URBAN FARM REVIVAL: sowing the seeds of resistance in san francisco

What does food security mean to you? Does it mean always knowing the shelves at Safeway will contain your favorite cereal? Perhaps it is the limited security provided by a welfare check or food stamps. Or maybe you are one of millions of people whose food security relies directly on access to land.

Chances are that as a Bay Area resident you don't live off the land--but that doesn't mean you can't have more of a relationship with it. About ten years ago, local residents from the Alemany Housing Projects, Bernal Heights and other parts of southeastern San Francisco teamed up with the San Francisco League of Urban Gardeners (SLUG) to turn an illegal dump site into a productive 4.5 acre urban farm. For eight years they ran youth programs, training young people in organic agriculture. They distributed fresh healthy produce to low- income residents who normally would have little access to such important staples. The farm became a cornerstone of the local community and an example of a new paradigm of urban sustainability.

Unfortunately two years ago SLUG lost its city funding and had to abandon the farm. Without money to pay workers and run educational programs, the farm collapsed.

In February, when my partner Becky and I heard this farm was sitting abandoned, we went to investigate. What we saw from the top of the hill was an oasis of green space where fruit trees and other perennials outlined the once-cultivated fields. Annual weeds grew more than head-high as the soil prepared itself for another season of laying fallow. The farm still had one volunteer, Naomi Goodwin, who had spent countless hours clearing paths and making sure the place didn't once again become a garbage dump. All the infrastructure was in place, waiting for someone to pick up the pieces—water, irrigation, tools, seeds, compost, soil, a greenhouse and many other things essential to the life of a farm. All that was missing was people power.

Since then we have been working to form a collective of gardeners, local residents and other interested folks to revive this beautiful piece of land. We approached community organizations who were excited to see an energetic group working to bring back the farm.

The best response we have had has been from the kids. Many young people from the surrounding community, ages four to fourteen, await the arrival of our Sunday work parties. Since working on this land it has become apparent what a huge impact the farm can have on the lives of these kids. It is a joy to introduce a child to a loquat tree and watch as he picks his first piece of fruit. For many of these young folks this is the first time they have ever seen food come from the ground. Their curiosity becomes enthusiasm as they munch red stalks of rainbow chard and discover the hidden smells of tomato and basil leaves.

We here in the United States, along with most other industrialized nations, have become increasingly dependent on a multitude of middlemen to deliver food from field to plate. What did you eat for breakfast this morning? Maybe eggs, toast, a handful of chips? When we attempt to trace these foods back to their sources we find a convoluted tale of multi-national seed companies, petrochemical inputs, shipping, packing, underpaid workers, and a food system that has more to do with the global economy than real human need.

Being placed at the whim of this global economic system disempowers communities and forces urban, as well as rural, people to become dependent on whatever foods arc made available. This is where the question of land comes in. For generations land has always equaled a way out of oppressive economic conditions. Even if your family couldn't find reasonable work outside the home, there would always be enough food as long as you had land. But today, with fewer than 5% of US residents claiming "farming" as their primary occupation, we experience far less food security.

Here in the Bay Area, land is at a premium. With vacant lots selling for half a million dollars, it is much more profitable to build on every square foot of land and ship food from as far away as the Central Valley, the Equator or New Zealand than to grow it locally.

But the true value of land is far more than just economic. We spend a great deal of time talking to local residents about what the farm used to be and how this piece of land can be used to meet community needs. Yesterday, I walked door to door, escorted by two of my youngest friends (one four, the other five), and distributed our freshly harvested lettuce, kale and chard. I know these bundles of vegetables may be the most nutritious food in the neighborhood. People are grateful for the produce and excited to see the farm coming back to life. This piece of land holds the potential to transform the way we relate to our food. Our produce opens avenues for community interaction and facilitates understanding of how race and class affect our access to healthy organic food. What sets this project apart is the possibility to provide an educational resource as well as produce food to meet real community needs.

The farm is located on Alemany Boulevard between Ellsworth and Justin Streets, next to St. Mary's Community Center. This is adjacent to Interstate 280 and between Bernal Heights and the Excelsior District. We meet every Sunday from noon until dark to work, play and eat great food. Anyone is welcome to join us. For more information contact Becky, Sumayya or Justin at (415) 206-9703. Hope to see you there.