Urban Organic Farming In Compton
Richard Garcia is co-founder of Alma Backyard Farms in Compton, where nothing goes to waste. Rachel Kim reports
CBS LA
Rachel Kim Video
Jan 6, 2022
Article by Jennifer Marquez
San Pedro Today
September 30, 2021
Excerpt:
Richard Garcia, executive director and co-founder of Alma Backyard Farms, and his staff transformed an empty lot in San Pedro into an urban farm. He noticed an elderly lady next door and would chat with her while he worked in the garden. Her name was Celia. She sat on her porch and watched as a dirt lot became a garden with flowers and produce. She would comment on how the raised beds looked pretty. Richard learned the woman had dementia. Her family said she did not remember much but, for some reason, could recall facts about the new garden next door. Alma, which means “soul” in Spanish, is bringing healthy food to San Pedro while beautifying an unused space.
Alma Backyard Farms, a nonprofit agency, started in Compton, which is known as a food desert. There are few healthy choices in Compton, and food insecurity is prevalent. A practitioner from Holy Trinity who owned an empty lot in San Pedro visited the Compton farm. Alma was offered the chance to use the San Pedro lot to create an urban farm that would provide fresh produce for the community. It took six months to build and plant the garden. Curious neighbors who wondered what was going on at the property were relieved to learn it would be a garden and not an apartment complex.
