In St. Louis, New Roots Urban Farm subscribes to various leftist ideals, including elements of the freegan movement, which subscribes to reclaiming discarded products and unsold food destined for trash.
In many American cities, communities don't have good access to fresh and healthful food. Full-service grocery stores are rare, and corner stores have a reputation for gouging locals for basic goods while stocking inferior produce.
But from Birmingham to Brooklyn, organizations and residents are bringing fresh food to town by growing it down the block. Reclaiming blighted properties and producing food locally, these urban farms are teaching kids - and adults - about agricultural work and healthy eating while helping revitalize their communities.
Reclaiming the land in Philadelphia
Throughout its long history, Philadelphia has experienced the ups and downs of many economic cycles. But like many other cities, its old manufacturers have largely evaporated, leaving behind abandoned and sometimes poisoned land.
One of these lots returned to use in 1998 as Greensgrow Farms. Once the site of a galvanized steel plant, the land itself wasn't suitable for agriculture. But this one-acre field was fine for hydroponic growing and other uses. It was the site of a farm stand featuring Greensgrow's own produce and other organically grown food from farms throughout the Philadelphia region; and was also a center of the community. Events like "A Very Kensington Christmas," held in 2008, hosted local artisans selling their wares.
Across town is the Mill Creek Farm. Mill Creek started up in the early 1990s as a community garden on a slice of land in West Philadelphia. The remaining piece of the lot was vacant until 2005, when Mill Creek's farmers were awarded the rest of the lot to create a full farm. Like many other nonprofit urban farms, Mill Creek patches together grant support from regional foundations and produce sales to support its programs, which include summer job training for teenagers.
But if you can't bring the food to the neighborhood, take people in the neighborhood to the food. In gritty North Philadelphia, Temple University's student government has started a shuttle bus service to take students to a different neighborhood to buy reasonably priced groceries. It helps the students, although it doesn't do much for surrounding neighborhoods.
