Among the many services provided by the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities (CCBDD) is job training and placement for adults. As local manufacturing jobs have dwindled, the board has had to look elsewhere. One solution that seems promising is local farming.

"We're trying to be more entrepreneurial," says spokeswoman Lula Holt Robertson.

The effort began last year with a single farm at East 55th and Stanard. The site, formerly a school, was donated by the city in 2009. Work began in June, with assistance from The Ohio State University Extension. Today 10 CCBDD clients are employed there, plus a manager and employment specialist.

The program has been so successful that the board hopes to establish nine more gardens over the next five years, and develop relationships with local restaurants, as well as farmers' markets.

The next site will be downtown. Cleveland City Council recently approved gardening on City Hall property, near the Free Stamp, thanks to legislation introduced by Councilman Joe Cimperman. Holt Robertson says that to her knowledge the CCBDD is the first entity of its type in the nation to launch an urban farming program.

Source: Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities
Writer: Frank W. Lewis