They purchased six city-owned lots in a depressed urban area and secured shareholders, contracting that in return for their money they’d receive weekly bundles of vegetables. Truckloads of dirt and compost were dumped into raised beds and New Roots Urban Farm was born.
Two years later, New Urban Roots Farm has twice as many shareholders, a farmer’s market, neighborhood children who tend the gardens, and a shared living program. They support the produce needs of 25-30 families. They provide food for homeless organizations in the area and run educational programs for adults and children.
The members of New Roots Urban Farm have come together because they believe there are more responsible and loving ways to exist in our current world. In order to develop a more ecologically sound lifestyle, they believe we must create radical systems that actively oppose the dominant model of exploitation and oppression in our food distribution system. They would like to see reclamation of abandoned urban areas in order to grow food to sustain the community instead of expansion into already dwindling natural landscapes. They call it food security – the ability of a neighborhood, community, or town to support their own food needs with healthy, organically grown food.If you would like to help with this worthy project please visit their website for a list of needed items and current projects. They are planning several exciting expansions – everything from beekeeping to Tilapia production to a Vehicle coop program.
My parents always had a garden every year. I don’t. I miss the fresh vegetables and the smell of the growing plants and tilled soil. I worry that someday, if the need arises, I will not be able to feed my family. We are completely dependent on large corporate farms and a convoluted distribution system to fill the pantry. That’s a scary thought.
