UFI’s Circular Food Network Taking Root in Cincinnati’s Neighborhoods

Dear Urban Farming Initiative Community,

Circular food networks are an efficient and strong way of feeding our communities and strengthening the health of our neighbors and residents. Our local growing capabilities reduce waste, regenerate the soil, and keep food and resources in use for as long as possible. Circular systems close the supply and demand gap that exists in neighborhood economies: food scraps become compost, surplus is shared, and urban farms give back to the soil that may not have been used for growing in years.

In our hometown of Cincinnati, this looks like The Urban Farming Initiative utilizing vacant lots, community composting programs, and local food networks that connect growers directly with neighbors. It’s not just about sustainability - it’s about building stronger, more resilient communities where food nourishes people, the planet, and the local economy. Our vision is taking shape; join us sometime and see for yourself!

UFI and Other Industry Gatherings

Here is a list of UFI events and other community happenings in the area this June. We are highlighting incredible events hosted by the Urban Farming Initiative, Flow Naturally, and Green Umbrella.

Food Access Opportunities

We proudly participate in weekly food access events alongside La Soupe, other community organizations, and dedicated volunteers.

Volunteer Shifts – Community Gardens

May Recap

Everything was in bloom in May. As we all started to defrost and get ready for summer, so did the plants. The collaborative effort of our neighbors has paid off. We are already starting to harvest with dozens of pounds going to local food partners from our gardens.

We furthered our growing capabilities by kicking off our partnership with 80 Acres Farms to launch our first shipping container farm in Cincinnati! This month was all about prepping the unit, ordering materials, and testing our first growing cycle. Next month we’ll have a tour of our farm for anyone who wants to see this modern technology up close. Sorry, we can’t share any pictures of the proprietary technology we are using, so you’ll have to see it at our tour!

We also launched our first-ever Kickstarter Campaign, providing community members and supporters a way to directly support our work advancing circularity and food prosperity.

May is quintessential garden planting season, so our garden spaces across our network were buzzing with activity.

At Beecher St Garden, we welcomed new and returning gardeners, completed spring plantings, and prepped for on-site mushroom cultivation.

St James Garden continued to thrive—producing fresh vegetables and herbs like kale, spinach, and radishes. Much of the produce was donated to La Soupe Cincinnati, helping feed the community and support local chefs. We also hosted our first neighborhood potluck picnic in Walnut Hills, where over 20 community members gathered to celebrate the season—including enjoying a strawberry rhubarb pie made with last year’s harvest.

At Taft Garden, we partnered with Saint Ursula Academy’s AP Human Geography class for five immersive class visits to Taft Garden, culminating in the final session of our eight-week service learning program. Students engaged in activities like bed weeding, hugelkultur planting, mulch path building, and litter collection—removing over 50 pounds of waste in the process.

At May St Garden, Scott Gage and Engaged Bees installed three hives, helping restore pollinator populations and bringing free honey to the community. Elsewhere, our circular food system initiatives remained strong.

We picked up fresh manure from our partnered horse farm to nourish compost systems, used donated milk cartons from La Soupe and burlap sacks from Coffee Emporium to create upcycled planters, and sourced unused grills from Fries Café Clifton to add infrastructure for cooking and gathering in our gardens. We also repurposed deconstructed bricks from Keep Cincinnati Beautiful’s HQ redevelopment, generously provided by Trivisonno Construction, for landscaping use in St James Garden.

Community outreach and public events were another cornerstone of the month. We joined the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library for the 2025 Plant Fest, connecting with neighbors and teaching about sustainable garden management. We also attended the Kroger Co. Nourishing Change Conference and a presentation by the Center for Youth Futures, both offering critical conversations around health, youth development, and food access. Additionally, we participated in the Healthy City Committee alongside Flywheel Cincinnati and the City of Cincinnati, where we joined other social enterprise startups working to strengthen our urban ecosystem.

We celebrated mothers and families across our programs. At the Friday Food and Fun event, held with La Soupe Cincinnati and Freestore Foodbank, we distributed over 2,000 pounds of rescued food to more than 100 households. Students helped create bouquets that were gifted to mothers, and many families gathered in gardens for moments of relaxation, play, and connection.

Our medicinal and pollinator-focused sites continued to thrive as well. The Sweetgrass at Melrose Medicinal Forest, stewarded by Ocotillo Herbals, looked healthy and vibrant in preparation for our upcoming Sweetgrass Processing Class.

Get Involved

We’d love to see you at an event this month! Have questions? Want to volunteer? Click below to sign up or reach out. And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram to stay updated.

Donate to our Kickstarter Campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/urbanfarmnetwork/community-changing-food-system-project 

Volunteer with Us: Duplie Volunteer Page

Links to Events: Sign Up Here

Looking forward to another month of growth and connection!

With gratitude,

Urban Farming Initiative Team