Food Deserts to Food Freedom: Reclaiming Land,Power, and Health in Cities with Erika Allen, Urban Growers Collective
Growing Justice From the Ground Up: How Erika Allen Is Reimagining Urban Agriculture and Community Power
For Erika Allen, farming has never been just about food. It is about healing, dignity, and giving communities the tools to care for themselves.
As the Founder and CEO of Urban Growers Collective, Erika has spent more than two decades transforming vacant city lots into thriving farms, building systems that address food insecurity, climate change, and economic inequity at the same time. Her work stands at the intersection of agriculture, public health, and social justice, and it is rooted deeply in community.
In this episode of The Wild Party Podcast, Erika shares how her journey began on a small family farm and evolved into a nationally recognized model for regenerative, community-driven food systems.
A Childhood Rooted in Land and Work
Erika grew up on a small family farm outside of Milwaukee, where she learned early on that understanding how food is grown is both practical and powerful.
“It was drilled into me early that being able to work hard and understand how food was grown was going to be really valuable in my life,” she shares.
That early connection stayed with her, even as she moved to Chicago to study art. As a visual artist and later an art psychotherapist, Erika found herself drawn to healing work with young people, particularly teens who were being left behind by systems meant to support them.
At the same time, she was witnessing stark economic disparities and a lack of access to healthy, culturally affirming food in Chicago neighborhoods. The separation between people and the land felt deeply connected to broader issues of incarceration, poverty, and health.
Urban farming became the bridge.
“I saw an opportunity to bring these worlds together through urban farming,” Erika explains. “Food security, healing, and economic opportunity are all connected.”
From Growing Power to Urban Growers Collective
Erika’s work in Chicago began through Growing Power, building on the legacy of her father’s groundbreaking urban agriculture efforts. After 15 years of leading the Chicago office, she recognized that the mission had evolved.
“Growing Power accomplished its mission. It seeded the field. It showed people what was possible,” she says.
Urban Growers Collective was founded as a new, hyper-focused organization rooted in Chicago. What started as a handful of projects grew steadily, season by season, into a network of urban farms now spanning 11 acres, along with mobile food programs that bring fresh produce directly into communities.
“These sites didn’t just pop up overnight,” Erika notes. “There are literally two decades of work behind them.”
At the heart of the organization is a belief that vegetables belong everywhere. In parks. In public spaces. In neighborhoods where people live and gather.
Urban Growers Collective does not just grow food. It creates safe spaces, jobs, and pathways for youth to become farming experts, community leaders, and advocates for change.
Innovation Through Circular Systems and Climate Action
One of the most ambitious expressions of Erika’s vision is the Green Era Campus, a project that integrates urban agriculture, renewable energy, and workforce development into a single ecosystem.
At its core is anaerobic digestion, a process that captures methane from food waste and converts it into renewable natural gas.
“This technology solves multiple problems at once,” Erika explains. “We keep food waste local, capture methane before it hits the atmosphere, generate clean energy, and grow more food.”
The result is a circular economy model that produces energy for thousands of households while supporting regenerative farming and job creation. It is climate action grounded in community.
For Erika, the innovation is not just technical. It is philosophical.
“We need to participate in the marketplace profitably, but without exploiting people or the environment,” she says. “And we need to bring everyone along with us.”
Community, Collective Power, and Long-Term Commitment
A recurring theme throughout the conversation is that none of this work happens quickly or in isolation.
“This is season after season, year after year, being on the ground,” Erika says. “It’s not a one and done.”
Urban Growers Collective projects begin with invitation and collaboration. Communities help decide what belongs in their neighborhoods. Elders share knowledge. Youth gain skills and confidence. Policymakers, artists, farmers, and residents work together.
“Growing food together teaches democracy,” Erika reflects. “When we participate in our local food systems, we are practicing shared responsibility.”
For her, food justice is inseparable from peacekeeping, public health, and economic dignity. Gardens become spaces of pride, safety, and connection.
Why This Work Matters Now
In a world increasingly disconnected from land and from one another, Erika’s work offers a grounded reminder that transformation does not always begin with sweeping policies or viral moments.
Sometimes it begins with soil, seeds, and people choosing to care for something together.
“I believe we can all agree on a good tomato,” she says with a smile. “And when we grow and share food together, it changes how we see each other.”
Erika’s vision is expansive but deeply practical. It is about building systems that honor labor, nourish bodies, restore ecosystems, and create futures where communities thrive.
Learn More
To learn more about Erika’s work or explore ways to get involved, visit urbangrowerscollective.org and greenerachicago.com, and follow Urban Growers Collective on social media to see their impact unfolding on the ground.
