The rise of urban farms in the Borderland, Texas
The food boxes, at a cost of between $15 to $30, included a variety of produce, plus any extras products from partnerships.
By Patricia L. Garcia
KTSM
Mar 10, 2021
Excerpt:
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — As people took on new hobbies throughout the pandemic, gardening was at the top of the list. Seeds joined toilet paper and isopropyl alcohol as hard-to-find items, even online, and gardening was suddenly du jour.
And so, started a resurgence of urban farming.
However new it may feel, urban farming has been popular in the area for some time, particularly in the Upper Valley and Lower Valley of El Paso. Outer areas have also been popular green spots for locally produced vegetables, said Orlando Flores, County Extension Agent for Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service.
He said that urban farming is essentially gardening within the city, typically on land that is less than one acre. In fact, the El Paso Master Gardeners have an urban farm, used as a demonstration garden, on the Extension’s land at Ascarate Park.
The number of urban farms has increased in El Paso and Las Cruces in the last few years, though there is not an official number counting them.
One urban farm, Fossil Face Farms, has been operating since 2019 in Northeast El Paso. Located on the lots of three different residential homes, the nearly one acre farm started as a garden providing fresh food to residents of an assisted living facility.
“The owner wanted to provide fresh produce to the residents and had the idea to start a garden on the property,” said farm manager Andras Godina.
