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The Organizing Committee for the 2026 Urban Food Systems Symposium invites you to submit an abstract for consideration as an oral or poster presentation. The 2026 symposium will be held September 14-17 in Kansas City, Missouri. The symposium theme is "Cultivating Communities, Cities, and Food Systems."
Urban agriculture and innovative production—ranging from community gardens on vacant lots to multi-acre for-profit farms to high-tech indoor hydroponics operations—expand access to fresh food, create green space, support biodiversity, and facilitate local economic growth. Yet urban food producers often face barriers as they navigate their city’s complex local policy landscape.
Join OSU Extension Summit County on Monday, October 20, 2025, 12-1 p.m. ET to learn about how to test your soil, including how to collect a soil sample. Urban soils can be a source of food production, environmental resilience, and community beautification. However, the soil may require restoration to provide these benefits. Most urban soils do not have harmful levels of contaminants; however, they should be tested as a precaution. A soil test also gives you information about soil fertility, a great starting point to get growing!
Join youth development professionals, agricultural educators, and institutional leaders for a dynamic conversation on building pathways for your people to become informed food systems leaders and agricultural entrepreneurs. This webinar is on October 16, 2026 at 1-2:30 p.m. Featured speakers include:
You and your community partners are invited to attend the Harvesting Success: Resources for Urban Growers on October 25, 2025, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Every two years the National Urban Extension Conference (NUEC) brings together Extension staff to address the needs of urban populations. NUEC26 is hosted by Michigan State University Extension in Detroit, MI on May 11-14, 2026. The 4-day conference encourages innovation, curiosity, and collaboration throughout its sessions on enriching communities and youth, protecting the environment, growing Extension’s impact, and more.
The Urban Research-Based Action Network (URBAN) has announces its 2026 Fellowship Program, designed to support community-based scholars, graduate students, and early-career faculty who are advancing innovative, justice-oriented teaching practices through community-engaged pedagogy.
Urban October is an opportunity for everyone to be part of the conversation about the challenges and opportunities created by the fast rate of change in our cities and towns. Each October, everyone interested in sustainable urbanization from national and local governments to universities, NGOs and communities is encouraged to hold or participate in activities, events, and discussions.
Urban producers, innovative producers, and other stakeholders are invited to virtually attend a public meeting series for the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Advisory Committee on Sept. 10, 17, and 24, 2025, from 2-4 p.m. EDT. The meetings are open to the public to join virtually with advance registration. Only one registration is necessary to attend all three meetings.
Mature urban trees are a critical resource for urban landscapes. Trees are the most productive during this period of their lives and contribute outsized benefits compared to newly planted trees in terms of the ecosystem services that they provide, along with biophilic benefits for health and well-being.
