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Kensington residents have cultivated fresh vegetables on abandoned lots in the corner of Norris and Lawrence streets for seven years. Last year, a portion of the César Andreu Iglesias Community Garden was bought by a developer, and now the owner of the rest of the land wants to reclaim it. The garden will probably lose its ground.
City officials often recognize the various benefits of growing food in the city — it increases food access, it creates community, it makes kids and adults engage with their environment, and it even reduces crime. But when it comes to prioritizing resources to secure the land existing gardens occupy or to help community members to open a new garden, city agencies and representatives don’t always move in ways that support the cause. As a result, well-tended and productive urban farms are threatened every year in Philadelphia. Last year, just a couple of blocks from the César Andreu Iglesias Community Garden, La Finquita closed its doors after almost 30 years of existence.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE: https://whyy.org/articles/philly-is-creating-first-ever-urban-agriculture-manifesto/
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