San Jose’s Community Gardens Fight Food Insecurity, Build Connections
The Hamline Community Garden is one of San Jose’s 19 plots of land dedicated to harvesting organic fruits, vegetables and flowers. Photo by Katie Lauer
By Madelyn Reese
SanJoseInside
July 29, 2021
Excerpt:
Today, it’s highly urbanized, with Santa Clara County claiming nearly two million residents for its 1,300 square miles of land. But the region’s agricultural history still flourishes, often out of sight, in backyards, public parks, neighborhood plots and in the dreams of local activists.
San Jose resident Jose Posadas remembers as a child his family’s garden plot at Watson Park was a source of pride for his father.
“It was also something I’m sure helped with our young family finances—growing was much cheaper than buying at the local supermarket,” Posadas said.
Nuestra Tierra Garden has grown since it opened in 1976: More than 1,000 residents across San Jose use the city’s 19 community gardens to grow their own food. Countless others grow herbs on porches and harvest fruits and vegetables from raised garden beds in their yards, or in gardens among other spaces like the Change Garden at Grace Baptist Church.
In a region where more than 12 percent of residents don’t know where their next meal is coming from, Silicon Valley’s community gardens provide a sense of self reliance and give families the means to remain food secure, in addition to an educational tool and source of community connection.
