What is Farm 2 Community?

Farm 2 Community (F2C) is a neighborhood-based initiative that transforms vacant lots into vibrant learning gardens and community farms across the Midtown neighborhood of Jackson, Mississippi.

By connecting local schools, families, and residents with fresh food, sustainable practices, and hands-on education, we’re building a healthier, more self-reliant future—together.

Our Vision

To cultivate a thriving, connected Midtown where every resident has access to fresh food, environmental education, and opportunities to grow—literally and figuratively.

Our Goals

✅ Address Food Insecurity in our USDA-designated food desert

✅ Promote Environmental Sustainability through composting, rainwater harvesting, and urban farming

✅ Foster Self-Reliance by teaching youth and families how to grow and prepare their own food

What We’re Building

We’re transforming underused spaces into a vibrant ecosystem of local food, learning, and innovation:

🌿 School Gardens
Teaching kids where food comes from—and how to grow it themselves.

🌐 Hydroponics System
Growing fresh greens year-round using water-efficient, soil-free methods.

🪴 Community Urban Farm & Education Center
Raised beds, wide ADA-accessible paths, and shaded gathering spaces for intergenerational learning.

🌳 Fruit Tree Orchards
Providing perennial food sources, shade, and pollinator habitats for years to come.

💧 Solar-Powered Rainwater Harvesting System
A sustainable irrigation and education tool.

🍽️ Midtown Food Lab & Teaching Kitchen
A hub for food processing, distribution, education, and workforce development.

Coming Soon:

🎨 Art & Garden Walking Loop: Connecting F2C sites with public art, educational signs, and way-finding to promote wellness and community engagement.

♻️ Community Composting Hub
Turning food waste into rich soil while educating students and residents about sustainability

☀️ Geodesic Greenhouse with Aquaponics
A climate-controlled dome where fish and plants grow in harmony—powered by solar and geothermal energy.

🚛 CSA Program & Midtown Farmers Market
Fresh, local food delivered directly to families and sold at our neighborhood market.

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Beyond the Classroom

F2C School Learning Gardens

Little Samaritan Montessori

Little Samaritan Montessori is an innovative early childhood education center located in the Midtown community.
Learning Garden
The center’s existing raised garden beds have been added to the F2C network and with additional garden-focused support for teachers and students.
Mini-Fruit Tree Orchard
A new fruit tree orchard—13 native fruit trees and shrubs is now growing right on campus! This is part of our Roots 2 Fruits program, which is all about bringing fresh, locally-grown produce closer to home while nurturing a love for nature in our students.
Our orchard is more than just trees—it’s a living classroom. Children will have the chance to learn firsthand about seasonal cycles, tree care, and where their food comes from. By planting native fruit varieties, we’re also supporting local ecosystems and promoting sustainable living.
This orchard is part of a broader effort to weave edible landscapes throughout our community—at schools, in neighborhoods, along the business corridor, and in the arts district—creating a greener, healthier, and more connected Midtown.
Midtown Public Charter School (Primary Campus)

The Midtown Public Primary campus, serves grades PK-1 and is located in the heart of the Midtown community.
Food Forest and Outdoor Classroom
The new 7,500 square-foot Learning Garden embodies permaculture principles, creating a self-sustaining ecosystem that mimics natural forests while producing fresh, nutrient-dense food. This site serves as both an educational resource for students and a community asset, demonstrating the intersection of ecological stewardship and food production.
Hydroponics
Students are also growing fresh leafy greens indoors hydroponically for use in school meals and offer experiential learning opportunities that engage students uniquely and interactively.
Fruit Tree Orchard
MPCS is now home to a thriving orchard of 48 newly planted fruit trees and shrubs!
The orchard will serve as both a source of fresh, local fruit and an outdoor learning environment where students can explore the natural world. From understanding the life cycle of trees to learning how to care for them through the seasons, our students will be hands-on stewards of the orchard.
Midtown Public Charter School (Middle School Campus)

The middle school campus serves grades 4th-8th and is home to an indoor hydroponic garden system and a few outdoor fruit-bearing plants.
Hydroponics
Fresh leafy vegetables are being grown for use in the school cafeteria and offer experiential learning opportunities that engage students uniquely and interactively.
Growing hydroponically is a powerful teaching tool. Indoor hydroponic growing makes growing fresh food and education possible any time of the year since it is not impacted by outdoor weather conditions.
Garden Club
Classroom facilitators engage young minds in the process of growing their own fresh food.
Kids learn about STEM, nutrition, and how to be a sustainable global citizen through hands-on learning.
Growing fresh food provides a unique experience unlike any other and empowers students to think creatively about engaging with their communities and global food system.

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Community F2C

Urban Farm & Gardens

Preserve Garden at the Hatch

Where Creativity, Community, and Cultivation Meet
The Preserve Garden is part of Midtown’s growing Farm 2 Community (F2C) ecosystem, located beside The Hatch—Midtown’s culinary hub and creative incubator.
Together, The Hatch and its adjoining garden bring F2C’s mission to life—from growing food to preparing it, sharing it, and learning from it.
The Preserve Garden features raised beds and a budding orchard of 13 fruit trees, creating an inviting space for fresh food, hands-on learning, and neighborhood connection. Plans are underway to further enhance the garden with native landscaping, walkways, seating, and interactive public art—transforming the shaded orchard into a welcoming space for gathering, reflection, and creativity.
Culinary Education & Community Engagement
Through F2C, The Hatch’s kitchens will host cooking demos, workshops, and educational programs that teach culinary skills and healthy food habits. Resident chefs will have the opportunity to harvest produce from the garden, share their expertise with the community, and contribute to a thriving, local food culture—one that starts with the soil and ends at the table.
CommUNITY Urban Farm & Wellness Garden

A Growing Space for Wellness and Connection
Celebrating food, nature, and community through hands-on learning and sustainable living.
Accessibility & Wellness
Four vacant lots are being transformed into a vibrant, intergenerational learning garden in the heart of Midtown. The site will include ADA-accessible walkways, raised garden beds, shaded spaces for wellness activities like Yoga, Qigong, and plant swaps.
Sustainability & Education
A young fruit tree orchard has been planted, and a model solar powered rainwater harvesting system is in place to support sustainable irrigation and serve as an educational tool. A solar-powered greenhouse dome featuring aquaponics and geothermal climate control for year-round growing will be built and a community composting hub will also be established to process local food waste and enrich the garden’s soil.
These features will support hands-on educational programs focused on sustainable farming, nutrition, and environmental stewardship—making the Urban Farm a cornerstone of resilience, health, and community in Midtown.
Art Park & Skate Garden

A Creative Oasis in Midtown
A vibrant community space blending public art, recreation, and green design to inspire connection, movement, and imagination.
Art, Recreation & Sustainability.
The Midtown Art Park & Skate Garden is a dynamic, multi-use community space designed to bring people together. it celebrates the creative spirit of our neighborhood while fostering connection, collaboration, and environmental innovation. The park is being built in phases to reflect community input, available resources, and long-term vision.
We've planted 40 fruit trees, creating a sustainable food source and a natural gathering space.
Plans include a thoughtfully designed skateable landscape that integrates art installations and green spaces, promoting active lifestyles, creative expression and enhance environmental resilience.
This park will be more than just a recreational area; it's a testament to Midtown's commitment to community-driven development and sustainable living.
Learn more about the Midtown Art Park & Skate Garden

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In the Spring of 2025, The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation and Midtown Partners, with generous support from Arbor Day Foundation and Amazon, launched an innovative program to plant and distribute more than 500 trees in the underserved neighborhood of Midtown to provide families with clean air and improved nutrition for generations. The partnering nonprofits installed five fruit tree orchards at schools, community gardens, and a public park. Hundreds of additional trees were distributed, along with training and planting instructions, directly to households in the area to take home.

Check out our Tree Map, to learn about each tree that was planted. We will document the journey of each tree over it’s lifetime and will include names of supporters who have have donated through our Stewardship program.