Urban farms can make our cities more livable

The secret of a more livable city may be hidden in plain sight — the power of the people “building the beloved community” at the grass roots.

Spring awakens! Sunshine warms the land and our spirits.

Have we been living in a dream? A dream of complacency? American agriculture has been the envy of the world, yet last year 50 million (1 in 6) of our fellow Americans lacked reliable access to food. Try living for a few days on “half rations.” Or less. The toll of physical malnutrition and mental stress is damaging. Think what we as a society could achieve if all Americans were food secure.

Thirty to 40 percent of food is lost or wasted across the “farm to fork” continuum due to system inefficiencies. Let us wake up to the opportunity of building a more local, urban-centered food production. Bridgeport and New Haven are paving (or “unpaving”) the way.

In Bridgeport, the crown jewel is Green Village Initiative’s Reservoir Community Farm — a couple of acres of abandoned pavement that were transformed into a green oasis growing food for city residents. The farmers, a diverse team of students and adults, have worked the land for nine years to improve the organic content, tilth and productivity of the soil. The farm is a place for Park City residents to grow, learn and teach farming practices that can be used in local community gardens and 23 school gardens where growing food is integrated into the student curriculum. “Better nutrition … better learning!”

Spring awakens! Youth and Bridgeport teachers will soon be turning over the rich soil of their gardens. Did you know that each shovelful is home to more microorganisms of soil health than there are people on our planet? These microscopic “livestock” will be breaking down pollutants and storing carbon — just some of the many ecosystem services that urban farms provide.

Creating and growing these gardens and the relationships within them provides a powerful example of success through cooperation — a great civics lesson. A wise and generous farmer, Sal Gilbertie of Easton, donated compost and knowledge to help create Reservoir Community Farm. The lesson for us all: building a healthy soil is like adding to a savings account, and the dividends of increased food production compound each year — regardless of the Federal Reserve Board and the economy.

Across town from Reservoir Community Farm is the Park

City’s East End, where another farm will be sprouting this year. An innovative indoor “farm in a box” will produce vegetables and greens hydroponically. Kudos to Connecticut’s commissioner of agriculture, Bryan Hurlburt, community champion Debbie ThomasSims, state Rep. Joe Gresko, Mayor Joe Ganim and others who facilitated a funding partnership with private entrepreneur, Joe Alvarez, of High Ridge Hydroponics. Yearround fresh, nutritious food will soon be available for neighborhoods that have gone without for far too long.

Growing local, urban food systems have the added benefit of economic development. GVI’s farm hub at Reservoir has invested $700,000 for site and soil improvement, local employment and materials to build growing structures such as hoop houses and a greenhouse. Annually, GVI provides 19 local jobs and paid student internships, and showcases two new urban farms, Park City Harvest and Blissful Awakenings, at their weekly farmers market each season. The High Ridge “farm in a box” will also add a number of jobs for growing and food distribution adding to this green economy.

The city of New Haven has been growing urban farms and gardens for several decades. The New Haven Ecology Project, with its Common Ground High School and School Garden Institute, grows the green in the shadow of West Rock. City Seed, Gather New Haven and the Yale Sustainable Food Project also have a number of garden projects in the Elm City.

Mayor Justin Elicker has been encouraging several nonprofit organizations to create a unique urban farm and park on a parcel within the city. This land, rich in soil and water resources, would be a treasure for both the human and natural ecosystems of New Haven. In addition to farm and gardens, possibilities include aquaculture, pollinator habitats, apiaries, forestry, environmental education and recreation.

The Elm City is also home to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, the first ag experiment station in the U.S., and the only such facility located in a large American city. An urban agriculture food security scientist will soon be hired to “conduct research and outreach in collaboration with other scientists and stakeholders to develop and improve alternative agricultural techniques to support sustainable food production and delivery in urban areas.” The station will be collaborating with UConn Extension, which has actively supported urban agriculture in Bridgeport, and will be developing a future program in Hartford.

The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven is also working to help grow the green in the Elm City by supporting several mission-driven groups to build a resilient, local food system.

As a farmer who has watched 74 springtimes awaken sprouts in his fields, I am excited to see Connecticut cities embrace urban agriculture. There is strength in diversity and power in cooperation. Realistically, cities may only produce a fraction of their food needs, but if we can smartly enable local citizens to lead with vision on a grassroots level, our cities can create an ecosystem that will allow residents to thrive and cultivate farmers who will also farm Connecticut’s rural land in the future. I am encouraged by the possibilities and progress of urban farms and look forward to not only Mayors Ganim and Elicker but other Connecticut city leaders cultivating the soil of opportunity for urban food production.

The secret of a more livable city may be hidden in plain sight — the power of the people “building the beloved community” at the grass roots. Successful leaders know “the grass isn’t greener on the other side; it is greener wherever you water it.”