Youth Farm

At Youth Farm our mission is simple: we farm to grow. We farm to grow food, community, and, most importantly, young leaders. 

Established in 1995, Youth Farm has developed from an upstart garden program into a multi-faceted youth development organization. For 26 years we have used food as a catalyst for social change, environmental justice, community engagement, and leadership development - food is our tool to change the world.

Each year, we engage hundreds of youth across the Twin Cities in leadership development, farm and food programming, and community events. Alongside community members, peers, and partners, young people are building a youth-led food movement.

Now, we find ourselves at a pivotal point of organizational growth. Just like food, space is a tool. Over the coming years, two key projects that utilize space will be central to our growth: the St. Paul Space & Place Project and the Northside Youth Greenhouse Project.

Both of these projects are being developed through community listening, community mapping, and the leadership of youth.

Youth Farm by the numbers:

• Youth Farm works alongside hundreds of youth each year through direct programming, school partnerships, and community events
• We have developed and nurtured over 150 community partnerships to date
• In an effort to make farm and food education a cornerstone of the student experience, we partner with schools including:
  1. Nellie Stone Johnson Community School, Minneapolis
  2. Cherokee Heights Elementary School, Saint Paul - home of Youth Farm’s greenhouse
  3. Humboldt High School, Saint Paul
  4. Open World Learning Community, Saint Paul
• 10,000+ plants distributed from our St. Paul Greenhouse each year, producing thousands of fresh food
• 24+ community events hosted each year, serving over 800 youth and 1,100 adults

We farm to grow.

We farm to play.

We farm to give.

We harvest relationships alongside cabbage.

We sow confidence with carrots.

We nurture leaders like the seeds we plant.

We gather pea pods along with knowledge.

We tend to peppers and in turn the community.

We work the land and let it transform us.

We farm to learn.

We farm to feed. 

We farm to grow.

Youth Farm. Where Leadership Grows.