CAC Community Gardens works with most of the 31 community gardens in Madison.  From 2002 to 2007, there has been a major growth of community gardening in Madison.  Now there is about 4.5 more acres of land in garden plots (a 27% increase over the five years) and in total there are about 550 more families with community garden plots (a 51% increase).

In keeping with CAC’s mission, we focus our services on gardens with many low-income families.  Madison’s community gardens produce over a quarter of a million pounds of fresh produce each year.  The gardens are often a place of expression for the people given the least voice in our society.

 In the gardens:

• Gardeners become more self-sufficient and empowered by growing their own food Diverse people come together to raise food and they find that natural outgrowths of the gardens are personal relationships, cross-cultural exchange, community development, beautification, environmental justice, crime prevention, leadership and self-reliance for their neighborhood as a whole

 CAC provides these services:

• Leadership development and organizing to help the gardeners grow as community leaders
   

• Outreach, information clearinghouse, referrals for new gardeners
   

• Support for new gardens
   

• Tilling, tools, hoses, bulletin boards, fencing, accessible raised beds
   

• Translation for Hmong, Spanish, Khmer and English-speakers
   

• Liaison to city departments who provide services to gardens including land, mulch, compost & water
   

• Annual Grow Together conference & workshops at the gardens
   

• Support for youth garden projects & gardeners with physical disabilities
   

• Insurance coverage
   

• Access to seeds and plants

 For more information, email Community Gardens or call (608) 246-4730 ext. 218.