Garcia Street Urban Farm, a 4.1-acre farm designed to bring fresh produce and food education to San Antonio's East Side, broke ground Wednesday morning.
The farm, which cost an estimated $500,000, will be managed via a partnership between San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA), San Antonio College’s Eco Centro and other community stakeholders.
The project was nearly a decade in the making and funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant, which was awarded in 2013.
"We have one grocery store and many mini-marts in the East Side," SAHA President David Nisivoccia said. "Through this partnership, youth and their parents will have direct access to healthy food options."
The Eco Centro team will begin planting crops such as kale, collards and cabbage this fall, said Eco Centro Manager Cecile Parrish, who will manage the urban farm. Next summer, the farm will also include designated areas for large corn crops, tomatoes and eggplants.
The farm will continue to expand its crops and impact over the next five years. Eco Centro has already teamed up with Southwest School of Art to produce dye plants for classes and will be growing flowers to sell. All profits will benefit the farm.
"This will be a diverse foodscape," Parrish said, adding that partners including the People’s Nite Market, Compost Queens, San Antonio Food Bank, Metro Health, local students and volunteers will make growth, sustainability and food distribution possible in the Eastside community.
This is a developing story.
So many restaurants, so little time. Find out the latest San Antonio dining news with our Flavor Friday Newsletter.
KEEP SA CURRENT!
Since 1986, the SA Current has served as the free, independent voice of San Antonio, and we want to keep it that way.
Becoming an SA Current Supporter for as little as $5 a month allows us to continue offering readers access to our coverage of local news, food, nightlife, events, and culture with no paywalls.
Scroll to read more Flavor articles
