This item has been supplied by a forage marketer and has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hay & Forage Grower.

The AGCO Agriculture Foundation (AAF), a private foundation committed to food security and sustainable agricultural development, today announced a new partnership with the Global Growers Network (GGN) to expand their flagship agricultural learning center in Clarkston, Ga., USA.

Established in 2010 as a result of the tremendous demand among Atlanta-area refugees looking to reconnect to their agricultural heritage, GGN is building a healthy and diverse community food system, manages eight garden sites, helps growers access markets for their products and offers educational opportunities and technical expertise.

The AAF funding assists marginalized growers with an ecosystem of support to grow healthy food for nutritional demands in metro Atlanta communities and to create a platform for the enhancement of capacity building and skill development in farming.

“The partnership arrangement between our foundation and Global Growers Network will renovate and relaunch the Clarkston International Garden as a flagship multicultural agriculture learning center in the heart of Atlanta’s refugee community. We will work with GGN to transform the garden from a community garden to a demonstration and educational learning center for sustainable, small-scale agriculture,” said Metti Richenhagen, Managing Director, AGCO Agriculture Foundation.

“The renovation and relaunch of the Clarkston International Garden will include a new ecological landscaping design to accommodate new garden plots for diverse Clarkston families to grow food for their families and their community,” said Robin Chanin, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Global Growers Network. “This innovative partnership with the AGCO Agriculture Foundation will not only enrich the lives of the growers who farm here, but also the entire community,” Chanin adds.

Interpretive signage will be installed within the center to enable the garden families and visitors to learn about local food production, edible landscaping, rainwater capture, composting and other sustainable farm operations. The center will also contain an educational pavilion for hosting educational workshops, volunteer activities, corporate engagement and community programs.

About the AGCO Agriculture Foundation (AAF)

The AGCO Agriculture Foundation (AAF), initiated by AGCO Corporation (NYSE: AGCO) in 2018, is a private foundation with the vision to prevent and relieve hunger. The foundation initiates impactful programs that support food security, foster sustainable agricultural development and build needed agricultural infrastructure in marginalized farming communities. AAF is domiciled in Vaduz, Liechtenstein and operations are managed from Duluth, Georgia, USA. For more information, please visit https://www.agcocorp.com/commitment/sustainability/focus-areas/communities.html.

About Global Growers

Global Growers Network builds and sustains networks of land, resources, and markets in metro Atlanta in order to create equitable pathways to health and wealth in partnership with local farmers. GGN is the only organization is Georgia that is designed to support talented international farmers who came to this country as refugees and immigrants and who produce nutritious and culturally relevant foods for their families and local marketplaces. As a result of GGN’s work, there is more farmable land, more local growers, more opportunities for growers to sell their produce, and significantly more fresh food in metro-Atlanta. For more information, visit www.globalgrowers.org or follow us on social media @globalgrowers.