Southside Community Land Trust

Southside Community Land Trust (SCLT) is Rhode Island's leading urban agriculture organization, founded in 1981 by low-income residents of South Providence who sought to improve their families' health and economic security by growing their own food. For over four decades, we have transformed approximately 12 acres of blighted urban land into 22 thriving community gardens in Providence, Pawtucket, and Central Falls, while managing over 80 acres of farmland across Rhode Island and Massachusetts. We provide land access, comprehensive farmer training, agricultural resources, and workforce development programs to build an equitable and sustainable food system that serves all Rhode Islanders with a special focus on the state's most underserved communities. SCLT operates innovative programs that address food insecurity while creating economic opportunities. Our Produce Aggregation Program and Farm-to-Market Center connect local farmers, many of them immigrants and refugees with wholesale buyers and emergency food providers, generating over $100,000 in annual farmer revenue. Through our VeggieRx program, we partner with healthcare providers to "prescribe" fresh produce to patients at risk of diet-related chronic diseases. Our youth employment program provides paid workforce training to 35+ high school students annually, teaching them food production, nutrition, and professional skills. By serving communities where up to 60% of families live below the poverty line, SCLT directly addresses the intersection of food access, public health, economic development, and environmental sustainability in Rhode Island's most vulnerable neighborhoods.

Southside Community Land Trust’s mission is to provide access to land, education and other resources so people in Rhode Island can grow food in environmentally sustainable ways and create community food systems where locally produced, affordable and healthy food is available to all. SCLT partners directly with economically underserved neighbors in Providence, Pawtucket and Central Falls to improve residents’ health and welfare by helping them grow their own healthy food. Our organization increases urban food production in four ways: Creating infrastructure and educational opportunities for people to grow food Securing and managing land for food production Increasing access to resources, skills and markets Creating spaces where community members share tools, skills and inspiration