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May 1 marks the start of farm visitor season in Kansas City, and city leaders are kicking things off with the launch of the 2026 Farmers Market Passport.
Kansas City has more than 20 farms available to visit.
On Friday, civic leaders — including city council members and U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver — unveiled the new Farmers Market Passport, a program designed to encourage residents to shop locally and eat healthy.
The program is led by the Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council and Cultivate KC.
Alana Henry, executive director of the Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council, said the idea grew from a desire to strengthen community ties to local agriculture and remove barriers.
"It just started with this idea of 'how do we better connect the people, the community to the local growers, the local farmers?"' Henry said.
Whether residents are looking for fresh fruits, vegetables, or farm-raised eggs, options are available throughout Kansas City.
KCMO 3rd District At-Large Councilwoman Melissa Patterson Hazley said access is a key part of the program's appeal.
"The access to food is really convenient for Kansas Citians," she told La'Nita Brooks, KSHB 41News solutions and Northland reporter. "The farms in the third district are all in neighborhoods. So, you can literally walk down the street or go a short distance and buy fresh produce."
The passport includes a list of farmers markets and farm stands. This year, the program is also highlighting vendor languages to serve Kansas City's diverse community — and visitors expected for the World Cup.
"We recognize that we have a diverse community here in Kansas City and we have diverse visitors who will be coming for the World Cup," Henry said. "So, we want to make sure hey, if I am primarily Spanish speaking or primarily French speaking or I speak another language, there is a market here where I know that people speak my language."
The program also is partially funded by the city.
Jensen Adams, Kansas City, Missouri's chief environmental officer, said the effort targets both production and access.
"That work is focused on increasing local production, which are the farmers, and increasing the access to local and healthy food, and that's the market part of this," Adams said.
The city also created a plant grant to support local growers.
"We created a plant grant so growers can apply for either 5 or $10,000 to improve their farm," Patterson Hazley said.
Passports are available for pickup at any farmers market or the Ivanhoe Neighborhood Center, four KCMO Public Library branches - Bluford, Central, Plaza and Southeast.
They also are available at Kansas City Community Gardens and Cultivate KC events.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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