(401) 273-9419
sclt@southsideclt.org

urban agriculture

RI’s small & urban farmers paying outsized taxes for decades

The Small & Urban Farms Success bill was introduced to the RI House and Senate earlier this year by 10 State Representatives and was heard by the RI House and Senate this spring. Championed by a coalition of the Rhode Island Food Policy Council, SCLT, and a network of farmers, including Open Farms Retreat‘s Andraly Horn and Sienna Viette, this legislation has the power to level the playing field by creating tax relief programs for small and urban farms that are similar to the programs that have been available for more than 30 years to larger, rural farms in our state.

RI’s current tax programs don’t meet the food or economic needs of our communities, and they don’t match our coalition’s commitment to equity. These programs need an update so that more Rhode Islanders can eat fresh, healthy, and affordable food grown right here in our tiny state, where the cost of agricultural land keeps going up, and the size of farms keeps going down.

Hear from several small and urban farmers on what this change would mean for the future of their farm businesses and the resiliency of our local food system:

 

Read more

SCLT granted $100K from UNFI Foundation to address food inequity

By  Providence Business News
PROVIDENCE – The Southside Community Land Trust’s quest to get more food out to the community received a significant financial boost, courtesy of United Natural Foods Inc.
Read more

A South Providence hub supports healthy food for all

Southside Community Land Trust’s 404 Broad Street brings fresh produce and more to the neighborhood

By Katarina Dulude, Providence Monthly

Read more

‘Social returns’ inspire unusual 404 Broad investment

The Conservation Law Foundation’s Healthy Retail and Commerce Fund offers a new model for social investment

by Laurie O’Reilly, Conservation Matters

Read more

Saturday youth jobs now offered in Providence & Pawtucket

We’re adding on to our fall Youth Program this year! Young people between 14-24 are invited to apply for Saturday jobs located at SCLT urban farms in Providence and Pawtucket.

Read more

Two grants from American Farmland Trust will benefit RI farmers

This spring, the American Farmland Trust awarded SCLT a $5,000 grant toward the purchase of The Good Earth Farm in Cranston and awarded a $5,000 grant to farmers Teo and Margarita Martinez, whose business is located at Urban Edge Farm.

Read more

Applications available for two TerraCorps positions

After a successful initial year, SCLT will again host two TerraCorps service staff “members” from this coming August to July, 2022.

Read more

The future looks good for new farmers in RI

In 2021, SCLT will be offering increasing support for local farmers, expanding access to farmland and improving our ability to distribute healthy food, particularly in local Black and Brown communities.

Read more

Growing food helps SCLT’s new garden associate hold onto her roots

Like many refugees who arrive in Providence, Bishnu Poudel was eager to obtain a plot in one of SCLT’s community gardens. Soon, she began growing the vegetables she and her family were used to eating in Nepal, and before that, Bhutan, as well as socializing and networking with refugees from three continents. 

Read more

We’re collecting soil samples for testing – send us yours

The lab SCLT sends soil samples to has reopened, so staff are able to collect samples again. The first batch will be sent May 8.

Read more