Chicago Botanic Garden - Windy City Harvest

Windy City Harvest

Windy City Harvest provides instruction in urban agriculture best practices, develops collaborations that benefit communities, and produces high-value, nutritious produce that is sold at retail outlets and made available and affordable for local residents.

Participants acquire hands-on experience with sustainable vegetable production and learn essential business skills, including planning, pricing, sales, and marketing.

Students receive six months of hands-on instruction in greenhouse and outdoor growing practices, followed by a three-month paid internship. Up to five graduates will be hired by the Chicago Botanic Garden into five-month paid apprenticeships and will work toward an additional certificate in cool-weather growing techniques in hoophouses and greenhouses.

After satisfactory completion of the curriculum and training requirements, students achieve certification in sustainable urban horticulture and urban agriculture. The certificate from the Richard J. Daley College readies participants for permanent employment in the new “green collar” jobs sector.

Cook County Sheriff's Vocational Rehabilitation Impact Center

Windy City Harvest also operates a production and training garden, an alternative one-acre sentencing facility for young men. Employment has been shown to be powerful in reducing recidivism among ex-offenders, and through its partnership Windy City Harvest has developed a progression of opportunities for this population, including an eight- week residential garden program at the VRIC, paid transitional jobs for selected graduates, and certification in environmental literacy for green jobs. Graduates of the VRIC residential garden program are encouraged to apply to the Windy City Harvest certificate program.