Urban Growers Collective

Urban Growers Collective is a Black- and women-led non-profit farm in Chicago, Illinois working to build a more just and equitable local food system since 2017 under the leadership of Erika Allen. Our approach trains and educates and prepares the next generation of farmers and food system innovators, stimulating local economies to create measurable public health improvements. UGC aims to address the historic inequities and structural barriers that exist in the food system predominately in low-income communities of color. We use urban agriculture as our tool and method to create new pathways for economic stability and abundance and to produce community and cultural impacts.

UGC operates 8 urban farms totaling 11 acres primarily located on the South Side of Chicago; a 30-acre peri-urban farm in Chicago Heights established in 2024, and is a strategic partner in the 9-acre Green Era Campus renewable energy facility and hub for urban agriculture in Auburn Gresham. These farms are production-oriented, growing over 23,000lbs of produce each year available through farmers markets, in our Collective Supported Agriculture program, and via our Fresh Moves Mobile Market buses. They also serve as spaces for UGC staff-led education, training, leadership development, healing and creativity. Our programming covers all ages, and engages people at different accessibilities and levels of specialization, including but not limited to volunteer days, community gardens, workshops, internships and apprenticeships.