Just over a month ago, the North End Urban Farm broke ground and started
food production on a three-acre parcel in the St. Paul neighborhood from which it takes its name.
SPARC,
a community development corporation, previously proposed a townhome
complex on the site, but the idea was scratched in the economic downturn,
according to business development manager Allison Sharkey.
A
future housing development is still planned for the site, but part of
the farm will probably stay intact. "By then we will have tried
different pilot projects and different methods and seen what works best
and we'll incorporate that," she says.
To make the farm happen, SPARC worked out a partnership with a handful of other groups, including the
Association for the Advancement of Hmong Women in Minnesota,
Community Table Cooperative,
Pig's Eye Urban Farm, and Holistic Health Farms.
The University of Minnesota's
Center for Urban and Regional Affairs contributed $10,000 to establish the farm, which has a $15,000 budget. Also, the
Triscuit company provided supplies for a vegetable and flower demonstration garden, according to Sharkey.
The
farm makes a huge difference in a neighborhood where there's no grocery
store or farmers' market. "Our goal is to increase access to fresh
produce," she says. "We've asked each grower to sell in the neighborhood
as much as they can," and the farm is certified to participate in the
WIC program, she adds.
With half-acre plots, the professional
growers have been able to launch or expand their businesses, she says.
One business owner even started a community-supported agriculture (CSA)
program.
Already, the growers have begun connecting with area restaurants and corner stores about providing fresh food.
Later
in the season a farmers' market will happen on-site, while each grower
will have a produce stand, she says. Also, a you-pick farm program, which
gives visitors the chance to pick food themselves, is in the works.
Source: Allison Sharkey, business development program manager, SPARC
Writer: Anna Pratt