Urban Farming Institute of Boston

What Urban Farming Institute of Boston does

The Urban Farming Institute of Boston (UFI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit urban agriculture organization (EIN 45-3961022) founded in 2011 and headquartered in Mattapan, Massachusetts. The organization operates six urban farms across Boston's Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan neighborhoods, producing crops that include both conventional produce (kale, collard greens, tomatoes, corn) and culturally relevant varieties for Caribbean immigrant communities (callaloo, okra, Aleppo peppers). UFI was instrumental in the passage of Article 89, which legalized commercial farming in Boston, and built Boston's first Article 89 farm.

UFI's core offerings are community programs rather than technology products: Farm Stand Fridays (weekly farmers markets, June–November); a Farmer Training Program for aspiring urban farmers; the Young Farmers Project (youth education combining agriculture and social justice); Fit Around the Farm (senior fitness programming, particularly for women of color); Grow Series and Food is Medicine workshops; Sisters Who Cann canning workshops; seasonal seedling sales; and the biennial Massachusetts Urban Farming Symposium co-hosted with the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR). In January 2024, UFI completed a $1.4 million acquisition of the historic Fowler Clark Epstein Farm (dating to 1786), converting it from an Historic Boston Inc.-managed site into its permanent headquarters and educational center.

UFI's revenue model is diversified across three streams: donations and charitable contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors (the largest stream); produce and seedling sales through farm stand markets and online Square-site sales; and fee-based educational programming (workshops, farmer training, and fitness programs). The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven, relying on grassroots engagement, volunteer recruitment, partnerships (MDAR, Historic Boston Inc., Boston Farms land trust, Tufts University, Sweet Water Foundation), earned media in Boston outlets, and direct distribution through its six farm locations. Customer segments are BIPOC Boston residents facing food insecurity, youth seeking green-collar pathways, aspiring urban farmers, and seniors. Patricia Spence has served as President & CEO since March 2014.

Name

Urban Farming Institute of Boston

Legal name

Urban Farming Institute

Website

https://urbanfarminginstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Urban Farming Institute of Boston is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating six urban farms across Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan to address food insecurity, train urban farmers, and serve Boston's BIPOC communities through farm stands, training programs, and youth and senior wellness initiatives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Agriculture and Community Farming Services

NAICS

Other Vegetable (except Potato) and Melon Farming (111219), Food Crops Grown Under Cover (11141)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Other Specialty & Industrial Crop Farming (Emerging/Regional Specialty Crops) (AFAGAGAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Farmers’ Markets & Farm Stands (Fresh Food) (CRAHAHAE), Greenhouse Vegetable Production (Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Peppers, Leafy Greens) (AFAGAHAA), Crop Rotation & Whole-Farm Cropping Systems Design (AFACABAJ)

Keywords

• Urban agriculture
• Community farming
• Farmer training
• Food justice
• Urban farm education

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, UFI relies on donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors. EIN is 45-3961022. The organization conducts annual fundraising events and maintains ongoing donation programs.
2. Produce and Seedling Sales: Revenue generated from farm stand sales (Farm Stand Fridays), seedling sales, and produce grown at urban farm locations sold to community members.
3. Educational Programs and Workshops: Fee-based programming including farmer training curriculum, workshops (Food is Medicine, Grow Series, Sisters Who Cann canning workshops), and fitness programs like Fit Around the Farm.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Urban Farming Institute of Boston operates six urban farms in Boston's Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan neighborhoods, producing fresh, culturally relevant crops. The organization runs Farm Stand Fridays markets, seasonal seedling sales, a Farmer Training Program for aspiring urban farmers, youth education programs like the Young Farmers Project, and senior wellness programs like Fit Around the Farm. It also convenes the biennial Massachusetts Urban Farming Symposium in partnership with MDAR.

Product overview

The Urban Farming Institute of Boston (UFI) is a non-profit urban agriculture organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs and community services rather than a technology product platform. Core offerings include six urban farm locations across Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan; Farm Stand Fridays (weekly farmers markets, June-November); the Farmer Training Program (curriculum for aspiring urban farmers); the Young Farmers Project (youth education combining agriculture and social justice); Fit Around the Farm (senior fitness programming); Grow Series workshops; Food is Medicine workshops; seasonal Seedling Sales; and the biennial Massachusetts Urban Farming Symposium. These programs collectively support UFI's mission to develop and promote urban farming, address food insecurity, and build healthy communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Urban Farms (6 Locations) Six urban farm locations across Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan producing fresh, culturally relevant produce for Boston communities, with headquarters at the historic Fowler Clark Epstein Farm.
• Farm Stand Fridays A weekly farmers market running from June to November each year, providing affordable fresh produce access to Boston communities.
• Farmer Training Program A comprehensive curriculum for aspiring farmers covering various aspects of urban agriculture, including classroom instruction and hands-on training.
• Young Farmers Project Youth outreach and education programming that combines urban agriculture and social justice learning for young people.
• Massachusetts Urban Farming Symposium A biannual one-day convening bringing together urban farmers, growers, youth, policymakers, and local government leaders from across Massachusetts, hosted by UFI in partnership with MDAR.
• Fit Around the Farm Fitness and healthy eating programs targeting seniors, particularly women of color, combining physical activity with farm environments.
• Grow Series Workshops Educational workshops covering topics such as foraging, fruit trees, pest management, and maintenance for urban farmers and community members.
• Food is Medicine Workshops and programming focused on the connection between food, nutrition, and community health.
• Seedling Sales Seasonal sales of seedlings for home and community gardeners, including UFI Seedling Sale and ReVision Seedling Sale events.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 215 attendees at 2026 Massachusetts Urban Farming Symposium
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Historic Boston Incorporated (HBI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 January 2024HBI spearheaded a $3.8 million restoration project for the Fowler Clark Epstein Farm, allowing UFI to occupy the site. UFI subsequently purchased the farm from HBI in January 2024 for $1.4 million. HBI previously purchased the property from the City of Boston in 2015.
• Boston Farms (Land Trust)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Boston Farms was created in 2017 as a land trust to allow future farmers access to growing plots as trainees emerge from UFI. This partnership ensures sustainable land access pathways for urban farmers.
• Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMDAR partners with UFI to co-host the biannual Massachusetts Urban Farming Symposium. Commissioner Ashley Randle participates in UFI events including the inaugural Massachusetts Urban Agriculture Week. MDAR released a 10-year report on funding for urban food production highlighting urban farming's impact on food security, climate change mitigation, and community wellness.
• Tufts UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents from Tufts University, along with Penn Loh, helped produce a scan of Boston's vacant lots to identify suitable farming locations. Over 30 lots were identified as options in UFI's target area.
• Sportsmen's Tennis ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA vacant quarter-acre lot behind Sportsmen's Tennis Club in Dorchester served as UFI's beginning farming location, eventually leading to four plots totaling just under an acre.
• Sweet Water FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmmanuel Pratt of Sweet Water Foundation led the Youth Track at the 2026 Massachusetts Urban Farming Symposium, creating a vibrant space for young people to explore urban agriculture through hands-on learning and creative expression.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mill City Grows: Lowell, MA nonprofit operating urban farms, a mobile farmers market, and community garden programming focused on food access — same urban-ag nonprofit archetype as UFI, with similar community-led GTM.
• Southside Community Land Trust: Providence, RI nonprofit operating urban farms, a farmer training program, and food-access markets — directly comparable urban-agriculture nonprofit in the broader Northeast.
• Nuestras Raíces: Holyoke, MA Latino-led urban agriculture nonprofit running a 30-acre farm, farmer training, and youth programs — highly comparable model with similar BIPOC community-development orientation.
• The Food Project: Greater Boston/Lynn-based nonprofit that grows food on urban and suburban farms, runs farmer training programs, and employs youth in agriculture — directly comparable model to UFI in the same regional ecosystem.
• Green City Growers: Somerville, MA urban farming organization that builds, installs, and maintains raised-bed urban farms for homeowners, schools, and corporations — same urban-agriculture category, slightly more commercial orientation than UFI.
• Groundwork Somerville: Somerville, MA environmental justice nonprofit running urban agriculture, community gardens, and youth green jobs programs — directly comparable small-city urban farming nonprofit.

Broad incumbents

• GrowNYC: Large NYC-based nonprofit operating Greenmarkets, urban farms, and food-access programming across all five boroughs — comparable urban agriculture and farmers-market portfolio at significantly larger scale.
• Just Food: NYC-based nonprofit focused on urban agriculture, CSAs, and food justice advocacy — overlapping mission with UFI in supporting community-led urban farming and food access.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ufiboston
• Facebookfacebook.com/urbanfarminginstituteboston

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Urban Farming Institute of Boston