Urban Farms: Cultivating Change

Against a background of concrete and asphalt, urban farms are providing city folk with an education in fresh veggies, nutrition and the economy of growing fresh food.

Picture a farm. It has rows and rows of veggies lined up in parallel formation: tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, all perky and green with splashes of colorful fruit hidden beneath their leaves. And there just beyond the fence line…the Downtown Expressway? 

At first glance, it may seem a tad incongruent to plop an agricultural tract in the middle of Richmond's urban landscape, but the city's new urban farms aim to bridge the divide between town and country, bringing fresh-grown produce to populations that otherwise might not receive it. Community gardens, where individuals rent plots for their own growing purposes, have become increasingly common over the past few years, popping up in city parks and open green spaces, but these new, larger urban farms have a greater goal in mind.

"We are thinking of this as a production farm," said Patty Parks, the woman behind the William Byrd Community House's Urban Farmlet in Oregon Hill. "Our goal is to have enough produce for our children in the early childhood program to take home a bag of produce each week."

There are 30 three- and four-year-olds in William Byrd's early childhood program, and many of them have already been exposed to the idea of growing fresh food through the organization's community garden, which started in 2006, and the weekly on-site farmers market, where the children often sample vendors' wares. The new farmlet aims to bring the lessons of fresh food home to the children's families.
"For our first crop, the children in early childhood cut lettuce, cleaned it and prepared a salad," said Robert Bolling, the executive director at William Byrd, which also offers after-school programs, youth services and family support and emergency services. "Then they took that story home to their families, and they share those over and over again and it goes around the community."

"The kids are the way we get to the parents," acknowledged Parks, who also serves as William Byrd's librarian. This summer, the organization has invited local chefs to its campus to provide cooking classes for the children's families, so those unfamiliar with different vegetables can learn how to prepare them.

"Our mission is clear: transforming lives and promoting self-sufficiency," said Bolling. "If that’s the case, we need to help educate not just participants in our programs, but also the families associated with the Richmond community about the importance of healthy eating and the ability to grow and produce one’s own food."

Just across the river in Old Manchester, Tricycle Gardens has established a half-acre farm to demonstrate the economic viability of urban agriculture. The farm, which was created largely by individuals logging 800 volunteer hours, recently started producing fresh vegetables, flowers and herbs that are sold at an on-site farm stand on Tuesday and Thursday and at the Monument Market on Saturday, as well as to local restaurants like Savor Café, Garnett's Café and Papa's Pizza.

"We think by the end of next year, the farm should be self-sustaining," said Tricycle founder Lisa Taranto. "The goal is job creation right there on the spot, so that once we get this up and running, the senior staff [from Tricycle Gardens] would go on to the next project. We’re not interested in having a franchise of farms. It really is about community development and self-sufficiency and letting these communities – if they want to – take ownership of them."

The farm will also raise money and spread awareness through educational workshops, classes and field trips. Taranto sees it as a testing ground and prototype for larger urban agriculture projects, including one collaborative proposal with Bon Secours that is being considered for the East End.

Across town, the Science Museum of Virginia (SMV) is embarking on its own agricultural education project with a new quarter-acre urban farm, called Green Acre, which will send the majority of its produce to the Central Virginia Foodbank.

"We are trying to make the museum more relevant, more now, a place where active things are taking place as opposed to teaching about things that have already taken place." explained museum director Richard Conti, who was inspired to start a vegetable garden at home with his family. "Not everybody thinks that science and math is for them. The Green Acre farm has given us a chance to try and make science and math relevant for them."

The museum's plot has been split up into quadrants: a student-maintained “pizza garden,” a vegetable plot for the use of SMV's caterers, a vibrantly colored veggie and flower plot by Virginia State University and a permaculture project by Tricycle Gardens.

SMV benefited from substantial grants and in-kind donations from The Richard Gwathmey and Caroline T. Gwathmey Memorial Trust, Wachovia Wells Fargo Financial Services and Southern States Cooperative that will allow the museum to build a greenhouse next to its farm. The organization, which professes a goal to become a leader in sustainability issues, will also use reclaimed water from a storm water cistern to irrigate the land.

"We initially had a three-year plan [for the farm]," said Katie Gantt, special projects coordinator for the museum. "But we do want this to be a long-term project. We’re going to attempt to keep this running throughout the year, through all different seasons. It’s going to continue for years to come."

Ultimately, the creators of each farm hope these islands of agricultural activity, bound on many sides by concrete and asphalt, will serve to inspire locals to learn about healthy food and the possibilities of growing it themselves. And that, in turn, could lead to greater transformation.

"Imagine that our next generation will be shopping at their local markets, knowledgeable about how things grow, the seasons [and becoming] better stewards of the land," said Parks. "This is all pretty exciting."
   
Want to help? Each of the new urban farms relies heavily on volunteer labor, particularly during the summer when the sun is hot, plants are thirsty and the growing is abundant. To get involved, look for volunteer opportunities on the Hands on Greater Richmond website, or visit the following websites for more information: byrdhousemarket.blogspot.com, tricyclegardens.org and smv.org.