Plantation Park Heights Urban Farm was born out of the desire to positively impact and invest in young adults in a Baltimore, Maryland community. Farmer Chippy and the team at PPHUF decided that they wanted to do something a little different than other nonprofits, and form partnerships and share resources such as healthy food with the city.
To support the urban farm, BASF Agricultural Solutions launched a sponsorship during the Juneteenth Celebration and tandem launch of the AgriHood Baltimore Farmers Market on Saturday.
“Promoting agriculture education and training the next generation of farmers is a priority for BASF,” said Max Moncaster, BASF Manager of Public and Government Affairs Manager, Agricultural Solutions North America.
The pilot mission will support PPHUF’s summer 2023 programming and identify future alignment opportunities.
“We are excited about this summer’s pilot sponsorship from BASF,” said Farmer Chippy, founder of PPHUF.
Plantation Park Heights was founded to transform the quality of life for the Park Heights community by creating the nation’s first “AgriHood,” where agriculture and food production can provide healthy meals, education, and employment opportunities for those who were left out before COVID-19.
“It takes a village to transform our food system. BASF is joining a great group of community partners, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Maryland Farm Bureau, the University of Maryland, Morgan State University, and Rite Aid to be a part of that village. BASF’s expertise we believe will play a critical role in our current and future operations,” said Farmer Chippy.
BASF’s presence at the event included a booth with agriculture-focused activities and giveaways geared toward school-aged children. In addition to a butterfly coloring project, kids visiting the booth were introduced to a vegetable growing kit that provides all the resources they need to grow tomatoes and bell peppers at home over the summer.
“PPHUF is cultivating a new talent pipeline for the agriculture industry which aligns BASF’s award-winning STEAM education programs: Kids Lab, Tech Academy, and Teen’s Lab which all provide hands-on learning helping students become the innovators and leaders of the future. BASF is grateful for the opportunity to fully support this endeavor,” said Moncaster.
BASF will continue to partner with PPHUF to onboard new farmers at each farmers market during the summer 2023 season.
