UMass Lowell and Mill City Grows celebrated the expansion of the Rist Urban Agriculture Greenhouse Saturday morning to significantly increase the amount of food that can be produced for local food pantries and mobile markets.
UMass Lowell partnered with Mill City Grows in 2016, and the following year they constructed an 1,800 square foot greenhouse on the East Campus. Construction of an expansion of the greenhouse began last summer, and was completed in time for the ongoing spring growing season, making this its first growing season with approximately double the space.
"They're the green thumbs. They are the experts in managing this space and using this resource to grow 80,000 pounds of produce last year," said UML Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation Anne Maglia during Saturday's ceremony while talking about Mill City Grows. "It is incredibly impressive, and it is exciting to think they are going to grow in this expanded space, and how many more people are going to eat and get good nutrition."
Maglia said the greenhouse project was made possible by the state Department of Agricultural Resources' Urban Agriculture Program and the Food Insecurity Grant Program.
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