The Urban Native Collective Garden Project

Cultivating transformation, Reclaiming Heritage

Most of the world's biodiversity is in the hands of Indigenous people and we've been working in a deep relationship and connection with mother earth since time immemorial. Across the many Nations who have called the midwest home, we have stewarded land and built knowledge exchange systems between peoples.

There is much to be learned from Indigenous knowledge and science. The UNC urban garden project builds and honors biodiversity. This is how we work to manage land for what is known today as carbon sequestration by conserving and restoring ecosystems and showing people that changing agricultural and urban gardening practices makes a huge difference.

The scientific community, including Indigenous scientists, calculate that these low tech methods of rematriating urban spaces to green could draw down over a third of global carbon emissions by 2030, while simultaneously rescuing ecosystems, strengthening biodiversity, managing water, and mitigating pollution.

Cincinnati is home to Tens of thousands of Native People

This land, along with plant relatives, have been cultivated for many thousands of years.

Even so, today, the Indigenous people who live here lack access to fresh foods, sacred seeds, and land to plant those seeds.

Over the past few years, the Urban Native Collective has been working with partners in the Cincinnati area to reclaim urban green spaces to grow and distribute traditional foods and medicines for locals by building traditionally stewarded garden spaces. Our goal in creating these spaces is to increase access for all, reduce dependence on chemicals and commercial growing that does not honor the land, and to expand knowledge of traditional food ways.

Urban Native Collective leadership presented to the Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit in 2020, 2021, and 2025, which allowed our organization the opportunity to share how we are utilizing Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Indigenous land stewardship practices to cultivate regenerative food systems. Within this traditional framework, our garden spaces focus on the interconnectedness of all of our relatives, including perennial native plants, birds, native pollinators, and other wildlife, in addition to providing sustainable and traditional foods for our community. By focusing on the wellbeing of our soil and all living things, Urban Native Collective’s garden spaces serve as a source of carbon offset, as well as a scalable model for agriculture which reduces the need for chemically managed agriculture. Our program can shift the City of Cincinnati to Indigenous wisdom for all.

“Working in a garden develops your relationship to the land. Our ancestors understood that gardening can transform our sense of scarcity and insecurity into feelings of abundance and control – something we all need these days.”

Native Americans have some of the highest rates of food insecurity, health problems, poverty, and more. With more than 70% of all Native Americans living off the reservations, we are in need of solutions- especially for urban Natives.

The UNC urban gardening project restores the Urban Native community of Cincinnati to physical well-being and a spiritual relationship to the Earth. Food Sovereignty is the right of Native Indigenous people to reclaim our own food and agricultural systems, as well as our right to access nutritious traditional foods that are produced using sustainable practices rooted in Indigenous values. An urban upbringing can mean our youth and community lose track of our old way of walking on this Earth. Our goal is to relearn this knowledge. In the process, the UNC urban gardens help the community reclaim food sovereignty – ready access to healthy, affordable, culturally appropriate food – and we meet this need by distributing produce and medicines.

The long-term goals of the project are to deliver large scale household shares of food and medicine to our Native community members and households, nurture and grow partnerships with community organizations, such as Black Power Initiative, Queen Mothers Market, and Cincinnati Sovereign Soil Collective, increase the number of green spaces and land our community stewards, and lead regenerative transformation within our regional landscape, collaborating with partners on a comprehensive climate action plan.

Our Urban Garden Sites:

Northside garden at cain

evendale garden at Gorman Heritage Farm

Grow with Us: Nourish the Community!

Join the Urban Native Collective in nurturing a greener, healthier future through our Urban Garden Project. We invite you to be a part of this transformative journey, where every seed sown is a step towards rekindling our spiritual relationship with Mother Earth and addressing critical issues like food sovereignty, environmental sustainability, and cultural preservation. Whether you are an experienced gardener, a supporter of Indigenous knowledge, or someone looking to make a positive impact in the community, your involvement is invaluable. Help us cultivate urban spaces that serve as living classrooms, providing access to fresh, culturally significant foods, and promoting ecological practices rooted in Indigenous wisdom. Together, we can create thriving gardens that not only feed bodies but also heal spirits, bringing us closer to realizing our vision of a regenerative and resilient community.