LPCCD is welcoming the return of spring but not just because warmer weather is on the way. Brick City Urban Farms (BCUF), a community supported agriculture (CSA) project in Lincoln Park has begun its spring planting! BCUF had such a positive impact on the community last year, LPCCD is partnering with the farm for another season and exploring ways to integrate the community garden into future housing projects.

 

Urban agriculture is flourishing across the country. The People's Grocery in West Oakland, CA is one excellent example. The absence of fresh food options in that community prompted the organization to create a solution to counter a larger structural problem where there existed 57 liquor stores and no supermarkets to accommodate nearly 30,000 local residents. In Milwaukee, WI, urban farmer Will Allen, co-founder of Growing Power, was recently awarded a MacArthur Genius grant for his commitment to sustainable food systems.  Even First Lady Michele Obama is starting a Victory Garden at the White House. 

In New Jersey, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation has been looking at the intersection of agricultural land preservation, community foods systems and community building.  There are lots of questions amidst the opportunities, and lots of linkages to consider.  For example, how do farm-to-city initiatives connect to new urban farming programs; how do traditional farm labor issues relate to urban green job training efforts; how do local restaurateurs connect to locally-based food processing enterprises; and how do social justice, economic development, public health and environmental protection concerns come together? "We don't have the answers," says Michelle Knapik, Dodge Foundation Program Director for the Environment, "but  with The Center for Whole Communities, we plan to facilitate a dialogue among a varied group of New Jersey and Pennsylvania stakeholders to create a new story about land, food and healthy communities."    

When first approached by urban farmer John Taylor with his idea to create BCUF, LPCCD understood the need. Low income communities of color are particularly lacking in quality grocery stores and healthy food options. Having a community garden in the neighborhood engages local children and residents, provides opportunities for dialogue and educates the community about the importance of nutrition and healthy living.  "There's just purely not enough outlets, groceries stores and farmers markets accessible to residents. It directly affects the diet of Newark. There are studies that show in an area like Newark, produce consumption goes up by 30% within the African-American community when quality, fresh food is provided. We seek to address those issues," John explains.

  

As LPCCD is building an urban eco-village, it makes sense to relate urban agriculture and sustainable design. A CSA is a community of individuals who support a farm operation so that the farmland becomes, either legally or spiritually, the community's farm.  LPCCD provides land for BCUF, growers share the bounty with the Lincoln Park community and residents frequently volunteer their time. The goal for BCUF is to gain financial security and begin direct sales to consumers throughout the City of Newark.