The final copy of The Urban Ag Project

1. the urban ag project
Prepared by Megan Graham

2. initial proposal
The initial proposal of The Urban
Ag Project evolved from an early
assignment about “lighting” a locale.
My initial research for that project
turned up a few projects that had
occurred in large metropolitan cities
that were in dire need of reducing
wasted land and space. I was so
excited about learning more about
the transformative power of
“lightness”.

3. initial proposal
During the team review period, one of the questions asked which
was of particular interest was, “would you invest in this project?”. It
was important, as my team includes those that are sustainably
minded provided extraordinary measures are not required. This
would be similar to The Urban Ag Project target audience.

4. detailed plan
The detailed plan was distilled from
some of the peer and instructor
comments received as part of the
initial proposal. Looking at team was
an interesting piece for me as I was
looking at this process with two very
distinctive lenses- planning and
implementation. These teams, while
supporting my work effort during
different phases are still quite
important as sustainable projects
should never truly be completed.

5. detailed plan
I really enjoyed the layout process of the schematics. I
feel like the drawings connected the team to a
“tangible” part of the project, rather than just a verbal
rendering.

6. detailed plan
The process map was a tool that I had never used prior to
this project. The process mapping tool would have helped
me map out the projects in a way that would represent the
true iterative process of the projects implementation.

7. detailed plan
One piece that wasn’t included in the third piece of the
project was the city, state, and federal monies that are
available to agricultural projects. It was inspiring to see that
there are ways to actually implement the project without
looking for millions of dollars from investors.

8. project prototype
I was torn between creating a full
business plan or marketing materials
for the project prototype. Thinking
through the order in which the
implementation would follow, I chose
to create the business plan. The plan
would be a key piece in securing
funding from investors which this
project was written to support or
from grants which were mentioned as
part of the detailed plan.

9. project prototype

11. project prototype
In my opinion it was very important to
detail the benefits of the process of
pesticide/herbicide free growing. The
Urban Ag Project while innovative on
its own, would not be a selling point
without detailing why the quality of the
product is so important. An area that
could have been expanded is the future
products section. A fully developed plan
on how the product mix could be
expanded would show investors that
growth is possible and expected as part
of the success of The Urban Ag
Project.

13. project prototype
I completed quite a bit of research when
it came to the pricing strategy. Many peer
comments mentioned my results as well.
And while I was not surprise that the cost
may be prohibitive for some, I tried to
create a structure that would include
multiple income levels. From my research;
• Memberships range from $50-$150.
(memberships for the most part
include voting rights, ability run for
elections & board seats, & discounts.
• CSA's in Minneapolis run between
$350-$600 for the growing season
($70-$125 a month)
• Typical timing on the CSA is 17 weeks.
(cost per family: $20.58 per week or
$1070.59 per year)

14. project prototype
I thought it necessary to look at both the
break even point as well as the cash flow
analysis. Most transactions that will occur
will happen via a cash or cash-like basis, the
cost of goods sold is very low, and the
inventory turn would be close to one. The
complexity of the pricing structure actually
resulted in a pretty challenging review of the
financials. After creating a model that was
based on multiple subscription rates, it was
clear that it would take multiple cycles of
achieving the model to break even. It is
rather aggressive and in reviewing for a
second time, it looks like the model may set
the project up to lose money or rely on
commercial clients that were really not the
focus of the project.

15. plans for the future
While I would not be able to
undertake a project of this
magnitude at this point in my life, I
have been looking at ways to extend
my urban homestead. There is
currently a program available to any
Minneapolis resident to rent a
vacant lot for $1 (including the
paperwork processing fee of $250).
There is a 1440 sq. ft. lot available in
South Minneapolis that I am
currently looking for partners to
green.

16. When I look at the progress of The Urban Ag Project I am proud of the amount of research that I completed. I was invested in the
subject matter and the project work. During the process of compiling this final copy there are a few things that I feel would have
been appropriate to add during the 3 project iterations and some that could have been left out. As much as it is a good thing – I also
felt that maybe I bit off a little more than I could chew for the first project. There were many pieces that I feel did not follow a true
narrative as I had already tapped some of the resources for the first project. Another challenge that impacted my process was that I
had selected individuals were also in school. Many of my important dates coincided with their important dates as well, so often times
it my reviews were not completed when needed. I feel that I could have brought more information regarding Minneapolis and the
programs that could or would support The Urban Ag Project and the partnerships that could evolve over time.
While there were challenges, it was an eye opening experience, and inspiring to see that a project of this magnitude could work. I feel
like the work here is still just a starting point, and with supplemental research a more complete business plan and strategy could be
devised. Working through the pricing strategy and partnering with a financial analyst to create a financial operating model would
provide more context to the project. By approaching the subject matter as a case study would create a presentation model worthy of
applying for foundation funds and grants.
I am still new to sustainability, and not sure where I will ultimately will end up in the mix, but I am sure that I have a passion for
mindfully and sustainably created consumer goods. As a result of this process I at the very least have tools available to represent idea
formulation to implementation.
final thoughts & reflections