The urban agriculture movement received quite a boost today with the news that Will Allen -- the founder of Milwaukee-based Growing Power -- has been awarded the prestigious the MacArthur Foundation "Genius Grant." Distributed over five years, the grant comes with no strings attached or reporting obligations, meaning Allen gets free reign to expand his innovative farming programs:

Will Allen started a farm in a city, hired teenagers to tend the crops and now distributes the produce to some of the poorest people and priciest restaurants in Chicago and Milwaukee.

For his inventive work in local, urban agriculture, the Chicago-based MacArthur Foundation dubbed Allen a genius, awarding him $500,000 to use however he wishes through its prestigious fellowship program.

For more on the burgeoning urban farming scene in Chicago, check out our feature "A Growing Movement."