Ash Richards is the recipient of a 2024 USA Delmarva Scholarship, and will research making public land productive, municipal strategies to preserve farmland, and provide resources for sustainable urban agriculture.
As Director of Urban Agriculture within Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, Ash administers Philadelphia's flagship urban agriculture program, 'Farm Philly'. This program has a public greenhouse propagation space, a municipal-run no-till production and education farm, community compost network, and resource centre for growers to start and maintain farms in the city.
Ash says urban agriculture has the power to increase local food production and address hunger, biodiversity loss, pollution, waste, and climate change.
"If cities embrace their responsibility to promote food sovereignty by serving as a source of land, education and resources for urban growers, we will see more successful urban agriculture programs providing the self-determination of residents to propagate, produce and distribute their own food."
Ash plans to visit the Agrarian Park of Baix Llobregat in Barcelona, the 'Hortas Cariocas', the world's largest protected community garden in Brazil, and the 'Huerta con Vos' municipal program in Columbia, which provides education, seeds, and tools to build home gardens and supports residents to sell surplus produce.
As a third-generation farmer and civil servant with 15 years' experience in urban agriculture, Ash will gain greater understanding of policies, principles and programs that centre on more sustainable, nourishing, and inclusive resources within global cities. Ash has a Masters of City and Regional Planning, a Bachelor of Arts in Geography, and a Certificate in Agroecology and Urban Landscapes.
