Bill > S1709

Introduced Session

The bill establishes in the Department of Agriculture, the "Urban Gardening Pilot Program," to provide grants to three qualified applicants to establish an urban garden in a low-income area of the State. The bill requires the department to award three qualified applicants a grant of up to $35,000 each, which the applicant will use for an urban garden for the three-year pilot program. The goal of the urban garden is to improve the local neighborhood conditions and integrate residents of diverse communities. The bill requires an agronomist or a qualified individual from the New Jersey Cooperative Extension Service to teach local residents how to plant and cultivate fresh produce or other agricultural products for consumption as food in the urban garden. In addition, the bill requires a licensed clinical social worker to work with local residents to foster the integration of residents in the community from diverse backgrounds with the common goal of improving their neighborhood. Within three years after the effective date of this bill, the Secretary of Agriculture would be required to prepare and submit a written report to the Governor and to the Legislature summarizing the activities and findings of the program. The report would provide information on whether the program provided benefits to the local communities, evaluate the effectiveness of urban gardening in low-income areas as a means of improving the neighborhood and integrating residents of different ethnic backgrounds, and provide recommendations for legislative action, including whether or not to make the program permanent. The bill appropriates $100,000 to the Department of Agriculture from the General Fund in order to provide grants to three qualified applicants as required under the bill.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Kristin Corrado (R)*,  Bob Smith (D)*,  Linda Greenstein (D), 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee (on 02/13/2020)