BUGS Community Gardens

The CAWACO (Cahaba-Warrior-Coosa) RC&D Council developed the BUGS (Birmingham Urban Garden Society) Community Gardens in 1999 to help communities in the City of Birmingham transform vacant lots into productive community gardens. 

The purpose of this program is to help empower low-income communities, build a sense of community among garden participants, and develop a network of community groups. In 2000, BUGS linked with the Birmingham Board of Education to develop gardens at Birmingham City Schools. The Council worked with teachers to develop and implement lessons related to the school gardens. The program fosters interest in agriculture among youth, teaches applied math and science, and builds students' skills in a variety of areas. The Council was helped early on by a USDA Millennium Green Grant and recently was awarded a grant from Heifer Project International to add a composting and vermiculture (worm) component to the project. 

There are now 11 community gardens, 8 school gardens, a Leadership Development Program, and an active Board of Directors.  For more information visit the BUGS website (page will open in new window): http://bugs_people.tripod.com/BUGS/index.html

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