ST. LOUIS, Mo. – New and beginning women producers in urban agriculture have a new opportunity to learn about producing and marketing locally grown products. University of Missouri Extension and Annie’s Project will host a series, “Empowering Women in Urban Agriculture,” that offers insights into risk management, business planning and urban agriculture opportunities for those in metropolitan St. Louis.

Manita Ale, MU Extension agricultural business specialist and event organizer, notes that the series is designed to help both new and seasoned women in agriculture.

“This series’ curriculum provides attendees with information and resources that can be valuable whether they’re interested in starting or scaling up their urban agriculture enterprise,” said Ale. “The online sessions will help attendees understand best practices for five key areas of risk management, while farm walkabouts will help our attendees to see the application of these risk management strategies in action. We are also offering two in-person demonstrations on vermicompost and safe handling of tools.”

Topics will include farm safety and awareness, business planning and farm recordkeeping, farm stress, human health, urban agriculture grant opportunities and marketing best practices, she said.

“Over the course of this educational series, attendees will hear from a range of extension professionals, industry experts and fellow urban agriculture producers in St. Louis,” said Ale. “We want the women who complete this program to walk away feeling confident and equipped with tools they can implement in their own businesses.”

“Empowering Women in Urban Agriculture” will run Monday evenings from July 1 to Aug. 26. Online sessions will be hosted 6-8 p.m. via Zoom. In-person demonstrations will be hosted 6-8 p.m. at the MU Extension Urban East Regional Office, 8225 Florissant Road, St. Louis. The series concludes with farm walkabouts that run 5-7 p.m.

For details and registration, visit http://muext.us/anniesproject2024. For questions, contact Manita Ale at manita.ale@missouri.edu or 314-200-2705. For ADA accommodations, contact Karen Funkenbusch at funkenbuschk@health.missouri.edu.

MU Extension offers resources, tools and expertise to support farmers, ranchers, agribusinesses and urban agriculture ventures in the Show-Me State. For more information, visit http://muext.us/UrbanAg or http://muext.us/AgBusiness.

About Annie’s Project

Annie’s Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing educational programs designed to strengthen women’s roles in modern agricultural enterprises. Annie’s Project’s mission is to empower women in agriculture to be successful through education, networks and resources. For more information about Annie’s Project, visit www.anniesproject.org.