The People’s Garden

A program of The U.S. Department of Agriculture & The Rhode Island State Conservation Committee

Learn More on USDA's Website
Download PDF Brochure (English)
Descargar PDF Folleto (Español)

Stay tuned for news on a new application for funding!

Sign for the People's Garden at Island Community Farm, surrounded by yellow and white flowers, with green plants and blue sky in the background.
A backyard garden with wooden plant beds filled with green leafy plants and climbing vines, surrounded by a wood chip ground cover, tall trees, a wire fence, and a small shed in the background on a sunny day.

About The People’s Garden

The simple act of planting a garden can have big impacts -- from building a more diverse and resilient local food system to empowering communities to address issues like nutrition access and climate change.

This program empowers local partners to install community gardens or high tunnels within each of the Rhode Island Conservation Districts (Eastern, Southern, & Northern).

This project is funded by an agreement between the RI State Conservation Committee (RISCC) and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA NRCS).

Funding is available for community projects - 2024 applications open soon, stay tuned for details! Contact us at info@easternriconservation.org for more information.

In the Wild

Join us on this virtual tour highlighting three Rhode Island People’s Garden Success Stories.

Recent Project Highlights

  • Three women standing in a lush garden with green plants and yellow flowers, smiling at the camera.

    Aquidneck Community Table

    Island Community Farm was established in 2012 when local residents concerned about the threats of climate change, food insecurity, and a lack of sustainability, banded together to make a difference in their community.

    Community garden plots are used by community members to grow their own fresh produce. A pollinator garden provides food and habitat for local pollinating insects.

    Learn More
  • A garden with labeled herbs including pineapple sage, lavender, and marjoram. The herbs are planted in soil, and small wooden signs with their names are inserted into the ground.

    Norman Bird Sanctuary

    The Good Gardens is an organic teaching garden that on averageprovides nearly 2,000 pounds of produce, cut flowers, and culinary herbs to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center Food Pantry in Newport, RI each year.

    Visitors can find native pollinator plants, a colonial-inspired herb garden, a vegetable garden, and more.

    Learn More
  • A small garden enclosed with a wooden fence and a gate, filled with yellow, purple, and pink flowers, with a sign on the gate indicating it is the Spruce Acres Pollinator Garden.

    Aquidneck Land Trust

    Located at Spruce Acres on the Middletown/Portsmouth line. The pollinator garden serves as an educational garden for local residents to learn how to implement pollinator best-practices in their home gardens.

    There are twelve community gardens beds available to the community. A 1.5 mile trail is open to the public.

    Learn More

Past Awardees Include:

Aquidneck Community Table, Aquidneck Land Trust, Bristol Conservation Commission, East Bay Food Pantry, Hawk and Handsaw Farm, Highlander Charter School of Warren, Maher Center, Newport Tree Conservancy, Norman Bird Sanctuary, Portsmouth AgInnovation Farm, Rhode Island Wild Plant Society, St. Philomena School, Town of Barrington, Town of Warren