Local Organizations

The agriculture program at Ivy Tech Community College engages students in hands-on activities in and outside of their classrooms while preparing them for real-world agriculture careers. The program focus is primarily in the areas of: Livestock Production, Agronomy, Urban Farming, and AgriBusiness.

Poplar Village Gardens is a three acre permaculture food forest located in the Poplar Village neighborhood of Fort Wayne. We follow organic growing practices to grow a variety of produce to distribute to our neighbors and our neighborhood food bank.

We deliver practical, research-based information that transforms lives and livelihoods. We will be a leader in providing relevant, high-impact educational programs that transform the lives and livelihoods of individuals and communities in Indiana and the world.

The University of Saint Francis offers a B.A. in Environmental Science with a Concentration Sustainable Food Systems. This new concentration responds to the world’s growing need for Sustainable Food Systems and includes a focus on urban agriculture. Students visit local farms to learn about a variety of cutting-edge agricultural practices which highlight the intersection of environmental health, human health, and economic growth.

Dirt Wain turns residential and commercial food scraps into nutrient rich dirt. We are committed to community-scale composting—which means finding solutions that meet various communities’ needs. Composting reclaims nutrients and puts them back in circulation in the communities where food scraps are generated. We offer individual, business, and community subscriptions for food scrap pick up and drop off.

Ground Down collects food waste from homes, restaurants and businesses in the Greater Fort Wayne area. We turn the food waste that we collect into locally made compost. The local compost is available to grow new food again either at homes or local farms. We believe in the full-cycle of the food chain!

The Merry Lea Sustainable Farm is an educational, demonstration, and experimental farm specializing in perennial agriculture, carbon farming, regenerative agriculture, food literacy, and environmental education.