LGBTQ Farmers: Nurturing Miami's Food and Community

Greater Miami & Miami Beach has a vibrant, diverse community of LGBTQ growers who have emerged as unsung heroes in sustainable agriculture. These dedicated organizations have not only championed thriving year-round farmers markets that showcase the region's rich agricultural tapestry but have also played an integral role in nurturing the local culinary scene. Through their tireless efforts, these growers have cultivated fresh, local foods while adding another avenue of inclusivity and diversity to Miami's agricultural landscape. Find out about some of the destination’s remarkable LGBTQ growers and their contributions to both the sustainability of our environment and the continued flourishing of Miami’s communities.

Urban Oasis Project: Cultivating A Universal Love Of Food

Urban Oasis Project, a dynamic force within Miami’s LGBTQ community of food growers, is committed to the idea that good, clean, healthy food should be accessible to everyone. Originally just a volunteer organization, this not-for-profit entity used to run its own farms but now focuses on creating farmers markets throughout Miami, planting gardens for and with low-income families, building an equitable food system and supporting local farmers by bringing their produce to markets.

Art Friedrich, executive director of the Urban Oasis Project, believes food is more than fuel. It can bridge divides, build community and pay homage to an area’s rich cultural diversity. Driven by the idea that “the love of food is universal across all cultures,” he furthers the organization’s efforts to use food as a way to unite people from all walks of life, regardless of age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, ability or economic status.

“In a place as diverse as Miami, we have a great opportunity to create a food movement that celebrates our differences," Friedrich said. “Access to good food should be a right for everyone, so we've always tried to balance providing high-quality foods and services with keeping things affordable to the many real Miamians we serve.”

Stay updated on the organization’s initiatives by contacting Urban Oasis Project, or stop by these markets to see them in action:

Legion Park Farmers Market
6601 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, FL 33138
Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Vizcaya Village Farmers Market
3250 S. Miami Ave., Miami FL 33129
Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Grow Roots Miami: Helping People Grow Their Own Food

Grow Roots Miami, a pioneering LGBTQ food-growing initiative by Finca Morada (an urban permaculture farm and community space), was launched to empower underserved communities and advocate for sustainability and social justice. Founded by queer farm manager Cris Bouza, Grow Roots Miami nurtures the community by planting free edible gardens and food forests for low-income families, hosting educational events and workshops, and practicing composting, resource sharing, soil regeneration, gardening and rainwater harvesting.

Marginalized groups such as Black, indigenous, people of color, queer, trans and disabled individuals often need extra help. The Grow Roots Miami team will install a four-by-eight-foot raised annual garden or food forest garden completely for free, depending on what plants the family can and wants to grow. Grow Roots Miami will bring all the materials, labor, seasonal seeds, soil, fertilizer and mulch as well as provide maintenance training and check-in calls. All of this is part of their mission to strengthen the ties that bind us to nature and our communities and nurture feelings of well-being, joy, knowledge and belonging. To help make that a reality, Grow Miami Roots has partnered with like-minded activist and grower groups in the Miami area, including (F)empower, Urban Oasis Project, Plant Philosophy, Little River Cooperative, Buenezas and Urban GreenWorks.

Finca Morada: Improving The Community From The Ground Up

Spanish for “purple farm,” Finca Morada is a queer and trans BIPOC co-op, arts collective and urban farm in North Miami. It was formed in 2019 with a mission to pursue LGBTQ, environmental, racial, gender, social and food justice. It has a half-acre urban agroecological food forest garden sanctuary, where it grows over 150 types of edible, medicinal, supportive and native species for the community, and serves as an educational resource about plants and sustainability.

Since 2019, Finca Morada has hosted over a hundred free or sliding-scale, donation-based programs and events centered on education, healing and living in reciprocity with the earth. These events include everything from artist-in-residency programs, internships and food-growing workshops to sound healing, yoga, meditation and astrology-inspired events. Led by founder Cris Bouza (of Grow Roots Miami, a by-product of Finca Morada), the co-op also has a list of ongoing initiatives that better the community, such as providing affordable housing and participating in neighborhood composting and food sharing, to name a few.

Miami Seed Share: Care, Connection, Sustainability … And Seeds

The brainchild of queer naturalist and educator Corinne Mariposa, Miami Seed Share is a community-based organization that started from a simple idea: Everyone should grow more plants. Dedicated to “people, plants and pollinators,” Miami Seed Share runs Miami’s free public seed collection, hosts free workshops about propagating plants and growing native gardens, and works with local schools, libraries, public parks and nonprofits to promote efforts to protect the area’s plant community. Since its inception in 2019, Miami Seed Share has distributed more than 50,000 free packs of seeds throughout Miami.

Driven by a passion for gardening and supporting the destination’s landscapes, Miami Seed Share advocates do more than give out seeds; they foster a community of like-minded individuals rooted in care, connection and sustainability. Its efforts have made an indelible impact on Miami – so much so that, in 2021, Mariposa earned the Unity Coalition MicroGiving Award for her work to make Miami more equitable and environmentally conscious.

Follow Miami Seed Share on Facebook or Instagram to find out about its workshops, events and seed pickup locations.