Cincinnati

Findlay Market is Ohio's oldest continuously operated public market and one of Cincinnati's most cherished institutions. The Market is located just blocks from downtown in Over-the-Rhine, a dense historic neighborhood rich in 19th century architecture. Open Tuesday through Sunday, Findlay Market is home year-around to about two dozen indoor merchants selling meat, fish, poultry, produce, flowers, cheese, deli, and ethnic foods. On Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from April to November the Market also hosts a thriving farmers market, dozens of outdoor vendors, numerous street performers, and lots of special events. The market is a gathering place for people from all over the city. It routinely attracts perhaps the most socially, economically, racially, and ethnically diverse crowds found anywhere in Cincinnati. They come for the sights and sounds and smells of an old-fashioned public market, for the great variety of fabulous fresh foods, for bargains, for people watching, and for a quintessentially urban shopping experience. The urban farm located at the corner of Elm and Liberty Streets in Over the Rhine, Cincinnati is an important project for Findlay Market's CHEF (Cultivating Healthy Environments for Farmers) program. The farm began with two USDA grants, which provided funds to clean up overgrown, vacant lots near Findlay Market, train and equip farmers. The CHEF program assists low-income individuals, providing them with both training and access to fresh, local produce. Apprentice farmers on this urban farm cultivate over 30 different kinds of produce that are sold at Findlay Market, other local markets, and restaurants. Situated at a highly visible corner in Over the Rhine, the Elm + Liberty Urban Farm is conveniently located a few hundred feet from Findlay Market. The farm is also adjacent to Green street, recently re-opened after policed closed the street due to high drug, rape, and murder rates. But now Cincinnati, once the "Paris of America", sits on the brink of a true Renaissance, and Over the Rhine is leading the way. Located in the heart of Over the Rhine the farm, and all of the farmers on site, hope to not only provide fresh produce to the surrounding area, but also bring pride to a community struggling to return to its former glory. AFH Cincinnati is partnering with Findlay Market to design an urban farm shed on site to improve working conditions of the urban farmers and increase awareness of Findlay Market and its CHEF program. The urban farm shed hopes to also attract interest from the community to stimulate further positive change throughout Cincinnati.