses, organizations, or individuals can apply to adopt a City-owned piece of property. Once an application is approved, the responsibility of the adopter will be to maintain either an edible or pollinator garden in the location. Adopters will be recognized with a sign at the adopted spot. This program aims to make a positive impact on Asheville by promoting stewardship of publicly owned places.
Community Gardens
Asheville’s Community Gardens Program provides residents with an opportunity to organize community gardens on designated City-owned land. For successful applicants, there is no cost to lease the land, and each garden location has room for several plots. This is a great way to bring a neighborhood and/or organization together to grow local, fresh, and healthy produce to create a stronger, more resilient community.
Urban Agriculture Leases
The Urban Agriculture Leases Program has parcels of City-owned land prepared to be leased at fair market value. The terms of the leases are 3 years with an option to renew. This program is designed to support urban agriculture development to increase local food production and community food security. The City encourages applications from qualified individuals, businesses, and/or nonprofit organizations to apply for a lease agreement. This is a great opportunity for those who want to grow food on a larger scale, but do not have the property to do so.
How do I apply?
Those interested in any of the opportunities in the Asheville Edibles Program can visit the website to review the rules and find an application form. Applicants will be contacted promptly to discuss their request.
(Photo courtesy of Bountiful Cities, a partner agency with the City of Asheville.)