The Man on a Mission to Solve Los Angeles’ Food Crisis
Jamiah Hargins’ Crop Swap LA is changing the way homeowners garden, one yard at a time.
By Sherri McGee McCovey
Food and Wine
June 14, 2021
Excerpt:
The 1,000 sq-ft. Asante Microfarm is the first of many water-recycling microfarms Crop Swap LA plans to build around the city. Asante, which means thank you in Swahili, grows 600 edible plants, including bok choy, tatsoi, basil, thyme, radicchio, green oak, Jericho romaine, butter lettuce, garlic, chives, oregano, rainbow Swiss chard, eggplant, Sakura red cherry tomatoes, Tuscan kale, and a Hood pear tree. The microfarm uses just 8% of the water that was previously used for grass.
The produce is grown in the front yard of a house using organic and regenerative growing practices, composting, and all-natural animal and pest deterrence. The innovative technology and design hasten the growth pattern of the seedlings (that grow in soil soxx) so they stay on schedule to replant the next harvest.
Twice weekly, Hargins leads volunteers (the unhoused and re-entry citizens are also welcomed) to prune, pick, wash, and bag produce for 50 subscribers of Crop Swap LA Membership Zone who receive produce weekly either by pick up or delivery. Ten percent of the harvest is donated to community fridges, and some is sold to organizations affected by food scarcity. “I’ve always wanted my 40 acres,” says Asante Microfarm homeowner Mychal Creer. “My home is now my business.”
