Chicago Botanic Garden
Windy City HarvestUnited States Department of AgricultureNational Institute of Food and Agriculture

January 2010

 Windy City Harvest is a social enterprise that provides professional certification in sustainable urban agriculture to at-risk young adults and distributes fresh, affordable produce on Chicago’s West side and beyond.  Headquartered at Arturo Velasquez Institute, a satellite of Daley College, the program also maintains a production and training garden on the campus of the Cook County Sheriff’s Boot Camp, an alternative sentencing facility for young male offenders, and a satellite production garden in a west side community.  This last site, the Chicago “People's Garden,” is managed with the volunteer assistance of USDA Region Five staff.  Windy City Harvest grants a nine-month certificate in sustainable urban horticulture that is approved by the Illinois Community College Board and prepares graduates for jobs in urban agriculture.  Produce is sold through an upscale grocery store, community farmers’ markets, and market basket subscription programs, as well as donated to social service agencies that feed low-income families.  The United States Department of Agriculture’s leadership and commitment to Windy City Harvest have helped the program succeed from its earliest days through this year’s graduation of the first certificate candidates. The Chicago Botanic Garden is deeply grateful for the support of the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and looks forward to a continued fruitful partnership in the coming year.

(1) Program Goal and Specific Objectives

The vision for Windy City Harvest is to establish a viable social enterprise that creates training and employment opportunities in an economy that is putting increasing emphasis on local production; seeking remedies for community food insecurity and poor health; and in need of models that catalyze sustainable growth and development in underserved communities.  To achieve this vision, Windy City Harvest aims at the following objectives for 2010:

  • recruit 15 to 20 trainees for the nine-month certificate training program and five apprentices for the extended growing season;
  • grow and sell increasing amounts of organic crops in an urban setting;
  • hire graduates as possible and help graduates with their job search through relationships with potential employers, including non-profit, City-affiliated, and for-profit businesses; and
  • collaborate with a network of organizations concerned with food security and workforce development to supply affordable fresh produce to the community while creating new green jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities for graduates.

Windy City Harvest brings tangible benefits to North Lawndale and the other neighborhoods it serves on Chicago’s West side by providing fresh, organic produce to this recognized “food desert,” as well as providing job training for residents and new jobs as production increases.