The document discusses Cleveland's Gardening for Greenbacks program which provides grants up to $3,000 to help fund urban agriculture businesses and farms. It provides details on 13 projects that received funding, including information on the recipient, location, amount awarded, and expected jobs. It also discusses other urban agriculture programs and organizations in Cleveland, including the Urban Agriculture Innovation Zone, Green City Growers cooperative, and various urban farms and their partnerships with local restaurants and organizations.

1. CITY OF CLEVELAND — GARDENING FOR GREENBACKS PROGRAM
Kevin Schmotzer, Executive for Small Business Growth
City of Cleveland, Department of Economic
Development
601 Lakeside Avenue, Room 210
Cleveland, Ohio 44114
(216) 664-3720
kschmotzer@city.cleveland.oh.us
Tracey Nichols, Director
City of Cleveland, Department of Economic
Development
601 Lakeside Avenue, Room 210
Cleveland, Ohio 44114
(216) 664-3611
tnichols2@city.cleveland.oh.us
CITY OF CLEVELAND—OFFICE OF
SUSTAINABILITY
Jenita McGowan, Chief of Sustainability
City of Cleveland, Office of Sustainability
601 Lakeside Avenue,
Cleveland, Ohio 44114
(216) 664-3720
jmcgowan@city.cleveland.oh.us
BURTEN BELL CARR DEVELOPMENT, INC. URBAN AGRICULTURE
INNOVATION ZONE
Tim Tramble, Executive Director
Burten Bell Carr Development, Inc.
7201 Kinsman Road, Suite 104
Cleveland, Ohio 44104
(216) 341-1455
ttramble@bbcdevelopment.org
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION
Ohio State University Extension, Cuyahoga County
Morgan Taggart, Program Specialist
URBAN AGRICULTURE INFORMATION
URBAN AGRICULTURE
CITY OF CLEVELAND
GARDENING FOR GREENBACKS

2. Page 2
CITY OF CLEVELAND
SUSTAINABLE 2019: YEAR OF LOCAL FOOD
LOCAL FOOD MOVEMENT IN CLEVELAND
All over the country, food systems are currently being re-localized and connected to well-integrated
business ecosystems. Cleveland is on the path to doing the same. Over the last several years there
have been many new farmers markets established making fresh fruits and vegetables more available.
Strong local food systems not only support economic development, they also contribute to ecological
and environmental health, social justice and local jobs. Farmers, food processors, and retailers
benefit while keeping money circulating in the local economy. Eating local reduces the ecological
footprint, decreases the need for packaging, supports the preservation of diverse heirloom and
heritage varieties and reduces concerns about food safety. Most
important – it is fresher, more nutritious and better tasting!
The City’s local and sustainable purchasing Ordinance promotes
purchasing of local and sustainable produced products, goods and
services. The City offers a 5% discount to local food businesses
bidding for City contracts. In 2008, Sustainlane ranked Cleveland
as the second best City in the nation for its local foods/agriculture
CLEVELAND:
4th Most Visionary City in the WORLD
by Yahoo Travel for the Urban Farming
movement Cleveland was the ONLY US City mentioned!
Cleveland was the ONLY US City mentioned!
Page 11
URBAN AGRICULTURE
The Department of Economic Development provides low interest loans for entrepreneurs opening or
expanding retail businesses in the City of Cleveland through the Neighborhood Retail Assistance Pro-
gram (“NRAP”). The loans have assisted in the financing for many restaurants throughout the City.
A small portion of these loans may be forgiven if the business incorporates green, energy efficient,
and/or sustainable activities into their projects. One of the sustainable activities that is encouraged is
the purchase of local produce. Many restaurants have taken advantage of this program and incorporate
local produce on their menus . Following are just a few restaurants that support local agriculture by
purchasing fruits and vegetable from urban farms in Cleveland or growing produce on their property.
The Greenhouse Tavern
2038 East Fourth Street
Cleveland, Ohio 44115
Chinato
2079 East Fourth Street
Cleveland, Ohio 44115
L’Albatros Brasserie and Bar
11401 Bellflower Road
Cleveland, Ohio 44106
Spice Kitchen and Bar
5800 Detroit Avenue
LOCAL RESTAURANTS THAT SUPPORT URBAN FARMING
SOHO Kitchen and Bar
1889 West 25th Street
Cleveland, Ohio 44113
Lucky’s Cafe
777 Starkweather Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44113
Hodge’s
668 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44114
Vegetable and herb garden on the patio of Lucky’s Café in Cleveland’s Tremont Neighborhood

3. Page 10
CITY OF CLEVELAND
URBAN AGRICULTURE INNOVATION ZONE
Page 3
URBAN AGRICULTURE
In the summer of 2008, the City of Cleveland introduced and passed legislation which created the
Gardening for Greenbacks programs that provides grants up to $3,000 to businesses, merchants, or
local farmers. The program assists with the acquisition of tools, irrigation equipment, fencing, and
other appropriate items needed for urban gardening. The grant is provided to entrepreneurs who sell
their produce through local farmers’ markets or to local restaurants as a for-profit business basis. The
program was created to advance the local food system agenda and establish Cleveland as a model for
local food system development. The City has funded 13 urban farms through the Gardening for
Greenbacks Program.
HISTORY OF GARDENING FOR GREENBACKS
CITY FUNDED URBAN GARDENS INCLUDING GARDENING FOR GREENBACKS PROGRAM SUMMARY
Grant Recipients Address Ward
City
Assistance
Total
Project
cost
Jobs
Created or to
be Created
Program
Year
Akusika Nkomo Mackey dba
Africa House
1695 E. 81st
Street 6 $3,000 $6,500 1 2009
New Image Life Skills Acade-
my, Inc.
Corner of 10820 Frank
Avenue
6 $3,000 $5,000 1 2009
Urban Growth, Inc. 2156 W. 48th
Street 14 $3,000 $4,500 1 2009
Gardens Under Glass 1301 E. 9th
Street 3 $3,000 $38,000 1 2010
Green Urban Enterprises 4790 W. 130th
Street 18 $3,000 $3,300 1 2010
Ohio City Inc. d.b.a Ohio City
Farm
W.24th
and Bridge 3 $3,000 $3,000 1 2010
Refugee Response W.24th
and Bridge 3 $3,000 $3,000 1 2010
Molly Murray dba Erie Edge
Farm
2165-2169 Columbus
Road and 4512-4514
Clinton Avenue
3 $3,000 $3,450 1 2011
Kevin Kubovcik d.b.a Old
Brooklyn Farm
4204 W. 24th
Street 13 $3,000 $4,000 1 2011
Lucia’s Fresh Produce ltd 4204 W. 24th
Street 13 $3,000 $3,100 1 2011
Afro American Research &
Development Association
Corner of E. 30th
St.&
Cedar Ave.
5 $3,000 $5,000 1 2011
Central Roots
5905 Thackery Ave. &
W. 25th
and Franklin
5 $3,000 $3,100 2 2011
Angela Cavotta d.b.a
Cavotta’s Garden Ctr.
19603 Nottingham
Road
11 $3,000 $3,035 1 2011
Diane Morgan d.b.a. Maggie's
Farm
3413 W. 63rd
Street 15 $3,000 $3,200 1 2012
Needham Gardens LLC 12021 Kirton Ave. 18 $3,000 $5,850 1 2012
TOTAL $45,000 $94,035 16

4. Page 4
CITY OF CLEVELAND
GARDENING FOR GREENBACKS
Afro-American Research & Development Association
Afro-American Research and Development Association is the
garden arm of a 501c(3) non-profit. The project used City
funds to partially finance equipment for garden expansion in
the Central neighborhood that incorporated sustainable initia-
tives, which includes raised beds and a hoop house. The com-
pany has built a successful garden in conjunction with CMHA
over the past two years at E. 33rd
Street and Cedar Avenue.
Mr. Frank Kidd has successfully grown produce for the pur-
pose of providing healthy food to CMHA residents and has
sold produce and fresh vegetables to Dave’s Supermarket.
Cavotta’s Garden Center
Cavotta’s Garden Center received approval for the City’s
Gardening for Greenbacks Program grant to fund their
expansion needs including equipment, and natural soil
ingredients. Angela Cavotta is the current owner and
operator of this 80 year old multi-generational family
owned Garden Center and market garden located at 19603
Nottingham Road, in the Collinwood Neighborhood. The
project will incorporate sustainable initiatives. To
maximize revenues, the owner also plans to adopt
improved farming techniques and to restore the existing
greenhouses and bring them back to 365 day vegetable
and fruit production, with the produce marketed on site.
Central Roots, Inc.
The owners of Central Roots received approval under the
Gardening for Greenbacks Program to fund the purchase
of tools, equipment and an irrigation system. Central
Roots, LLC is an urban farm enterprise that operates on
a ½ acre at 5905 Thackeray Ave and a ¾ acre at West
25th
& Franklin Avenue with the goal of distributing
their fruit and vegetable production through multiple
channels including farmer’s markets, on-site farm stands,
restaurant sales, and community supported agriculture
shares. The company plans to create two full time
equivalent jobs over the next three years as a result of
the project.
Page 9
URBAN AGRICULTURE
URBAN AGRICULTURE INNOVATION ZONE
.
The City of Cleveland, through a variety of Public-Private Partnerships, has supported many of the
projects in the Lower Kinsman Corridor. The Urban Agriculture Innovation Zone was a previous
residential area, adjacent to an heavy industry area– much like the majority of the City of Cleveland
with its manufacturing heritage. The area was consumed by a fire in 1976, due to low water pres-
sure in the area. Only a few houses remained after the fire. The City provided funding for the envi-
ronmental testing working with the USEPA to insure the area would be safe for farming adaptive
reuse.

5. Page 8
CITY OF CLEVELAND
URBAN AGRICULTURE INNOVATION ZONE
Bistro at Bridgeport Place
The City of Cleveland assisted Burten, Bell, Carr Development Inc. with a match of $40,000 to help
them win an HHS grant of $759,374 to establish a fresh food production center. The aim is to improve
access to fresh fruits, vegetables and nutritious
meals and eliminate food deserts in underserved
communities. It will feature fresh food stands, a
cafe with hot meals and organic foods made from
local products and a community kitchen where
local farmers can clean and store produce and
where chefs will hold cooking demonstrations to
show residents how to prepare healthy meals. The
construction for the project will begin in February
and is expected to serve at least 20,000 residents in
the first year and create 64 jobs for low-income
residents.
Rid All Green Partnership
Rid All Green Partnership, a minority-owned business
founded by three local entrepreneurs, Randell
McShepard, Damien Sorshe, and Keymah Durden, and
has become a key partner in the vision of the Urban
Agricultural Innovation Zone. Their current facility
uses urban agriculture to educate the next generation of
Clevelanders about sustainable healthy living.
The mission of Rid All Green Partnership is to
transform communities by providing accessible and
nutritionally rich food to improve overall health through
training and educational activities. They currently
harvest 150 to 200 pounds of vegetables per week
during the peak growing season in the agricultural zone.
They operate a self-sustaining food production system
that produces over 100 pounds of tilapia and tons of
vegetables per year through aquaponics, a year-round
growing method. They have partnered with the West
Side Market and Cleveland Food Bank to collect food
waste for composting.
Rid All Green Partnership is seeking to increase its
capacity by expanding the space it has to operate. They are proposing to create additional hydroponics
and aquaponics stations at the project site across from their current facility. This will allow them to
use their existing hoop houses to grow kale, spinach, celery, and broccoli in the winter months, while
the new structure will focus on tomatoes which are scarce in the Cleveland during the winter months.
Page 5
URBAN AGRICULTURE
GARDENING FOR GREENBACKS
Erie’s Edge Farm
Erie’s Edge Farm began when Molly Murray returned to
Cleveland after teaching and farming in southern Ohio. In
2011, Erin Laffay also returned to Cleveland and the two
women decided to partner and expand with the goal of
reaching more people with organic, sustainably grown
food. The farm is collaborating with Urban Growth Farm
to form the Heart of the City CSA. Community Supported
Agriculture is an arrangement between a farm and its
customers in which customers pay up-front for a full
season’s worth of produce and receive a share each week
of what is harvested. CSA programs benefit the farmers
by providing up-front dollars for supplies as well as a
guaranteed market for what they grow. They benefit the
shareholders by connecting them to the seasons, and
developing a lifestyle of wellness and less energy use.
Proprietors Erin Laffay and Molly Murray at
their stand at the Tremont Farmer’s Market
Green Urban Enterprises LLC d.b.a. Old Husher’s
Farm
Green Urban Enterprises LLC d.b.a Old Husher’s Farm, is
a market garden located at 4790 West 130th
Street. The
company received the City’s Gardening for Greenbacks
Program support to partially fund start up gardening
related equipment, machinery, furniture and fixtures. The
project uses food growth as an agent of change in an
attempt to bring vacant urban land to productive reuse. In
addition to incorporating green sustainability and
entrepreneurial gardening initiatives, Green Urban
Enterprises will also focus on creating healthy bodies
through the implementation of a “community yoga in the
garden” series. They sell their produce at local farmers
markets and on-site during the growing season.
Lucia’s Fresh Produce Ltd.
Lucia’s Fresh Produce, Ltd is an urban entrepreneurial market
garden located at 4204 West 24th
Street, in Cleveland. They plan
to harvest produce from raised beds and market their crops
directly to local restaurants and residents. This market garden is
owned and operated by Wilfredo and Phyllis Crespo. The
company received funding approval for the City’s Gardening for
Greenbacks Program to partially finance a hoop house,
equipment, furniture, and fixtures necessary to operate. Lucia’s
Produce Ltd will not use pesticides or herbicides in 2011, and
seeks to earn the “Certified Naturally Grown” seal. The
company plans to create one new job as a result of the project.

6. Page 6
CITY OF CLEVELAND
URBAN AGRICULTURE INNOVATION ZONE
Urban Agriculture Incubator Pilot Project:
The project is a partnership of the City of
Cleveland, the Ohio State Department of
Agriculture, Burten, Bell, Carr Development Inc.
and Ohio State University Extension- (Cuyahoga
County)
The project will develop six acres of City Land Bank
property as an Urban Agriculture Incubator between
East 81st
and East 83rd
Street, north of Kinsman
Avenue in Cleveland’s Central neighborhood. The
Extension Service received the first-ever Federal
Agriculture grant for an urban location and the City
received the first-ever State Agriculture grant for an
urban location. As part of the local CDC’s
community plan, the area in the Central neighborhood
was designated for agricultural development. The site
will include an instruction area where 20 prospective
farmers will receive intensive training in urban
agriculture, direct marketing, and business planning.
The Department of Community Development will
make 6 acres of land available for the program
through its Land Bank program and manage the
leasing of property to program participants. Each of
the farmers will be provided quarter-acre market
garden plots for cultivation.
The Urban Agriculture Zone includes
the Ridall Green Partnership and the
Cooperative Extension’s Kinsman
Farm, with room to grow.
Page 7
URBAN AGRICULTURE
Green City Growers:
The City of Cleveland was the first to receive Federal and State grants for the development of urban
agriculture. The City was awarded the following grants to assist Green City Growers, a local co-
operative, with their $16.5 million project: (1) a $2 million BEDI Grant, (2) $8 million in HUD 108
Loan funding secured by the City, (3) $450,000 in the City’s EDA Funds, and (4) approximately $6
million in private debt and New Markets Tax Credit equity.
The greenhouse will primarily produce lettuce and other leafy greens. It is expected to reach an annual
production of 3 million heads. One percent of the production will be provided to the Cleveland Food
Bank to be distributed throughout Cleveland’s east side. The donation is expected to provide
approximately 240,000 meals annually.
In addition, the project
will be part of the
Evergreen Initiative,
which works to help lift
low-income residents out
of poverty. The Initiative
focuses on hiring
individuals from the
neighborhood to become
employee-owners,
creating additional wealth
and ownership in the
community. In 10 years,
the average employee is
expected to have earned
an ownership share
valued at $65,000 in
equity. The Green City
Growers project expects
to hire 40 local residents
for the operation of the
greenhouse at peak
capacity. The project will
target individuals with criminal records and a history of homelessness in an attempt to offer a
pathway out of recidivism and poverty.
The City and Green City Growers partnered with the local non-profit CDC, Burten Bell Carr
Development, Inc. to assemble the individual parcels necessary for the 10-acre development
site. Land assembly required the acquisition of over 30 parcels in compliance with Uniform
Relocation Act regulations. The project team faced numerous challenges in moving homeowners
and provided services including real estate search assistance, extermination, moving, and creative
deal structures, including land swaps, in order to meet the needs of the relocated property owners.
GREEN CITY GROWERS
The Greenhouse under construction, May 2012.