A growing urban-farming movement has transformed dozens of vacant lots in Philadelphia.
Now with city backing, some crucial green spaces can flourish without the threat of development.
By Catherine Boudreau
Business Insider
Aug 22, 2023
Excerpt:
Young, a board member of Neighborhood Gardens Trust, is part of a coalition of urban growers, advocacy groups, and local officials in Philadelphia trying to protect and expand the city’s 450 urban gardens and farms. There is growing evidence that these spaces not only improve food security in many Black and brown neighborhoods but also reduce violence and the “urban heat island” effect that’s exacerbated by the climate crisis.
“The problem in Philadelphia is that gardens are not seen as permanent use but temporary,” Ash Richards, who in 2019 became the first urban-agriculture director at Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, told Insider. “A solution is to make policies that provide a pathway to preservation that lowers barriers to access and ownership.”
Over the past few years, Richards collaborated with a grassroots coalition of Black and brown growers called Soil Generation to come up with the city’s first-ever plan to support urban agriculture. The plan, named “Growing from the Root,” was finalized in April and includes nearly 90 recommendations for the city government to secure and support community gardens.
The urban-agriculture office has a $290,000 budget this fiscal year, Richards, who hopes to increase funding in future years, said. One of the first priorities is establishing a resource center that provides training for growers and offers seeds, soil, and tools needed for gardens, Richards added. The office is also trying to make it easier for growers to apply online to lease land owned by the parks department, and it’s translating the application into five languages.
