Philadelphia’s Urban Agriculture Plan:2023

Growing Home Garden | Photo Credit: Commonwealth Media Services for PA Department of AgricultureJanuary 2023

Dear Growers, Advocates and City Partners,

Growing from the Root is the City of Philadelphia’s first-ever urban agriculture plan. Shaped by your lived
experiences and input, this plan is a ten-year food policy road map that takes a comprehensive view of
Philadelphia’s food system, touching on land, production, preparation, consumption, food waste reduction,and the people holding this system together. This document offers equitable, sustainable, and communitycentered recommendations in each of these areas. This road map will enable the City of Philadelphia
to preserve and plan for long-term urban agriculture that contributes to equitable land use within thecity. It emphasizes the importance of urban agriculture as an essential service to our city and creates a
viable, productive, and permanent land use strategy that will be the catalyst for local food security andenvironmental sustainability.
Urban agriculture has the power to increase local food production and to address hunger and foodapartheid, biodiversity loss, soil degradation, waste, and climate crisis. We can build a racially andeconomically just 21st-century local food system if we redistribute and invest long-term resources to build
sustainable infrastructure for agriculture in the city.
Suggesting Growing from the Root to our team as the name of our plan was significant because it isreminiscent of a quote from Dr. Angela Davis: “If we are not afraid to adopt a revolutionary stance—if,indeed, we wish to be radical in our quest for change—then we must get to the root of our oppression.
After all, radical simply means ‘grasping things at the root.’” (Women, Culture & Politics, 1989). The roots
represent our interconnected ancestral practices and signify our resilience and self-determination. The
roots represent the communal nourishment that comes from working and strategizing collectively. Growing
from the Root is a radical act that helps us envision our future and be accountable to that shared vision.
Aligned to Park’s & Rec’s mission of connecting people to the land and each other, this plan represents a
commitment to leverage resources in support of community-rooted and community-accountable solutions.
Parks & Rec solidifies this commitment by implementing this plan in collaboration with many partners. With
this plan, we have reimagined the future of food in Philadelphia and affirmed our responsibility as a city toensure that all residents can access nourishing, affordable, free and culturally appropriate food.

Kathryn Ott Lovell

Commissioner
Philadelphia Parks & Recreation

Ash Richards

Director of Urban Agriculture
Philadelphia Parks & Recreation

GROWING FROM THE ROOT: PHILADELPHIA’S URBAN AGRICULTURE PLANACKNOWLEDGMENTS
WHITE ICONS

Growing from the Root would like to thank everyone who contributed to the planning process and the making of
this document,
Philadelphia’s first urban agriculture plan.
CLEAR ICONSOn behalf of the City of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and the planning team, thank you to all the people whocame out to meetings and participated in virtual convenings, to all who participated in an interview or focus group,
supported the planning process by facilitating small group discussions and taking notes, took a survey, read andreviewed this plan, and trusted the planning process with their ideas and desires for the future of food, land, andagriculture in Philadelphia.
Special thanks to those who helped design and execute an inclusive, accessible, and racially and economically
equitable planning process consistent with the values of the plan. From the start, Growing from the Root set out toco-create a culturally competent approach to ensure that residents most impacted were engaged and represented
in the planning process. From assembling the Steering Committee convened to guide the plan’s development toproviding services such as translation, American Sign Language interpretation, and childcare, this process strove
to encourage broad and diverse participation, and Philadelphia’s urban agriculture community turned out in large
numbers.
Thank you, all.

CITY OF PHILADELPHIA
Mayor James Kenney
Vanessa Garrett Harley, Esq., Deputy Mayor,
Office of Children and Families

FISCAL SPONSORSHIP provided by
The Philadelphia City Fund
Special thanks to Emily Gowen, Trudi Wright and Jody
Greenblatt for their support on this project

PLANNING TEAM
PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

Kathryn Ott Lovell, Commissioner
Sudha Suryadevara, Chief of Staff
Patrick Morgan, First Deputy Commissioner,
Strategy and Engagement
Susan Buck, Deputy Commissioner of Operations
Aparna Palantino, Deputy Commissioner for Capital
Infrastructure and Natural Lands Management
Bill Salvatore, Deputy Commissioner of Programs
Marissa Washington, Deputy Commissioner of
Administration

PROJECT FUNDERSThis project was made possible by funding from
William Penn Foundation
The Funders Network
Merck Family FundMarc and Laura McKenna
PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

Ash Richards, Director of Urban Agriculture,
Project Manager

SOIL GENERATION
Kirtrina Baxter
Sonia Galiber
Ashley Gripper, PhD
Soad Mana

INTERFACE STUDIO

Christopher DiStasi
María Gabriela González Rausell
Mindy Watts

SPECIAL THANKS

to the following collaborators who provided core
contributions of text, graphics, and guidance to the plan
and Planning TeamLuz Cruz
Lan Dinh
Nic Lopez
Paul McGehee
Shane Morris

STEERING COMMITTEE
Bartram’s Garden: Joanne Douglass
Centennial Parkside CDC: Jean Mitchell
Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission:
Allison Hastings, Amy Verbofski
Diasporic Alliance for Cannabis Opportunities:
Cherron Perry-Thomas
DITO Inc.: Tiara Council
Eastwick Community Garden: Annie Preston
Food Moxie: Brandon Ritter
GreensGrow Farms: Kyonne Isaac
Growing Home Garden: Joe Arnold
Fairmount Park Conservancy: Maura McCarthy, PhD
The Food Trust: Heidi Gorniok, Bridget Palumbo
Free Library of Philadelphia: Suzanna Urminska
Managing Director’s Office: Charlotte Castle

Philadelphia Department of Public Property: 		Deborah Cahill
Philadelphia Food Policy Advisory Council: 		
Kristin Schwab, Megan Storm
Philadelphia Land Bank/Philadelphia Housing
Development Corporation: Jessie Lawrence, 		Angel Rodriguez, Amanda Soskin
Philadelphia Office of Children and Families: 		Laura Crandall
Philadelphia Office of Homeless Services:
Catherine Dockhorn, Devon Jennings
Philadelphia Office of Sustainability: 			
Saleem Chapman, Christine Knapp
Philadelphia Orchard Project: Phil Forsyth, Kim Jordan
Philadelphia Parks & Recreation: Kim Cook, Elisa
Esposito, Patrick Morgan, Erica Smith, Marisa Wilson

The Mayor’s Fund: Emily Gowen

Philadelphia Streets Department: Neil Garry, 		Kyle Lewis, Richard Montanez

Mayor’s Policy Office: Orlando AlmontePhiladelphia Water Department: Jess Noon

Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation: 		Trinity Norwood

Philly Student Union: Shane Morris

Neighborhood Gardens Trust: Jenny Greenberg,
Chamor Thomas
Nicetown CDC: Majeedah Rashid, Kerry Wilson
Norris Square Neighborhood Project: Teresa Elliott,
Tristan Fuentes, Jose Spellman-Lopez
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society: 		
Sally McCabe, Julianne Ortega, Justin Trezza
Philadelphia Backyard Chickens: Maureen Breen,
Jillian Gonzalez
Philadelphia Department of Commerce: Altoro Hall,
Joshua Stratton-Rayner, Dawn Summerville

Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia Garden
Justice Legal Initiative: Ebony Griffin
R&B Farms: Dimka Braswell, Bryce RoweSankofa Community Farm: Laquanda Dobson, 		
Ty Holmberg
School District of Philadelphia: Megan Garner,
Anna Herman, Chesa Ramacciotti, Najwa Smith
Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Association
Coalition: Lily Goodspeed, Cooper Richardson
Think and Grow Farms, LLC, Jamie Bracey Green, PhD
True Love Seeds: Amirah Mitchell, Owen Taylor

Uptown CDC, Moor Ali El
Philadelphia Department of Planning & Development:
Urban Tree Connection: Noelle Warford
Peter Barnard, Martha Cross, Ayse Unver
VietLead: Lan Dinh
Philadelphia Department of Prisons: Laura Cassidy,
Heather Leach
The Village of Arts and Humanities: Michaela
Pommells, Lu Thain
Philadelphia Department of Public Health: 		Jennifer Aquilante, Dawn Kiesewetter, Molly Riordan,
Viola Neighbors Community Garden: Joyce Smith
Amanda Wagner

GROWING FROM THE ROOT: PHILADELPHIA’S URBAN AGRICULTURE PLANOTHER COLLABORATORSThe following individuals, organizations, and entities each supported the creation of this plan and theaccompanying public engagement process.

PHILADELPHIA GARDEN DATACOLLABORATIVE

Thank you to the Philadelphia Garden Data Collaborative
for sharing its database that tracks community gardens
in Philadelphia over time. The Planning Team updated
the database to reflect current conditions and returned
the dataset to the Garden Data Collaborative for use andstewardship going forward.
Haverford College: Professor Craig Borowiak
Neighborhood Gardens Trust: Jenny Greenberg
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society: Justin Trezza
Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia Garden
Justice Legal Initiative: Ebony Griffin
Soil Generation: Kirtrina Baxter
Villanova University: Professor Peleg Kremer

PUBLIC MEETING SUPPORT

Thank you to those who helped organize, offer, anddocument an inclusive and accessible series of public
meetings, grounded in the voices of Philadelphia farmers
and gardeners.
Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation: Trinity
Norwood, Land Acknowledgment, opening statement
at Public Meeting One
Indigenous 215: Mabel Negrete, opening statement at
Public Meeting One
Children’s Pavilion: Childcare

TRANSLATION, INTERPRETATION, AND
EDITING

Thank you to the team of translators and interpreters
who helped the City deliver the public meetings,
engagement materials, and final plan in Spanish andEnglish, as well as American Sign Language.
Cypher Translation Services LLC: Juan Lara, public
meeting materials and final plan translation
Deaf Hearing Communication Centre, Inc.:
American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation for
Public Meeting One
Gretchen Dykstra: Copy editor
GLOBO: Live Spanish translation
HACE: Irayma Olivencia, public meeting summarytranslation
Interface Studio: María Gabriela González Rausell,public meeting materials translation

PHOTOS

All photos provided by Philadelphia Parks & Recreation
unless otherwise noted. Cover image by Sonia Galiber.

ILLUSTRATIONS

Thank you to Sonia Galiber and María Gabriela
González Rausell for co-producing all of the handdrawn graphics in the plan.

Danye Dowd: Catering
Free Library of Philadelphia, Parkway Central Branch:tech support and custodial care
Mieka Moody: Public Meeting Two video narration

TEAM RECONCILIATION AND 		
ANTI-RACIST FACILITATION

Noise Soul Cinema: Joshua Lee Mallory, photography
and videography

Thank you to the those who supported the Planning
Team, providing anti-racist education and facilitatingharm reduction and team reconciliation to enable theplanning process to move forward.

Soil Generation Street Team: Flyering

Coalition for Racial Justice (Corajus): Reagen Price

Khaliah D. Pitts: Original poetry reading of “Sovereign”

Judy Blair LLC: Judy Blair
Rebecca Croog, PhD

Harvest at Queen Village Community Garden | Photo Credit: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS)PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONGROWING FROM THE ROOT: PHILADELPHIA’S URBAN AGRICULTURE PLAN

TABLE OF CONTENTSLAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT 		 1I. INTRODUCTION 		 2How to Navigate this Plan
Reconceptualizing Philadelphia’s Food System
Guiding Values & Vision for the Future
A Community-Informed Definition of Urban Agriculture
A Snapshot of Urban Agriculture in Philadelphia
Why Growing Food in Philadelphia is Necessary
Planting the Seeds for Philadelphia’s First Urban Agriculture Plan
History through the Lens of Racialized Land-Based Oppression

II. OVERVIEW OF THE PLANNING PROCESSThe Planning Process
Who is this Plan For?
Goals for the Plan

4
6
10
12
14
20
25
28

36
43
45

III. PHILADELPHIA’S FOOD SYSTEM: TODAY & TOMORROW
1] LAND 		
47
2] PRODUCTION 		773] PREPARATION & DISTRIBUTION 		1014] CONSUMPTION 		
117
5] FOOD WASTE REDUCTION & RECOVERY
1396] PEOPLE 		
159

		IV. IMPLEMENTATION 		
183

APPENDICES 		195
A: Resources for Growers
B: List of Acronyms
C: Glossary
D: Notes
E: Sources for Historic Timeline

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

196
200
201
203
207

LIST OF MAPS & FIGURESFIGURE 1. Philadelphia’s Food System

7

FIGURE 2. Map of Active Gardens, Farms, and Other Urban Agriculture Spaces in 2020

14

FIGURE 3. Range of Urban Agriculture Activities in Philadelphia

15

FIGURE 4. The Benefits of Urban Agriculture

18

FIGURE 5. Map of Poverty and BIPOC Residents with Garden Locations Overlaid

20

FIGURE 6. Map of Access to Stores Selling Fresh Produce, with Garden Locations Overlaid

21

FIGURE 7. Map of Density of New Residential Building Permits, with Garden Locations Overlaid

22

FIGURE 8. Map of Lost Gardens and Farms, 2008-2019

23

FIGURE 9. Methods of Racialized Land-Based Oppression

28

FIGURE 10. Historic Timeline of Urban Agriculture in Philadelphia

30

FIGURE 11. The Multiple Levels of Plan Engagement

36

FIGURE 12. How Various Inputs Combine to Shape the Plan

37

FIGURE 13. Steps of Public Engagement in the Planning Process

37

FIGURE 14. Diagram of a Typical Garden with Multiple Parcels and Owners

49

FIGURE 15. Analysis of Garden Ownership and Land Security

51

FIGURE 16. Surplus Land and Paths to Land Security

51

FIGURE 17. Examples of Small-Scale Food Production

105

GROWING FROM THE ROOT: PHILADELPHIA’S URBAN AGRICULTURE PLAN

LANDACKNOWLEDGMENT
Growing from the Root seeks to contextualize this plan about land, people, andagriculture by honoring and acknowledging the original stewards of what iscurrently known as Philadelphia.

The following is the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation’s standard Land
Acknowledgment for those who seek to honor Lenni-Lenape people and theirterritory.

The land upon which we garden, grow, and gather is part of the traditional
territory of the Lenni-Lenape, called Lenapehoking. The Lenape people lived inharmony with one another upon this territory for thousands of years. During
the colonial era and early federal period, many were removed west and north,but some also remain among the three continuing historical communities inthis region, the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation, the Ramapough-Lenape
Tribal Nation, and the Powhatan-Renape Tribal Nation.
We acknowledge the Lenni-Lenape as the original people of this land andtheir continuing relationship with their territory. In our acknowledgment of
this continued presence of Lenape people in their homeland, we affirm theaspiration of the great Lenape Chief Tamanend that there be harmony between
the Indigenous people of this land and the descendants of the immigrants tothis land, as long as the rivers and the creeks flow and the sun and moon andstars shine. Wanìshi.

Sunflower | Photo Credit: Wren Rene for Land Based Jawns

GROWING FROM THE ROOT: PHILADELPHIA’S URBAN AGRICULTURE PLAN

1

I. INTRODUCTION
Philadelphia is fortunate to have a robust tradition of urban agriculture,
rooted in BIPOC, immigrant, and refugee growers and communities
who have nurtured the city for generations. Here, urban agriculture
is Bhutanese refugees cultivating Thai Roselle in South Philadelphia;
beehives in Mount Airy; elders and youth tending an 80-year-old garden
in Grays Ferry; thousands of pounds of produce shared with families
who do not have enough to eat; young people selling vegetables toneighbors in Kensington, Mantua, Kingsessing, and North Philadelphia;
residents across the entire city stewarding abandoned land as a response
to disinvestment and structural racism; fruit trees and berry bushes
tended by and feeding residents and passersby; thousands of gallons
of stormwater managed; and a network of farmers—across race, class,gender, and generations—supplying food shares, farmers’ markets,businesses, and restaurants. Beyond the food itself, urban agriculture
in Philadelphia, and in our local food system, can mean community
food sovereignty: the ability to choose what nourishes you and yourcommunity.

Growing from the Root is a 10-year comprehensive plan for a thriving local food system and economy
with an urban agricultural foundation. The plan addresses the systems, structures, resources, andpolicies necessary to sustain and grow urban agriculture in Philadelphia and nurture a more just local
food system. It is Philadelphia’s first urban agriculture plan, co-created with Philadelphia farmers,
gardeners, and urban agriculture advocates. The purpose of the plan is to:

FROM THE ROOT: AN INTRODUCTION> Uplift Philadelphia’s rich history of urban farming and gardening and establish a plan in which urban
agriculture contributes to the equitable development of Philadelphia over the long-term> Confront the legacy of structural racism and land-based oppression in the city
> Establish a 10-year framework for investing in and supporting agriculture and food justice, and identify
pathways and opportunities for the City and affiliated partners to support new and existing urban
agriculture projects, including community gardens, market farms, for-profit enterprises, and educational
programs> Outline the resources, policies, processes, and programs necessary to sustain urban agriculture in
Philadelphia for future generations> Clarify the roles that City government, nonprofit organizations, and other stakeholders should play insupporting urban agriculture, and develop recommendations for implementation and evaluation of theplan

2Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (Parks & Rec) led the plan’s development, but its success will rely on collaboration
between many City agencies, grassroots and nonprofit organizations, philanthropic partners, growers andresidents across the city. Parks & Rec is committed to working with its partners within City government andacross the city’s urban agriculture community. By implementing this plan, together, and taking into consideration
racial and economic equity when establishing food policies and programs, Philadelphia can set the precedentacross the country as a just local food system that supports urban agriculture.

Growing from the Root is a plan commissioned by the City and grounded in community organizing. Philadelphia
Parks & Recreation worked with community-based partners to co-develop the plan: Soil Generation, a Blackand Brown grassroots agroecology coalition of Philadelphia growers and advocates, and Interface Studio, a
Philadelphia-based city planning firm. This marked a new approach for Parks & Rec, bringing together planners,
Photo Credit: Sonia Galiber

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

community advocates, and City staff (i.e., public service workers)
to co-create a roadmap toward a more just local food system. The
narrative of the plan reflects the shared authorship; sometimes
it echoes the City’s voice, while at other times it captures thevoice of Philadelphians who practice and advocate for urban
agriculture.
To envision the kind of neighborhoods residents need and drive
the change that farmers and gardeners seek, Soil Generation
helped shape a culturally competent and equity-based approach toensure that the residents most impacted by the topics addressedin this plan were engaged and represented throughout theplanning process. From the outset, Parks & Rec and the project
team committed to designing a process that was racially andeconomically equitable, accessible, responsive, and resourceful.
Building a team that embodied the guiding values of this plan
took work, time, and ultimately a break in the planning process
to invest in a five-month, anti-racist facilitation process designed
by Parks & Rec’s Director of Urban Agriculture, Ash Richards. The
team entered the facilitation process to address accountability,
white supremacy cultures, and anti-Blackness within the teamand restore dignity to the internal process; resolve interpersonal
conflict; and reconcile harm through education and guided
conversations between Interface Studio and Soil Generation. The
facilitators and the process served the project well, and the end
product is not only made possible, but stronger for it.

“

As a community group, being partneredin this process was important to us because
we have participated in previous City plans
with less than adequate community input.
The City’s decision to hire a community group
to be partnered contractually with a design
firm showed insight and a step in the right
direction, but the planning process made us
realize how much work is required on our part.
During the facilitation process among theteam, we centered the importance of naming
the emotional labor required to review projectwork for anti-racism and accessibility. A planthat starts with a racial analysis and ends
with a thorough review means taking time toidentify steps and processes that ensure weare creating a plan that truly centers racial
justice and anti-racism. This also ensuresthat we are not only accounting for the“invisibilized” labor that Black, Brown, andIndigenous folks do, but also that it is valued.”—Soil Generation“

We thank
our partners
at Soil
Generation
for speaking
up about teamdynamics thatwere harming
team members
and the project’s
work. We are thankfulthat Parks & Rec and project
funders granted us the time andspace to participate in a carefully
considered process of education andreconciliation. The facilitated process helped
Interface become a better partner, helped build
a stronger team, and helped the plan embody
the project’s values of centering Black, Brown, andIndigenous voices and applying an anti-racist lens
to both the planning process and the end product.”—Interface Studio
GROWING FROM THE ROOT: PHILADELPHIA’S URBAN AGRICULTURE PLAN

3

HOW TO NAVIGATE GROWING FROM THE ROOT
Growing from the Root is a ten-year comprehensive
plan that will serve as a road map for a thriving local
food system and economy, with an urban agricultural
foundation. This introductory chapter provides an
overview of Philadelphia’s food system, describes urban
agriculture in Philadelphia today, and traces the historyof agriculture in the city through time. The second
chapter documents the public engagement processthat shaped the plan, including the communitydriven values, vision, and goals for the future of urban
agriculture in Philadelphia. The remaining chapters
focus on the elements of the food system: Land,
Production, Preparation & Distribution, Consumption,
Waste Reduction, and People. Each chapter envisions
a new way forward toward a more just, equitable, andsustainable food system. Each food system chapter
includes:> An overview of the topics covered> Why these topics are important to the foodsystem> How the City currently interacts with thiselement of the food system, including
information about what is working, criticalneeds, issues, and challenges> Potential for change and lessons learned fromother cities> Recommendations for policy, programs,
partnerships, projects, and more

FROM THE ROOT: AN INTRODUCTION

Every recommendation has a set of action steps andnames the City agencies and partners necessary
to implement. The recommendations also address
phasing, identifying short-term, mid-term, and longterm priorities. It is important to remember that eachchapter featuring a different element of the foodsystem is interrelated with the others. The chapterswork together to accomplish the goals of this plan.

4

A concluding Implementation chapter explores theinstitutional support and resources needed to takeaction on the recommendations. Altogether, this plan
provides a blueprint for the infrastructure needed tosupport those who carry out and benefit from thework of urban agriculture in Philadelphia.

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONLAND & PEOPLE,
THREADS THROUGHOUT THE PLAN
Land is central to how
Lookfarmers and gardeners inout
for thePhiladelphia understand
two
lines
that
the local food systemrunthroughtheand the role of urban
center of this book.
agriculture within
They represent land
the food system.
and people —key toPeople are the driving
understanding
every
force, holding and
part
of
the
food
contributing to all
system.
elements of the local foodsystem. Connection to land,connection to people through food, and thepractice of growing and sharing food are at
the heart of why Philadelphians value urban
agriculture.

ACCORDING TO LOCAL GROWERS (thepeople who contribute to our food system)
Urban agriculture is:> Using the land in a dense city to grow, andusing that growth to nourish communities,
continuing ancestral knowledge> Stewardship of the land by and for thepeople; remediating and improving the landthrough cultivation
Land is essential—urban agriculture:> Connects food, land, the environment, andculture across generations> Reconnects us with the land, nature,
ecology, and each other> Connects us to the land and the foodthat sustains us, and supports community
building and empowerment> Is a powerful practice in economic, climate,land, and racial justice> Can help us use land in regenerative,
collective, just, and productive ways tomitigate and/or adapt to a changing climate> Teaches respect for the land,
understanding of where food comes fromand supports healthy and sustainable living> Sustains our communities spiritually,
emotionally, and nutritionally, teaching us totake care of our land and each other.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE FOOD SYSTEM CHAPTERS
TWO LINES DOWN
THE CENTER OF THE
BOOK, REPRESENTINGLAND AND PEOPLE

THE CHAPTERTITLE

PRODUCTION

TITLESFOR EACHSECTION
OF THECHAPTERant

OVERVIEW

Many participants also emphasizedthat urban agriculture can increase
access to nourishing food and bringcommunities together. The COVID-19
pandemic led to empty grocery store
shelves, especially in disinvested
communities, where - participants said
- many residents turned toneighborhood gardens and farms toaccess quality, affordable, andnutritious foods. With the physical distancing
constraints broughton by the pandemic and the collective
heartbreak and outrage at thecontinued loss of Black lives that led
to racial justice uprisings acrossthe city and country, gardens remained
safe spaces where people could
come together to heal and take collective
action. Food-producing spaces
and organizations became ever-morecritical in feeding Philadelphia’s
population and providing safe spaces
for gathering during difficult andpainful times.

PRIORITY

Production of food, flowers, and fiber(such as hemp) requires adequate
agricultural resources. This chapterof Growing from the Root focuses onaccess to and the availability of resources
for growers, seed keepers, andstewards of land and animals. Necessary
resources include the various
inputs needed to grow food or tend
farm animals: water infrastructure,
tools, storage, organic materials (e.g.,
compost, mulch), seeds, andfarm equipment, as well as new City
legislation, code amendments, andguidelines that enable people to increase
harvests and safely raise animals
in the city.

WHY
PHILADERECOMMENDATION / LPHIA NEEDS TO INVEST
ACTION STEPION AND INFRASTR
IN PRODUCTUCTURALSUPPORT FOR AGRICULTURE

2.12
Create a “Safe Animal Keeping Guide”
for residents to ensure animal healthand prevent potential nuisancecont’d issues (e.g. noise, smells, andpests) and to provide information about
additional helpful resources (e.g. theApiary Advisory Board Best Management
PA
When
Practices).

public meeting participants were asked,“What does your
Workgarden
communitywith FPAC
and community
needto thrive?”networks
to disseminate
the majority
information about guidelines for safe
said growing
keeping.
animalmaterials(e.g., soil, seeds/seedlings, and tools)
and growing
infrastructure (e.g., raised beds, hoop
houses or greenhouses, andcompostbins), climate
followed closely
2.13 Adopt
by long-term
adaptation
andthatpoliciesland
water
andsecurity
practices
infrastructure. Participants
Philadelphia's bee,describedvarious barriers to increasingsupport the health ofbat,butterfly,
andbird populations
their production and investing in agriculturalpropagation.
infrastructure, includingfor pollination and plantlack of land security and access togrowing space.
Maintain wild areas on public parkland,
reducing the level of active management
Participantsalso describedand allowing a diversity ofblooming
the potential
plants and trees
oforderurbantoagriculture:to thrive in
mitigating
attract pollinatinginsects (bees, butterflies, etc.) that fertilize
climate change
many food
impacts
crops andsuch
as flooding,otherplants. heat islands, and biodiversity loss;
retaining stormwater and lessening
the impact on Philadelphia’s combined
Coordinate
the Tree Plan on
efforts to analyze the tree species fromsewer systems andwith
and storing
to assess theoverflows;level of diversity.
wouldotherwise be street tree and park tree inventories
Requirecarbon
diversitythat
in new
released into the atmosphere,
plantings.
a process called carbon
sequestration. All ofWork with
Philadelphia
these benefits
Water Department to incorporate pollinator
are thecore
to urban agriculturethat employs the principles ofgardens in new green stormwater
infrastructure projects.
agroecology,
which takes a holistic approach to growing
food. Agroecology
brings growing food back in harmony
with biology and the environment,
Organize
people, andan annual
our cultural
bulk
distribution
and33 wildflower
political
of native
structures.
seed mix to gardens, farms, residents,
Whereas conventionalorganizations
and community
agriculture
whoclimate
tend andexacerbates
maintainto encouragechangeandlandthescalefoodcreation
waste, smallof pollinator corridors.
urban
agriculture
thataemploys
Launchagroecology
public campaign
principles
in support
can reduceof pollinators,
both.information about how
and share

PRODUCTION

populations through plantings, avoidanceof pesticides, and provision of shadeto support bee
and water sources.

Work with the Division of Housing andCommunity Development (DHCD) andPHS to acquire permission andfunding for pollinator gardens in lots
maintained by PHS’s LandCare program.

2.14

78

Support aquaculture as a key opportunity
to steward local waterways, produce
food,
local

createPHILADELPHIA PARKSand& RECREATION jobs.

Support Fairmount Water Works' Freshwater
Mussel Hatchery and initiatives to return
Delaware River watershed where theymussels to thehelp improve and protect freshwater
systems.
Offer educational programming andresources to establish aquaponic growing
systems. Focus especially on aculturally-relevant approach to the topic,
which is grounded in ancient cultivation
traditions of Central Americaand Asia.

TYPE OFCHANGEIn addition to plants and growing spaces,

animals are a key part ofurban agriculture in Philadelphia. Many
participants indicated support
TIMELINE
for animal

LEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSBENEFITS OF SMALL GROWING SPACES

keeping in Philadelphia: nine out of every
10 participants
said they support keeping hens andbees, and three-quarters said theyGrowing incontainers, both makes gardeningthat theseanimals provide toboxes
local andecosystems,
chickens’ ability to provide
accessible
to peopleincluding outdoor
residents with affordableorprotein, bees’without
essential role in space
pollination andtools,and has environmental
propagation, and large
Operations
benefits.
Parks & Rec, FPAC,
chickens’ and goats’
ability to help naturally
Short-Term
Plantings
inwindowboxes
and movable potsreducefood waste and produce fertilizer.
Nonprofits, Grassroots
help produce local food and flowers,
absorbOrganizations
heat and CO2 in the environment, asParticipants also described
well asthe social benefits of infrastructure
Administrative, Parks & Rec, PWD, Officeprovidehabitatfor pollinators such as bees.
Short-Term
improvements. Seating, tables, outdoor
Operations"
kitchens, washing stations, andof Sustainability(Source: Plant Something
Maine / Independent
sun shelters can transformgardens from functional
growing spaces
Garden Centerof Maine)
into welcoming andcomfortable common
spaces. Walkways andraised beds can make gardens and farms
Operations
more accessible to elders andParks & Rec
Short-Termpeople with limited mobility. More permanent
infrastructure, such as
water lines, electricity, cold storage,
tool storage, and fencing, gives
growers a greater sense of permanence,withinvestments
Operations
relecting an
Parks & Rec
understanding that the land will be used
Short-Termfor agricultural purposes for theforeseeable future.
Operations

small spaces, such as window
support goats. Participants mentioned
Short-Termwide-ranging benefits

Parks & Rec

Operations

Parks & Rec, PWD,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations

Short-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec

Short-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec, Office of
Short-Term
Sustainability
Physical improvements to

Photo courtesy of Garden Gate Magazine
growing spaces

allow gardeners and farmers to increase
Administrative, Division of Housing
Short-Term
Budget& Community their production and deepen theirconnection
Development, Parks
to place.
&
Rec, Nonprofits
Partnership
PWD, Office of
Short-Term
Sustainability,
Parks & Rec
Shellfish farms of oysters, clams, andmussels, PRODUCTION
Partnership
PWD, Office of
can help restore our waterways throughShort-Term
Sustainability,

BENEFITS OF FRESHWATER MUSSELS

Parks & Rec

Operations

Parks & Rec

Medium-Term

Partnership

School District,
Cheney University

Medium-Term

PRODUCTION

Connect educational programs within
the Philadelphia School District with
the Aquaculture Research and
Education Laboratory at Cheyney University
and career pathways in science, research,and food production.

88

QUOTES FROMPARTICIPANTS
IN PUBLICENGAGEMENT“I can’t afford
to buy the foodI can grow.”—Public meeting particip

79

cleaning the water, serving as habitats
forsmaller organisms, and preventing shoreline
erosion. Further, shellfish beds can beimportant sources of local food production,
which will also create jobs.(Source: National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

BOXES WITH CASE STUDIES,LOCAL PROFILES, AND
MORE INFORMATIONPHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONGROWING FROM THE ROOT: PHILADELPHIA’S URBAN

AGRICULTURE PLAN89

HOW TO READ THE RECOMMENDATIONSTYPE OF CHANGE
PRIORITY
including administrative actions,
RECOMMENDATIONSPRODUCTION RECOMMENDATIONS

legislative change, operations
changes, budgeting adjustments,
The following recommendations aim to eliminate existing barriers and increase support for making significant
investments in food production spaces, establish
new public
programs and resources
for growers andandpartnerships.
Recommendations
growing spaces, create a more inclusive and equitable city culture around food production practices, and easeburdensome regulations on food production. The
recommendations
support threemain objectives:will needthatare currently
unfunded> Ground Philadelphia’s Urban Farming Programs and Practices in Agroecology
togothroughthestandard
budget> Make Physical Improvements to Growing Spaces More Feasible> Support Safe and Appropriate Animal Keeping
process to receive City funds.
PRIORITY

are marked with an X

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEPLEAD
AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

needed to accomplish
the recommendation,with the lead including short-term
agencies(one to two years),listed first and medium-term (three topartners next five years), and longterm (six to ten years)
TYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Establish an Office of Urban Agriculture within the Department of Parks andRecreation to provide centralized support for growers, and coordinate with City
agencies and partners to implement the plan and track progress.

Administrative Parks & Rec, Mayor's
Office, City Council,
Finance, Office ofSustainability

Short-Term

Increase the number of permanent positions dedicated to local food production and policy, and advocate forand implement urban agriculture related programs and policies.

BudgetCity Council, Finance,
Parks & Rec

Short-Term

Administer an operational budget for Parks & Recreation’s Farm Philly program to expand and sustain its
programs, including but not limited to improving, expanding, or relocating the Carousel House Farm (i.e., Parks& Rec’s public education and production farm).

BudgetCity Council, Finance,
Parks & Rec

Medium-Term

Engage directly with gardeners and farmers to provide information about, including, but not limited to,accessing land, education and training programs, permitting, zoning, soil safety, ongoing maintenanceresponsibilities, and free or low cost resources.

Operations

Parks & Rec, Office of
Short-Term
Sustainability, School
District, Nonprofits,
Grassroots Organizations

Manage a Land Access Program that would provide long-term affordable leases on public park land for
growers citywide. For more, see Land recommendation 1.1

Administrative Parks & Rec

Ground Philadelphia’s Urban Farming Programs and Practices in Agroecology andDevelop Resources, Facilities, and Partnerships that Directly Support Agriculture
Activities in Philadelphia

X

2.1

WHAT IS VOLUNTARY
TO A TRIBAL NATION

Such a payment is a con
debt paid in acknowledg
expropriation and geno
opportunity that can beexchange for services.

CASE STUDY:

SOGOREA TE LAND T

Sogorea Te Land Trust island trust led by Indigenthe San Francisco Bay Ar
return Indigenous land t
and Karkin Ohlone peopl
demonstrates how CLTsor “rematriate” land backcommunities. Sogorea T
from the legacies of colo
At the Lisjan farm site, In
cultivate traditional andalongside fruits and vege
rainwater catchment sys
gallons of potable water
also accepts a Shuumi La
annual contribution thatpeople living on tradition
territory make to supportrust.

Medium-Termabout an acronym or the definition of terms such as
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY...? Wondering
agroecology,
food sovereignty, and rematriation?
SEE APPENDIXC.
Build relationships to explore opportunities for Cultural Heritage Conservation Easements and agreements,
Operations
Parks & Rec, Indigenous
Short-Term

ODUCTION

which would allow for Native American and Indigenous access to park land for cultural purposes (e.g.,
foraging, ceremonies, gatherings). Work with the Lenni-Lenape communities located in Pennsylvania,
Delaware, the Ramapough Lenape Nation in New Jersey, the Delaware Tribe in Oklahoma, and the Delaware
Tribes of the diaspora in Wisconsin and Canada, as well as other Indigenous groups to promote Native/
Indigenous food sovereignty and traditional food ways and agriculture practices within the city.

leaders and communities

Administrative Mayor’s Policy Office,Short-Term
GROWING FROM THE ROOT:PHILADELPHIA’S
Parks & Rec URBAN AGRICULTURE PLAN

Study best practices from other cities that have established a practice of paying a voluntary land tax to local
Indigenous nations or organizations in recognition of current access to stolen Indigenous land. For more, see
https://nativegov.org/news/voluntary-land-taxes

5

Visit https://sogoreate-landtr

RECONCEPTUALIZING PHILADELPHIA’S FOOD SYSTEM
Generally defined, a food system is the networkof mechanisms that produce, prepare, distribute,consume, and dispose of food. Even in the mostbasic of understandings, food systems are complex
and interrelated, shaped by land, climate, policy, andpeople, and directly impacting the health and wellnessof communities, the local economy, and regional
ecosystems.
According to the Delaware Valley Regional Planning
Commission’s Greater Philadelphia Food System study,
the Philadelphia region’s population “consumes mostof what is grown in or near the metropolitan area,
does not have enough land to meet the demand, and isincreasingly dependent on food sources farther away.”1
Further challenges in our current food system include
hazardous growing practices that rely on chemicals
and monocultures, extreme food waste, and labor
exploitation of farm workers in the region.
How, where, and by whom food is produced, prepared,
distributed, consumed, and disposed of cannot be
considered in isolation. To nurture a more just local
food system and improve each of these steps, theentire food system must be considered, and urban
agriculture has an important role to play.

Illustration of a traditional food system
Image courtesy of UC Davis Sustainable Agriculture
Research and Education Program

Inspired by the Fibonacci spiral, also known as a sacred spiral, which occurs in nature at a range of scales—fromshells, ferns, flowers, and vegetables to entire galaxies—Growing from the Root conceptualizes Philadelphia’s
food system as a spiral, as opposed to the traditional circular food system. This adaptation of the food system
structure offers several important benefits:

FROM THE ROOT: AN INTRODUCTION> The interconnected framework positions land at the center and people as the force that moves andholds the food system. Both are fundamental to how the system has functioned throughout timeand key to unlocking a more just, equitable, and sustainable food system.
> Just as the spiral opens, there is space for evolution within this version of the food system. Since
it is not a closed loop, there is room for change and an opening that welcomes new people andfuture generations to the cycle.
> Every element of the food system is interrelated. Each part of the cycle informs the others and is inconstant dialogue with people and constant relationship to land.

6

The Fibonnaci Spiral is named for the Italian mathematician
who discovered this naturally occurring number sequence,
which represents a universal pattern of growth and evolution.

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONFIGURE 1. Philadelphia’s Food System

This representation of Philadelphia’s food system contains six elements: (1) Land; (2) Production;(3) Preparation and Distribution; (4) Consumption; (5) Waste Reduction; and (6) People.

Photo Credit: all photos provided by Philadelphia Parks & Recreation except the image of peppers courtesy of PHS

GROWING FROM THE ROOT: PHILADELPHIA’S URBAN AGRICULTURE PLAN

7

UNRAVELING PHILADELPHIA’S FOOD SYSTEM
Growing from the Root unravels the spiral of Philadelphia’s food system to take a closer look at each interconnected element.

LAND
Land and land care are both central to food production.
Within the food system, land provides the physical space and nutrient-rich soil necessary
for cultivation. Land provides natural habitat, food that sustains people and animals,
shade that cools communities, storage for carbon (CO2) in the soil, and a means toabsorb stormwater. Land fosters cultural connections to ancestors and their practices, aswell as connections to cultural traditions. It hosts places that bring people together andcreates economic opportunities that support livelihoods. People care for the land so theland may sustain not only people today but also the generations to come.

PRODUCTION
Production is the act of cultivating crops, growing food, and raising animals.
Agricultural production starts from seed and continues through to harvest—and manyof these step require land and soil. Practices of growing food, keeping seeds, and raising
animals for food production are cultural—evidence of knowledge passed down andtraditions carried on. These practices are practical and economical—creating access tonutritious, chemical-free food and business enterprises.

PREPARATION & DISTRIBUTION
FROM THE ROOT: AN INTRODUCTION

Preparation and Distribution are about how food moves and changes as it
transitions from production to consumption.

8

Preparation and distribution includes the processing (e.g., harvesting and washing crops,
butchering), packaging, storing, transporting, cooking, and serving of food. Dependingon the food and where it was grown, harvested, sold, and distributed, food may travel
many miles and be touched by many hands before it is consumed.

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONCONSUMPTION
Consumption is the act of gathering food, eating food, and gaining access to food.
While people engage with all elements of the food system, all people engage with thisparticular element because all people need to eat. Consumption is not only about eating
food, but also where people find that food, be it in gardens, nature, farms, farmers’markets, corner stores, supermarkets, or food pantries. Consumption requires physicaland economic access to food, and all people deserve choice in the foods they consume.

FOOD WASTE
Waste management presents opportunities to reduce, recycle, and repurpose theby-products of food production, preparation, distribution, and consumption.
Food waste reduction can take the form of composting food scraps (e.g., eggshells,
banana peels, apple cores) and other organic materials (e.g., horse manure, leaves, lawnclippings, and straw) and returning their nutrients to the soil. Reduction can take theform of recovering and redirecting expiring or excess food from groceries, restaurants,
and homes to people in need. Repurposed food waste brings value to other elementsof the food system (e.g., compost for gardens and farms). This element supports thesustainability of the food system and a healthier environment.

PEOPLE
People and labor are the power that runs each part of Philadelphia’s food system.
People grow and harvest crops. People process, prepare, and serve the food that is eaten.
People distribute and deliver food and supplies. People draft, implement, and enforce
policies and programs that shape the food system. All people consume food and create
food waste.

GROWING FROM THE ROOT: PHILADELPHIA’S URBAN AGRICULTURE PLAN

9

GUIDING VALUES
Growing from the Root advances five guiding values that are the foundation of the plan’s vision for Philadelphia’s
food system. These values and the vision for the future are built from the words and ideas of growers andgardeners across the city. They reflect a belief that farming in Philadelphia not only produces food, but also
generates social, cultural, environmental, and economic benefits. With these values, Growing from the Root
proposes a new way to look at our food system:
HEALTH AND WELLNESSSupport access to nourishing, chemical-free food, which is essential for community
wellbeing, and sustain gardens as vital spaces for food production and community
gathering, bonding, and healing.
RACIAL AND ECONOMIC EQUITY

Combat the cycle of land-based oppression and the systems of power that havedisempowered, exploited, and extracted from Black, Indigenous, and people of color(BIPOC) by centering their voices and experiences.2
CULTURE

Honor cultural heritage and traditional and ancestral growing practices, which
reinforce and sustain each other.
CLIMATE RESILIENCE

Take climate action to support a local food system that increases access tonourishing chemical-free food, restores soil quality, mitigates the urban heat effect,
manages stormwater, and reduces food waste and transportation costs.
TRUTH AND POTENTIAL IN HISTORICAL NARRATIVESFROM THE ROOT: AN INTRODUCTION

Frame today’s realities through the lens of structural racism, and pull from pastexamples while exploring new policies, programs, and possibilities.

Along with the five guiding values, Growing fromthe Root’s vision for Philadelphia’s food system takes
direction from the principles of agroecology, which
are woven throughout this plan. Agroecology is “anintegrated approach that simultaneously applies
ecological and social concepts and principles to thedesign and management of food and agricultural
systems. It seeks to optimize the interactions between
plants, animals, humans, and the environment while
taking into consideration the social aspects thatneed to be addressed for a sustainable and fair foodsystem.”3 Agroecology is also about place, community,
and self-determination through land. People who growfood understand that “growing with a garden” is afundamental principle and experience. Growers pay
attention to the needs of the plants they are growing
and learn over time what conditions work best. The
results are nourishing food crops, medicines, aromatics
and seeds, all influenced by the grower’s care, respect,
and labor throughout the plant’s growing cycle.

10

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

Finally, this plan aims to begin restoring integrity
to how we are in relationship with the land and theLenni-Lenape people here in Philadelphia. It does
so first and foremost within this plan’s vision, byreturning to the understanding that the land is living.
As residents care for the land, the land cares forresidents and communities; the health of Philadelphia,
its neighborhoods, and planet Earth depend in parton this balanced relationship. However, understanding
alone cannot remedy the historic injustices inflictedon the Lenni-Lenape people. Members of the LenniLenape tribal nation still grow food in this region andare still present. Strategies to advance efforts towards
justice for tribal peoples are necessary and important.
This plan takes a small step towards justice for tribal
peoples, but there is still a lot of work to be done. See
page 85 for examples from other cities of strategies toadvance this goal.

VISION FOR THE FUTURE
Based on the guiding values and community input collected
through the planning process, Growing from the Root proposes thefollowing vision for Philadelphia’s food future.
Together, Philadelphia envisions a food future in which:> All People have access to nutritious, safe, locally grown foodthat they want to eat, when they want or need it.
> All communities have access to Land on which to garden andgrow food, land security so that they may remain on that land,
invest in their growing spaces, and have a shared commitment tocare for the land in gratitude for all that it provides.
> The City and all communities recognize the practices of
Production - of seed keeping, growing food or other crops, andraising animals - as necessary functions within the city. These
acts are given space to thrive and supported by local regulations
and policies for the many economic, environmental, health, andcommunity benefits they offer.
> The City and communities support local Preparation andDistribution of food, incubating an urban agriculture economy
that drives community-based business and job growth, job
training and living wages for workers in the farm industry, foodservice, and nonprofit sectors, and new public resources forprocessing and transporting agricultural goods within the cityand region.
> All neighborhoods offer residents agency in the foods theychoose to Consume, whether they are growing their own food,foraging for edible plants and fungi within the city’s landscape,or buying food from nearby farms, farmers’ markets and stores.
> All residents can deepen their connection to the Earth, to theirfood, and to each other with opportunities to Reduce Food Waste
by preventing or repurposing food waste and by participating in afood system that is more efficient and sustainable.
> All People can engage in the food system, with opportunities to learn,
practice, and teach agricultural skills in their own communities, make alivelihood in agriculture or related fields, preserve and honor their cultures,and heal and build community by reconnecting to the land and practicing selfdetermination.

Continued collaboration between the City, residents, and community advocates will be required tomake this vision for a racially and economically just food system in Philadelphia a reality. Real progress
will require removing barriers that hinder urban agriculture and investing in community-driven solutions.
Supporting policy changes, public programs, and funding, and making necessary resources and facilities
available to farmers and gardeners will be critical. Tracking change will require a system for accountability andmeasuring progress and ultimately allow for a more just local food system to thrive.
GROWING FROM THE ROOT: PHILADELPHIA’S URBAN AGRICULTURE PLAN

11

A COMMUNITY-INFORMED DEFINITION OF URBAN AGRICULTURE
Urban agriculture, commonly known as urban
farming, community gardening, or foraging, refers to
growing plants, rearing animals, or harvesting whatgrows naturally, to produce food within a city. Urban
agriculture is integral to every part of the local foodsystem, and it can include food production, marketing,
distribution, sale, and sharing within the city.

with ancestral practices, and with family histories.
It encompasses a range of economic opportunities:
community-based work and job creation, nonprofit
initiatives, private and cooperative businessenterprises, and the public sector’s role in supporting
living wage jobs in agriculture and agriculture-related
fields. Urban agriculture means tending to the healthof people and the planet, and working to restore the
The definition of urban agriculture for this plan alsosoil, improve air and water quality, mitigate heat andextends beyond food. Urban agriculture means building flood risk, and reduce waste. And it means doing all ofcommunity with neighbors, cultivating wellness andthese things right here, in all neighborhoods acrosswellbeing, and learning, teaching, and passing down
Philadelphia.
knowledge. It means connecting with the Earth,

HELP USHELP USDEFINE URBAN AGRICULTURE

DEFINE URBAN AGRICULTURE
URBAN
AGRICULTURE
byDEFINE
describing
it in yourown words on the cards
HELP USby describing it in your own words on the cards[1] How do you define urban agriculture?

by describing it in your own words on the cards[1] How do you define urban agriculture?

[2] What do you value about urban agriculture?

[1] How do you define urban agriculture?
[2] What do you value about urban agriculture?

FROM THE ROOT: AN INTRODUCTION[2] What do you value about urban agriculture?

12

Participants in the first public meeting wrote down how they define urban agriculture and what they value
about it. The photo shows some of the responses.
PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

This broad and community-informed definition ofurban agriculture was shaped by over 180 statements
submitted by participants in Growing from the Root’s
first public meeting, representing Philadelphia’s diverse
urban agriculture population. Participants’ submissions
emphasize the importance of food access, land access,and the benefits that stem from coming together tolearn and share as culturally diverse communities. They
speak to human relationships to the natural world
around us, to history, culture, livelihood, and selfdetermination—the freedom and ability to take action
with purpose.

IN THE WORDS OF GROWERS FROM ACROSS THE CITY, URBAN AGRICULTURE IS:“green space that ispermanent, protected,
and public for growing
and gathering/building
community. a space to producefood for neighbors, and aplace to learn together. A
place where nature is valued
and respected.”“[a tradition that]
promotes community
building and healing,
and pushes us to think
about ouR position ass,environmental steward
l
cia
so
r
ou
and lastly
responsibility to one
another.”“[A practice that] breeds
resistance throughcommunity controlof our backyards andthe open green spacesthat still exist undercapitalism.”“[a practice that]will carry us into a
more just, sustainable
future, should wechoose to invest in it.”“sharing. during the
pandemic, I was able toprovide eggs to elderly
neighbors who could not
get to a store or the store
was out.”“the cultural, economic,
historical, educational,
intergenerational
practice of growing
food, preserving food,cooking food, andsharing food in a city.”“agriculture thatis accessible toanyone in the city.”“[a process that] gives agency
to individuals over their lives,health, and well-being.
it helps people understandwhat it takes to grow foodand puts a higher value on
the food they purchase.
it roots us in our past andthe lived experience thatmany of us have had and wantto keep up with in urban
environments.”- Quotes from the first public meeting

GROWING FROM THE ROOT: PHILADELPHIA’S URBAN AGRICULTURE PLAN

13

A SNAPSHOT OF URBAN AGRICULTURE IN PHILADELPHIAFIGURE 2. Map of Active Gardens, Farms, and Other 			Urban Agriculture Spaces in 20204

active urban~450 known
agricultural spaces
spread across more

FROM THE ROOT: AN INTRODUCTION

~130

14

than 900 parcels
acres of agricultural
space in total

BY THE NUMBERS: THE FOOTPRINT OF URBAN AGRICULTURE IN PHILADELPHIA TODAY5> Individual Gardens
84 spaces / 3 acres> Community Gardens 193 spaces / 58 acres> Community Farms
71 spaces / 51 acres> Market Farms
10 spaces / 2 acres> Institutional Gardens 12 spaces / 6 acres

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION> School Gardens
38 spaces / 5 acres> Social Gardens
29 spaces / 5 acres> Orchards (stand-alone) 10 spaces / 1 acre
> Other / Unknown
7 spaces / 2 acres

IN PHILADELPHIA, URBAN AGRICULTURE IS:

FIGURE 3. Range of Urban Agriculture Activities in Philadelphia

GROWING FROM THE ROOT: PHILADELPHIA’S URBAN AGRICULTURE PLAN

15

PHILADELPHIA GROWING SPACES
Individual Gardens are run by

one person, family, or business. They
are typically private and production is
generally for personal use. Individual
gardens are often located on an
individual’s home property or sideyard.

Community Gardens containindividual plots for use by community
members. They are generally publicly
accessible or open to the community
members who maintain plots.
Growing Home Garden
Source: PA Department of Agriculture,
Commonwealth Media Services

Community Farms take a unified
approach to the management ofplanting raised rows, instead ofindividual plots. They are often run
by community organizations, groups,
or nonprofits, and crops are often
shared or sold locally.

Mill Creek Farm
Source: www.millcreekurbanfarm.org

Market Farms are businessenterprises that produce crops, seeds,
or flowers for sale. They can be run by
an individual (with workers) or by acooperative of farmers.

FROM THE ROOT: AN INTRODUCTION

Germantown Kitchen Garden
Source: www.facebook.com

16

Social Gardens are green or open

spaces that function primarily as asocial space for community use. They
are not necessarily food-producing.
Hicks Street Garden
Source: www.facebook.com

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

Growing from the Root classifies growing spaces into ten garden types.

Institutional Gardens are run

by places of worship, hospitals,
libraries, prisons, universities, or otherinstitutions (excluding K-12 schools).
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia(CHOP) Sea Garden
Source: www.chop.edu

School Gardens are run by a K–12
school, generally on school property.
They are generally used by students
and teachers, with some access forparents, other known and trusted
individuals, or community members
who help maintain the garden.

Gideon Elementary Garden
Source: www.phila.gov

Food Forests/Orchards

are cultivated edible landscapes
producing fruits, nuts, and otherperennial crops. Other city spaces likepublic right-of-way, parks, and othernatural areas may also include edible
and medicinal plants sought by people
knowledgeable about foraging.
Source: www.phillyorchards.org

Indoor Agriculture andRooftop Gardens may employ

vertical growing techniques,hydroponics, aquaponics, and othermethods within or on top of buildings.
They may be run by individuals,
institutions, nonprofits, businessenterprises, or other entities.
Aquaponics in Adaire School’s Science Lab
Photo Credit: Michaela Winberg for Billy Penn

Agricultural Uses include otherfarming activities such as greenhouses,
nursery crop cultivation, raising
animals (e.g., bees, goats, hogs, hens,
and cows), large animal veterinary
facilities, and agricultural support
services (e.g., farm machinery
equipment, organic materials orcompost facilities).
Milling Trees at Organics Recycling Center
Source: Philadelphia Parks & Rec

GROWING FROM THE ROOT: PHILADELPHIA’S URBAN AGRICULTURE PLAN

17

THE BENEFITS OF URBAN AGRICULTURE IN PHILADELPHIA
Philadelphia’s urban agricultural spaces provide a wide
range of benefits, both to the people who tend them,
who find community and nourishment there, and tothe city overall. These productive green spaces support
climate resiliency and a healthier environment, thelocal economy, and health and wellness. They support

FROM THE ROOT: AN INTRODUCTION

FIGURE 4. The Benefits of Urban Agriculture

18

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

food sovereignty and food justice work undertaken byneighbors for neighbors. In Philadelphia and elsewhere,
urban agricultural spaces are an integral part of ahealthy neighborhood, co-existing with existing land
uses and complementing potential new affordable
housing and equitable development.

LOCAL PROFILESFOOD JUSTICE IN ACTION
Gardens in Philadelphia have for generations told the story of Black communities escaping sharecroppingand Jim Crow in the South and bringing farming traditions to Philadelphia. Similarly, immigrants to thiscity have sustained cultural connections and traditions through growing. The formation of food justicespaces and organizations led by these communities have been instrumental in providing food production
support in their communities.
> Glenwood Green Acres, a 3.5-acre space in North Philadelphia,
is considered one of the city’s nine Keystone Gardens—a special
designation from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS)for gardens “distinguished by their large size, longevity, andcommitment.” In existence for over 30 years, it is the largest
preserved community garden, and one of the oldest. Growers
cultivate heritage vegetables like collard greens, lettuce, peppers,
eggplant, squash, string beans, okra, and blackberries. Started
by a husband and wife who were gardeners and lived across thestreet, the garden remains active today, with many Black elders
still tending their plots and sharing knowledge, produce, andstories with the next generation of growers.6> VietLead is a grassroots community organization serving theVietnamese and Southeast Asian communities in Philadelphia andSouth Jersey. Its Farm and Food Sovereignty Program stems froma belief that “the land provides refugees and immigrants alongwith other communities of color a source of self-determination
through growing and cooking fresh cultural foods.” At two local
garden sites, the group facilitates intergenerational relationships
between youth and elders, grounds participants in the “historyof our plant-cestors and people ancestors,” and fosters mental,
physical, and emotional health among “descendants of a people
impacted by war and trauma.”7> Beginning in 1973, Norris Square Neighborhood Project(NSNP) has created and fostered places of gathering, culturalvision, and resiliency for the Puerto Rican community of
Kensington and beyond. Through its network of six gardens,
including Las Parcelas, all dedicated to Puerto Rican cultural
heritage and the delivery of youth programming. NSNP continues
to embody and reflect the cultural wisdom that is deeply rooted
in community and intergenerational relationships therein. NSNP
values the cultivation of young leaders in and around Norris
Square, and endeavors to prepare these youth for a future inwhich art, agriculture, technology, and cultural awareness can beleveraged for individual agency and community prosperity.
Top: Eddie Corbitt, of Germantown, waters his plot at Glenwood Green Acres (Photo courtesy of Akira Suwa for The
Philadelphia Inquirer).
Middle: Students gather at Furness Community School Garden as part of VietLead’s Farm and Food Sovereignty
Program (Photo courtesy of VietLead, www.vietlead.org).
Bottom: The late Tomasita Romero and Iris Brown standing in front of the Casita at Las Parcelas; co- creators of Las
Parcelas, Villa Africana Colobo, Raíces, La Paz, El Batey and Butterfly gardens in Norris Square, and leaders of theoriginal group of women activists. (Photo courtesy of Historical Society of Pennsylvania, www.philaplace.org).

GROWING FROM THE ROOT: PHILADELPHIA’S URBAN AGRICULTURE PLAN

19

WHY GROWING FOOD IN PHILADELPHIA IS NECESSARY
In many parts of the city, growing food is a necessity,
as nutritious, affordable food sources are limitedby historical disinvestment and structural andenvironmental racism. Indeed, in Philadelphia—where
nearly one-quarter of the population (over 350,000
people) lives in poverty, surviving on less than $25,000
per year for a family of four8—part of the food accessequation is the cost of food.

active gardens and farms are located~70% ofin20high-poverty
areas where more thanpercent of the population lives below
the poverty levelin high-poverty areas where the~67% arepopulation of people of color is greaterthan 50 percent

FIGURE 5. Map of Poverty and Black, Indigenous, People of Color(BIPOC) Residents with Garden Locations Overlaid

FROM THE ROOT: AN INTRODUCTION

of

20

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONIn Philadelphia, 78 percent of Black residents and80 percent of Spanish-speaking residents live inhigh poverty areas. Data on active garden and farm
locations show that they are located predominantly inthese high-poverty, Black, Indigenous, people of color(BIPOC) neighborhoods, especially in North, West,and South Philadelphia. About two out of every three
active gardens and farms in the city are in Racially
Concentrated Areas of Poverty (RCAPs), where over 50
percent of residents are BIPOC and over 20 percent live
below the poverty line. This affirms the role of urban

agriculture in providing essential food, especially in
low income BIPOC communities where need is direand food stores do not provide enough access tofresh produce. According to the Department of Public
Health’s 2019 Neighborhood Food Retail Study, inroughly half of the city’s Census Block Groups havefewer than one in every 10 food stores sell fresh fruits
and vegetables.9 While gardens and farms could play arole in providing produce in those low-produce areas,
only 20 percent of low-produce Block Groups have atleast one active garden or farm.

FIGURE 6. Map of Access to Stores Selling Fresh

Produce, with Current Garden Locations

Block Groups have a very
~50% oflow
proportion of food storesthat sell fresh produce (fewer
than 1 in 10)

GROWING FROM THE ROOT: PHILADELPHIA’S URBAN AGRICULTURE PLAN

21

With land insecurity the number one issue forPhiladelphia growers, the future of many active andessential growing spaces is uncertain. A full third are inareas with the highest intensity of new construction,
making them vulnerable to demolition and/or
redevelopment.

In fact, some gardens and farms have been lost to new
development, which poses immense risks to gardensthat do not have secure ownership; some have been
demolished, only to remain vacant; and some are
overgrown and overlooked today, after programs andresources that once supported community use of
these spaces ended.

FIGURE 7. Map of the Density of New Residential Building Permits, 2008-2018,with Active Garden Locations Overlaid

FROM THE ROOT: AN INTRODUCTION

gardens or farms
are in areas with the
1 in 3 active
highest intensity of new

22

construction

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

More than half (54%) of participants polled during theplanning process said they know of a garden that iscurrently threatened, and 46 percent know of a garden
that has already been lost due a range of reasons
including demolition by land owners, redevelopment,
and burnout or departure of garden leaders. An
analysis of 2019 data from the Philadelphia Garden
Data Collaborative, supplemented by data from theplanning team and participants in public engagement,

revealed a loss of over 140 known gardens andfarms that were in existence and documented in theCommunity Gardening in Philadelphia 2008 Harvest
Report by Drs. Domenic Vitiello and Michael Nairn
of The University of Pennsylvania.10 The data also
identifies new gardens that have taken root in the years
since 2008, so the data does not show a net loss ofover 140 gardens over this time period. Nonetheless,issues of land insecurity remain the number one issue
for farmers and gardeners citywide.

FIGURE 8. Map of Lost Gardens and Farms, 2008-2019

gardens and farms
in Philadelphia have been
140+ known
lost since 2008GROWING FROM THE ROOT: PHILADELPHIA’S URBAN AGRICULTURE PLAN

23

Lost and Threatened Gardens cards (e.g., the image to the right)
were available at the first public meeting. Each completed cardallowed the Planning Team to verify and update the Philadelphia
Garden Data Collaborative database. The insights shared also helped
better understand current threats and what was lost and why.
ing
“I remember the joy of eat e,vinthefresh snow peas offrries,
snacking on fresh raspbe
l of
ful
r
eze
fre
my
g
and makinter.
win
fresh pesto to last all
the
ing
ter
My toddler loved wa
. . A
.
ch.
mu
so
it
garden. I miss
the
ht
ug
bo
C
NY
m
fro
developer
land.”—Public meeting participant

ABOUT PHILADELPHIA’S GARDEN DATATRACKING THE FOOTPRINT OF URBAN AGRICULTURE OVER TIMEFROM THE ROOT: AN INTRODUCTION

The maps and statistics about Philadelphia’s agricultural spaces presented in this plan rely on
September 2019 community garden data provided to the Planning Team by the Philadelphia Garden
Data Collaborative (PGDC). The Planning Team updated the database to reflect current conditions andreturned the data to PGDC in October 2021 for ongoing stewardship. Years of study, data collection, andtracking preceded Growing from the Root’s data analysis. Below is a summary:

24> Penn State Extension’s first garden coordinator, Libby Goldstein, reports 501 community vegetablegardens supported by Penn State Extension in 1994.11> Community Gardening in Philadelphia 2008 Harvest Report by Drs. Domenic Vitiello and Michael Nairn
of The University of Pennsylvania documents a decline in food producing community gardens from 501 in
1994 to 226 in 2008. The authors based their analysis on a list of over 600 possible garden sites received
from Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) and Penn State Agricultural Extension; rigorous groundtruthing verified 226 food producing community gardens, a 54% decline since 1994.
> Vitiello and Nairn entrust their data to Amy Laura Cahn at the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia(PILCOP)’s Garden Justice Legal Initiative (GJLI), founded in 2011, which begins advocacy to preserve andprotect local growing spaces by pursuing land security for existing gardens and farms.
> The Philadelphia Garden Data Collaborative forms in 2016, with PILCOP, PHS, Neighborhood Gardens
Trust (NGT), Haverford College, Villanova University, and community growers (today, Soil Generation)
working together to combine the 2008 Harvest Report data with PHS’s newest garden list and a variety
of other sources. PGDC members then begin a lengthy process of cleaning the data, removing duplicates,
fixing errors, and identifying gardens lost over time. NGT hires The Reinvestment Fund (TRF) to produce
an initial map of community garden locations and parcels. Faculty and student research assistants
at Haverford College complete the mapping and data cleaning effort, and the Collaborative’s partnerorganizations, supported by student labor from Haverford, Villanova, and Temple, ground-truth the newgarden database and join it to parcel data from the Philadelphia Water Department. PGDC members
update this database periodically, with notable contributions from Dr. Craig Borowiak of Haverford College
and Dr. Peleg Kremer of Villanova University.
> The Growing from the Root Planning Team begins with PGDC’s community garden database and adds
2019 Philadelphia Food System data collected by Dr. Kremer on Institutional Gardens, Urban Farms, andOrchards, 2020 Philadelphia Orchard Project locations, 2020 NGT Owned and Leased Property data, and2020 PHS CityHarvest data, plus survey data collected from participants at the first Growing from the Rootpublic meeting. This is the data represented in the plan and returned to PGDC.

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONPLANTING THE SEEDS FOR PHILADELPHIA’SFIRST URBAN AGRICULTURE PLAN
For well over a decade, growers, community advocates,
nonprofits, and Philadelphia City staff and elected
officials have called for more support for urban
agriculture and more investment to build an equitable
and sustainable food system. Currently, the foodsystem continues to underserve residents who live
in neighborhoods with high concentrations of deep
poverty and low-to-no walkable access to food markets.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, over 18
percent of Philadelphians lack access to enough foodfor a healthy, active life.12
Land insecurity, hunger, and food-related illnesses, suchas diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease,disproportionately affect the city’s BIPOC communities,
which make up more than half the population.
Systemic structural, racial, and socioeconomic barriers
prevent communities from being able to create andself-determine their own food systems. Meaningfulchange requires systemic solutions that address theroot causes of harmful cycles and patterns.

“not sufficient to meet Greater Philadelphia’s consumer
demand.”14 The DVRPC study highlighted a “deficit ofnearly 2.8 million acres of farmland that would beneeded to supply the current population,”15 and theneed for “a plan for a more sustainable and resilient
food system... [with] recommendations for different
audiences, ranging from federal and state policymakers
to county planners, and from nonprofit service
providers to individuals.”16

Today, the effort to ensure that all Philadelphians
have access to fresh, nourishing, and affordable
food is simultaneously losing and gaining ground.
Zoning changes in 2012 made gardening and farming
permissible activities on most land in the city, andthe 2013 Philadelphia Land Bank Law identified urban
agriculture as a priority community beneficial use forvacant land. In 2016, City Council voted to approve astormwater fee discount for gardens. However, thisevidence of forward progress and demonstration of
support for urban agriculture within the City, contrasts
with ongoing concerns about access to land for
growing food in Philadelphia.

Part of the problem is a lack of direction, investment,
and coordination at the city, state, and federal level
necessary to support a thriving urban agriculturecommunity. Presently, philanthropic resources also do
not meet the growing needs of the urban agriculturecommunity. Growing from the Root, Philadelphia’surban agriculture plan, is an opportunity to addresssome of the challenges of the current food systemwith strategies to encourage a more localized foodeconomy.

In 2008, University of Pennsylvania researchersreported that the number of community gardens in
Philadelphia declined by 54 percent between 1994
and 2008.13 This study, along with the Delaware Valley
Regional Planning Commission’s (DVRPC) 2010 Greater
Philadelphia Food System report, solidified the needfor more advocacy around growing food and land
access in Philadelphia. DVRPC’s study concluded thatthe food supply in the region’s 100-mile foodshed is

It has taken time and dedication both within City
government and through community organizing to
lay the groundwork and build the political will for
the City’s first urban agriculture plan. In 2008, thenMayor Michael Nutter pledged to make Philadelphia
the greenest city in America, creating the Office ofSustainability and establishing the Philadelphia Food
Charter by executive order. The charter affirmed
the City’s commitment to developing coordinatedmunicipal food and urban agriculture policy, andproviding safe, affordable, locally grown, and healthy
food for all Philadelphians.

GROWING FROM THE ROOT: PHILADELPHIA’S URBAN AGRICULTURE PLAN

25

In 2009, the Office of Sustainability published its firstGreenworks plan, targeting an improved local foodsystem with urban agriculture as a key component ofa more sustainable city. In 2011, the Philadelphia City
Planning Commission published Philadelphia2035,
which wrote urban agriculture into the citywide vision.
Also in 2011, the Office of Sustainability together
with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (Parks & Rec),
created the Philadelphia Food Policy Advisory Council(FPAC), a diverse body of volunteer local and regional
stakeholders appointed to advise the City in efforts tocreate a more just food system.

As the Land Bank operationalized, development
continued to threaten and destroy gardens andfarms. In early 2016, Soil Generation—a Black- andBrown-led grassroots coalition of growers—organizedalongside other community organizations, gardeners,
farmers, nonprofits, city agencies, and FPAC to bringover 100 advocates to testify at City Council’s first
Urban Agriculture Public Hearing. At the hearing,Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, chair of theCommittee on the Environment, said: “I have struggled
as I sit here, trying to figure out and remember thelast time we had an audience of witnesses, testifiers,
and advocates that were as richly diverse—in terms ofage, in terms of cross-sections of the city, in terms of
ethnicity, in terms of energy and enthusiasm.”21 The
collective voice of the community helped build support
for urban agriculture and raise awareness that a plan
was needed.

FROM THE ROOT: AN INTRODUCTION

While institutional change was afoot within City Hall,
farmers, gardeners, and urban agriculture advocatesacross the City were organizing, educating, andcampaigning for more sweeping change. Youth foodjustice leaders presented the Youth Food Bill of Rights
at the National Constitution Center, naming their rights
to “culturally affirming foods,” “nutrition education,”and “healthy foods in school.” The Public Interest Law
Center, a nonprofit law firm that fights for Philadelphia
communities facing discrimination, inequality, andpoverty,17 launched the Garden Justice Legal Initiative(GJLI) in 2011 to provide pro bono legal support togardens and farms at risk of losing their land, and tooffer community education.18

Meanwhile, a diverse coalition of advocates, among
them the Campaign to Take Back Vacant Land
Coalition, Garden Justice Legal Initiative, Healthy Foods
Green Spaces, and the Philly Land Bank Alliance worked
to pass the Philadelphia Land Bank Law19 through theCity Council in 2013. Successful advocacy helped pave
the way for the new Land Bank, empowered to “return
vacant and underutilized property to productive
use through a unified, predictable, and transparent
process,” including urban agriculture. The first Land
Bank Strategic Plan, published in 2015, identified sevenprimary goals to guide Land Bank activity, among
them to “reinforce open space initiatives and urban
agriculture.”20

Prior City plans identified the need for urban agriculture and preservation of growing spaces in Philadelphia, helping to set
the stage for Growing from the Root. Above are images of these plans, including the original Greenworks Philadelphia Vision
Plan (2009), Philadelphia 2035 Citywide Vision (2011), and the original Philadelphia Land Bank Strategic Plan (2015).

26

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

In 2017, FPAC appointed and ex officio members
began laying the groundwork for the creation of an
Urban Agriculture Plan. FPAC contracted with Corajus(Coalition for Racial Justice) to survey the needs ofgrowers, residents who raise agricultural animals,
neighborhood leaders, nonprofits, and City agencies.
Over 300 Philadelphia residents participated.
In the years since, responsibility for carrying out foodpolicy work within the City has been broadly sharedacross departments including Philadelphia Parks &Recreation, the Department of Public Health, Office ofSustainability and FPAC. FPAC has made progress withinterdepartmental relationship building, but struggled
to establish leadership support, a sense of urgency
for urban agriculture, and an accountability systemfor carrying out the food policy recommendations
presented to the mayor on an annual basis.22 Finding
a permanent home for urban agriculture within City
government became a priority. In 2019, advocacy
culminated in the creation of a new director of
urban agriculture position within Parks & Rec and thelaunch of the process to develop the City’s first Urban
Agriculture Plan, Growing from the Root.
The release of this plan follows two other aligned City
documents: the Philly Tree Plan and FPAC’s Strategic
Plan. All three of these documents underscore the needand point the way toward a greener, more just, andmore sustainable food and land future for Philadelphia.

Advocates outside City Hall for Public Hearing

Photo Credit: Catalina Jaramillo for Plan Philly

GROWING FROM THE ROOT: PHILADELPHIA’S URBAN AGRICULTURE PLAN

27

HISTORY THROUGH THE LENS OFRACIALIZED LAND-BASED OPPRESSION
History informs the state and stories of urban agriculture in Philadelphia today. While this plan focuses onpresent and future urban agriculture, it is critical to provide a historical overview as context, grounding theplan in past events, policies, and political movements that have been at work in this nation and this city. The
following timeline offers relevant historical context as it relates to people, land, and the practices of growing foodin Philadelphia. It also highlights the connections between specific moments in time and racialized land-based
oppression.

Methods of Racialized Land-Based Oppression

Collective Action & Self Determination

Racialized land-based oppression primarily happens infour ways. The following methods demonstrate thatracism underpins the history of the United States.

Yet throughout history, BIPOC communities
have relied, provided, and cared for themselves
through agriculture, organizing solutions on the
ground to resist the compounding methods ofland-based oppression. These solutions often arise
from cooperative strategies, such as communities
pooling resources, sharing power, and utilizing
traditional and cultural practices to survive colonialviolence and erasure.

FROM THE ROOT: AN INTRODUCTION> Displacement of Black, Indigenous and Peopleof Color (BIPOC): The removal or displacementof peoples from their ancestral homes and/or sanctuary communities through forced
migration, colonization, and gentrification.
> Commodification of Land: Capitalism andvalues change human relationships with the land,
which results in the privatization and individualownership of land. Land is seen as non-living,
exploitable, and a means for building private
wealth.
> Exploitation and Erasure: BIPOC communities
have experienced labor exploitation and cultural
appropriation in the context of land. The
exploitation of BIPOC labor upholds colonial
power over time while keeping thesecommunities at a disadvantage.
> Exclusionary Institutions: Historicallywhite institutions, both private andpublic, prioritize white communities,
offer resources and opportunity tocompound generational wealth andpower and systematically exclude
BIPOC communities.

28

This plan, grounded in values of racial andeconomic justice, sets the stage to address landbased oppression and support the continuation ofcollective action by Philadelphia’s urban agriculturecommunity.

FIGURE 9. Methods of Racialized Land-Based Oppression

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONHOW TO READ THE HISTORIC TIMELINEKEY:

METHODS OF LAND-BASED OPPRESSION:RESPONSE:DISPLACEMENTCOLLECTIVE ACTIONLOOK FOR THE COLOREDBARS THAT CONNECTHISTORICAL EVENTS TO THE
1681–82
METHODSRACIALIZEDWilliam PennOF
arrives,claiming lands
unlawfully granted by King Charles II
LAND-BASEDOPPRESSION
of England for what would become

COMMODIFICATION OF LANDEXPLOITATION & ERASURE
EXCLUSIONARY INSTITUTIONSMETHODS OF LAND-BASED OPPRESSION:DISPLACEMENT

European colonizers (ﬁrst Dutch andSwedes, then Finns, English, Welsh,German, and Scotch-Irish) arrive, bringing
food, culture, farming practices, anddisease.

RESPONSE:
COLLECTIVE ACTIONCOMMODIFICATION OF LAND

1681–82

EXPLOITATION & ERASURE
EXCLUSIONARY INSTITUTIONS

1630s

European colonizers (ﬁrst Dutch andSwedes, then Finns, English, Welsh,German, and Scotch-Irish) arrive, bringing
food, culture, farming practices, anddisease.

PRE-1600s

The Lenni Lenape or “original people”
of the Delaware River valley, sustain
themselves by hunting, ﬁshing,gathering foods from the land, andsubsistence farming. They practicecompanion planting by growing the“Three Sisters”—squash, beans, andcorn—together.
People lived in harmony with the land,
migrated to avoid depleting natural
resources, and understood the land
as a living entity, to be protected, andnot owned by any one individual.

1684

Between 1500 and 1900, Europeans
forcibly uprooted millions of people
from West and West Central Africa,
enslaving and transporting them acrossthe Atlantic in barbaric and cruelconditions. In 1684, the ship Isabellaanchored in Philadelphia withapproximately 150 captured Africans
who were sold into slavery by andfor
Quaker settlers and forced into chattel,
labor, and sexual slavery and unlivableconditions. Records show Penn enslaved
people at the Pennsbury Manor estate.

The Lenape suﬀer devastating epidemics
at the hands of colonists. Violent conﬂicts
over land and trade further threaten
theirsurvival.

William Penn arrives, claiming lands
unlawfully granted by King Charles
IIof England for what would become
the Pennsylvania colony. Pennestablishes “a large Towne or City”
that we know today as Philadelphia.
What happened when William Penn
and other colonists arrive is largely
contested. What we do understandisthe impact that resulted from Penn
cultivating physical and cultural
violence against the Lenni Lenape,which facilitated their displacementfrom the region to increase thecolonist population.

1680s“Liberty Lands,” 10,000 acres
north of William Penn’s original
Philadelphia City plan, are set aside
to be granted—for free—to whitecolonists.

1784

1865
The American Civil War (circa 1861-1865)
ends and Congress
ratiﬁes the 13th Amendment, abolishingslavery in the US.
A new set of laws emerge to oppress
freed Black people.
The Black Codes perpetuate segregationanddisenfranchisement of Black people
and other
non-whites. Modeled after earlier slave
codes, theselaws deny equal political rights to peopleof theAfrican Diaspora (i.e., the right tovote and attend
public schools, the right to equal treatment
under
the law). The codes control where
Black people
live, how they travel, if they can own
a business,
and allow Black children to be seized
for labor.
The Black Codes lay the foundation
for
Jim
1785
Crow laws (circa 1877-1954).
Subsistence farming shifts to
Despite continued threats of racism,
become more proﬁt-driven.
violence, and economic hardship,
The Philadelphia Society forBlack Americans seeking freedom
the Promotion of Agriculture
move to Philadelphia, the closest
experiments with agricultural
major city to the Slave States.
practices.

Agricultural businesses take root.
Landreth Seeds at 12th & Market
Streets becomes the ﬁrst large
seed distributor in the UnitedStates.

PRE-1600s

This stolen land is given only tothose who purchase large tracts ofcountry land outside the area
deemed Philadelphia at the time.

The Lenni Lenape or “original people”
of the Delaware River valley, sustain
themselves by hunting, ﬁshing,gathering foods from the land, andsubsistence farming. They practicecompanion planting by growing the“Three Sisters”—squash, beans, andcorn—together.

1827

METHODS OF LAND-BASED OPPRESSION:DISPLACEMENTRESPONSE:

COLLECTIVE ACTIONCOMMODIFICATION OF LAND

1870s
More than one million immigrants—many
from northern
and western Europe, but also fromSouth America and the
Caribbean—arrive in Philadelphia, drawn
by the promise of
economic opportunity. The city becomes
rapidlysegregated by income, race, andethnicity.”

The Philadelphia Free
Produce Association isfounded, part of a national
movement to abolishslavery by eliminating
demand for goods
produced by enslaved
people. The subscription
service provides customers
with “free” produce, grownwithout slave labor.

EXPLOITATION & ERASURE

EXCLUSIONARY INSTITUTIONS1876

The Centennial Exhibition
opens in Philadelphia, withsigniﬁcant focus onagriculture andhorticulture.

1875

Ridge Avenue Farmers Market isbuilt
in the Francisville neighborhood of
Philadelphia. Soon after, the Farmers’Hotel opens nearby to host farmers
after they deliver their meat andproduce to the city.

1877

Maule’s Seeds publishes
the ﬁrst seed catalog, aninnovation that changes
the industry.

1892

Growing unemployment among theworking class
results in the return of urban gardening,supported byphilanthropic eﬀorts that position
farming as a social
safety net. The Vacant Lot Cultivation
Association
starts a Philadelphia chapter with 27
acres of vacantland for cultivation by 96 participating
families. Foodgrown is kept for consumption or
sold with proﬁts
shared among participants.

1900

LATE 1860s
Although slavery is abolished, the demandfor exploitable laborto sustain the Southern agricultural
economy remains. White
landowners adopt sharecropping
for the illusion of
employment rather than enslavement,
imposing crushingexpenses (e.g., the cost to use theland, supplies, and housing)on Black farmers, who still work inbrutal conditions andwithout fair compensation or the ability
to save, while white
generational wealth accrues. These
conditions, coupled with
the Jim Crow laws, fuel migration ofSouthern Blacks tonorthern cities, including Philadelphia,
in the coming decades.

Industrial jobs are plentiful due towar eﬀorts
and decreased European immigration,
but Blackresidents face new forms of brutality,
includingcontinued housing and union segregation,
racistpolicies, and police brutality.

LATE 1910s–1940s

During World War I andWorld War II, residents
across the US plant
millions of Victory
Gardens (i.e., vegetable,
fruit, herb gardens) at
home and in public parks
in an eﬀort to increase
food supply for civilians
and war troops.

Government-backed demolition clears
so-called“blighted” areas of homes and residents,
permanently displacing and tearing
down entire
predominantly Black communities.
Urban
renewal displaces nearly 13,600 families
inPhiladelphia by the late 1960s, over
72% of whomare people of color. While much of
the cleared
land is redeveloped, some people use
clearedland to grow food.

1920s

New Jersey pig farmers begin collecting
residential food waste in Philadelphia
to feedtheir pigs, a practice that continues
until 1995.

During the Great
Depression (circa
1929-1939), food grown incities experiences aresurgence as a means ofsubsistence and survival.

DISPLACEMENTCOMMODIFICATION OF LAND

1970s

This stolen land is given only tothose who purchase large tracts ofcountry land outside the area
deemed Philadelphia at the time.

RESPONSE:

1992

COLLECTIVE ACTIONEXPLOITATION & ERASURE

EXCLUSIONARY INSTITUTIONSFood and wellness become more politicized,
as resistanceand acts of self-determination surge.
Urban agriculture
begins to take form in ways we understand
today, with
communities reclaiming land in theirneighborhoods toreturn to the practice of communal
self-determination.
In gardens that still stand today, including
Glenwood
Green Acres in North Philadelphia
and Eastwick
Community Garden near the Philadelphia
Airport, Blackand immigrant families begin to cultivate
heritagevegetables such as collard greens,
lettuce, peppers,
eggplant, squash, string beans, okra,
and blackberries to
eat and share with neighbors.
Gardeners tending formerly abandoned
land that they
don’t own risk eviction and displacement.

“Liberty Lands,” 10,000 acres
north of William Penn’s original
Philadelphia City plan, are set aside
to be granted—for free—to whitecolonists.

1974

Philadelphia Green, a program ofthePennsylvania Horticultural Society,begins,supporting the development andstewardship of community gardens
andpublic green spaces.

1996

1977

The Penn State Cooperative Extension
launches its Urban Gardening Program.

2008

University of Pennsylvania
researchers report that community
gardens in Philly have suﬀered a
55% loss since the 1996 cut tourban gardening funding.

2013

The Garden Justice Legal Initiative
launches Grounded in Philly,oﬀering education and pro bono
legal support to gardens and farms
at risk of losing their land.

1986

The Neighborhood Gardens Association,
now
Neighborhood Gardens Trust (NGT),
forms
to preserve and promote community
gardening citywide by holding agriculturalland in trust for growers, gardeners,
andfuture generations.

Agricultural businesses
Landreth Seeds at 12th
Streets becomes the ﬁr
seed distributor in the U
States.

1785

LATE

1990s–EARLY 2000s
The Food Trust brings the Farm to
Grassroots neighborhood groups
suchCity movement to Philadelphia withas the Urban Tree Connection andEast
farmers markets across the city.
Park Revitalization Alliance emerge,
dedicated to food, land, and people.
Congress cuts funding for the
USDA’s urban gardening programs.
Penn State Extension soon scales
back programs dramatically.

1784

2016

2017

Philadelphia’s Food Policy Advisory
Councilbegins a pre-planning process withgrowers, laying the ground work for
theCity’s ﬁrst urban agriculture strategic
plan.

Subs
beco
The
the
expe
prac

2019

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation
launches the planning process for
theCity’s ﬁrst urban agriculture plan,
Growing from the Root.

2022

USDA names Philadelphia one of 17
cities toreceive a dedicated Farm Service Agency
County Oﬃce of Urban AgricultureandInnovation.

Soil Generation and othercommunity organizations lead large
groups of growers to City Hall totestify at Philadelphia’s ﬁrst everUrban Agriculture Public Hearing.

1877"An Act to Provide for the
Allotment of Lands inSeveralty to Indians on the
Various Reservations," known
as the Dawes Act, is passed,
emphasizing the treatmentof Native Americans as
individuals rather than as
members of tribes, andforcing them to assume
private property rather thantheir traditional systems of
relating to the land.

PHILLY-SPECIFICHISTORIES ABOVE THE LINE,
BROADER NARRATIVES BELOW

1960s

1910 (THROUGH THE 1970s)

The ﬁrst Great Migration begins.
Many Blacktenant farmers and landowners forced
to seekrelief from Jim Crow laws, lynchings,
and thesabotage of Black land and businesses
in theSouth move to northern cities, including
Philadelphia, bringing agricultural
traditions withthem.

Bethel Burying Ground (400 CatherineSt) waspurchased in 1810 by Bishop Richard
Allen and theTrustees of Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church.
The burial
ground may be the ﬁrst independent
cemetery forthe internment of the African American
community.
The City of Philadelphia purchased
the cemetery in1889 from the Trustees; however, due
to the lack offunds, ongoing disinvestment andvandalism, the City
allowed the space to be turned into
the city’s ﬁrst
community garden in 1904. The garden
had 250
individual plots growing radishes, turnips,
lettuce,peas, tomatoes, lima beans, carrots,and string beans.

1680s–1860s

What happened when William Penn
and other colonists arrive is largely
contested. What we do understand is
the impact that resulted from Penn
cultivating physical and cultural
violence against the Lenni Lenape,which facilitated their displacementfrom the region to increase thecolonist population.

METHODS OF LAND-BASED OPPRESSION:

The Lenape suﬀer devastating epidemics
at the hands of colonists. Violent conﬂicts
over land and trade further threaten theirsurvival.

As European colonists seek to grow1865
proﬁtable crops (e.g.,
President Abraham Lincoln signs Special
tobacco, rice, coﬀee, cocoa, and cotton),Field
the demand for
Order No. 15, announcing land “setstolen land, stolen people, and exploited
apart for thelabor increases. settlement of thenegroes [sic] now made free by
Barbaric and exploitative practices
the acts of war and the proclamation
carried out againstof theenslaved Africans result in huge growthPresident of the United States.” Thefor the US
40 Acres andeconomy and private wealth for whitea Mule idea was a radical, short-lived
landowners,
eﬀort toinitiating the generational wealth gap
provide reparations to newly freed
that remains today.
slaves,proposed by a group of Black ministers
As a colonial identity forms, food andwho asked
land practices offor land to “best take care of ourselves.”
Lenni Lenape people and enslaved
President
Africans are adopted,
Andrew
Johnson overturns the Order less thanclaimed, and co-opted by a white-dominantafoodscape.
year later.

People lived in harmony with the land,
migrated to avoid depleting natural
resources, and understood the land
as a living entity, to be protected, andnot owned by any one individual.
Among those stolen are African agriculturists
who bring withthem ancestral knowledge of farming
methods and seeds forcrops that become mainstays in American
agriculture andcuisine, such as yams, black eyed peas,
rice, okra, collard
greens, millet, and melons.

the Pennsylvania colony. Pennestablishes “a large Towne or City”
that we know today as Philadelphia.

1630s

1680s

1910s–1930s

Black land ownership in the Southisseverely threatened by federal policies
that exclude farmers of color. The
Agricultural Adjustment Administration,a New Deal program to restore
agricultural prosperity, allots
signiﬁcantly less land and economic
relief to African Americans.

1950s

Philadelphia loses residents, jobs, andthe tax base needed to provide
city services. As government policies
and programs shift resources
and jobs out of cities and into suburbs,
white families ﬂee the city andagain experience vast economic gains.
The shift of manufacturing to the Southand overseas results in job
loss and abandoned, vacant property
across the city. Decades of
disinvestment follow. Communities
that remain in place ﬁnd
new ways to grow and rebuild, often
reclaiming vacant lots where
rowhomes once stood to garden andgrow food.

1969

The Black
Panthers begin
the Free
Breakfast forChildren Program,a school breakfast
program forstudents that iseventually
co-opted by the
US government.

1940s-ONWARD

Industrialization in Puerto Rico forces
people oﬀ their land andinto metropolitan areas, as well asoﬀ the island and into the US,
a process that continues for the next
three decades. After WorldWar II, manufacturing jobs draw large
numbers of Puerto Ricans
to Philadelphia, where they make asigniﬁcant imprint on theurban agriculture community, integrating
Boricua andAfro-Puerto Rican culture in many
North Philly neighborhoods.
Las Parcelas and other community
gardens around Norris Squarein North Philly take root by the mid
1970s, celebrating andpreserving Puerto Rican heritage,
culture, and horticulture
within Philadelphia.

1960s-ONWARD

Refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia,
and Laos arrive in
the US en masse in the aftermathof the Vietnam War,known in Vietnam as the Resistance
War Against
America.
Families ﬂeeing violent conﬂict settle
in SouthPhiladelphia, bringing ﬂavors and growing
practicesfrom home. In time, whole commercial
strips arereactivated by Southeast Asian businesses,foodmarkets, and restaurants, only to again
riskdisplacement by rising property values
andgentriﬁcation.

For sources, SEE APPENDIX E

The second public meeting included a survey that invited honest reflection about advantages and barriers tied
to land access over time. The statistics and quote below document survey respondents’ varied relationships toland ownership.

german“my ancestors were early...
Valley1680s–1860s
h
doa
nan
She
settlers in the
Ashe
European colonists seek to grow proﬁ
t
tha
d
lan
ms
far
s
tobacco, rice, coﬀee, cocoa, and cotton)
one of my cousin
stolen land, stolen people, and exploite
since thesays has been in the family
Barbaric
nous and exploitative practices car
ige
ind
the
m
fro
it
enslaved Africans result in huge growthvernment tookgoapproximately 150 captured Africans
isand private wealth for white lat region. my family economyofplepeowhowho were sold into slavery by and forAmong those stolen are African agriculturists
bring
withthainitiating the generational wealth gap th> settlers
15%andsaid
ancestors weredisplaced
Quakerforcedmy
into chattel,
themancestral knowledge of farming methods and seeds t
for and rooted in thi s regionknitightlabor, andsexual slavery
and unlivablethat become mainstays in American
agriculture andAs a colonial identity
forms,
d food and land practices of
from
their
land and identity crops
becausefrom lanconditions. Records show Penn enslaved
cuisine, such as yams, black eyed bec
peas, rice,okra,
Lenni Lenape people and enslaved Africans are adopted,
we have benefited
e collardauspeople atPennsbury Manor estate. through the Transgreens, millet, and melons.
claimed, andco-optedby a white-dominant foodscape.
s ofoftheenslavement
gettheft and have not been tar
and
vel
tra
Atlantic Slave Trade.
to
y
lit
abi
displacement. my
ny
ma
rk
wo
and
gy
study agroecolo> 22% said my family or I were forced to
ps
shi
ern
int
m
far
g
yin
unpaid or low-pa
leave our land as refugees because of’s inherited- is a result of my family
war, genocide or climate disaster.
immediatemyn.
tio
wealth accumulasation to
ver
con
in
tly
> 26% said my ancestors have benefited
family is curren
eritance
inh
s
er’
oth
ndm
reallocate my grafrom US government subsidies
and climate
for reparations for racial
including the 1862 Homestead Act,justice.”1944 G.I. Bill, and USDA (United States
1684

Between 1500 and 1900, Europeans>forcibly
5%uprooted
saidmillions
myofancestors
are Indigenous
peoplefromtoWesttheand WestCentral Africa, and our lands were
Americasenslaving and transporting them acrosstheAtlantic in barbaric
cruelduring colonization andstolenfromandus
conditions. In 1684, the ship Isabellasettleranchored in colonialism.
Philadelphia with

Department of Agriculture) grants.

—Public meeting participant

GROWING FROM THE ROOT: PHILADELPHIA’S URBAN AGRICULTURE PLAN

29

METHODS OF LAND-BASED OPPRESSION:RESPONSE:DISPLACEMENTCOLLECTIVE ACTION

FIGURE 10. Historic Timeline of Urban Agriculture in Philadelphia

1681–82

COMMODIFICATION OF LANDEXPLOITATION & ERASURE
EXCLUSIONARY INSTITUTIONS

1630s

European colonizers (ﬁrst Dutch andSwedes, then Finns, English, Welsh,German, and Scotch-Irish) arrive, bringing
food, culture, farming practices, anddisease.

PRE-1600s

The Lenni Lenape or “original people”
of the Delaware River valley, sustain
themselves by hunting, ﬁshing,gathering foods from the land, andsubsistence farming. They practicecompanion planting by growing the“Three Sisters”—squash, beans, andcorn—together.

The Lenape suﬀer devastating epidemics
at the hands of colonists. Violent conﬂicts
over land and trade further threaten theirsurvival.

William Penn arrives, claiming lands
unlawfully granted by King Charles II
of England for what would become
the Pennsylvania colony. Pennestablishes “a large Towne or City”
that we know today as Philadelphia.
What happened when William Penn
and other colonists arrive is largely
contested. What we do understand is
the impact that resulted from Penn
cultivating physical and cultural
violence against the Lenni Lenape,which facilitated their displacementfrom the region to increase thecolonist population.

People lived in harmony with the land,
migrated to avoid depleting natural
resources, and understood the land
as a living entity, to be protected, andnot owned by any one individual.

1684

Between 1500 and 1900, Europeans
forcibly uprooted millions of people
from West and West Central Africa,
enslaving and transporting them acrossthe Atlantic in barbaric and cruelconditions. In 1684, the ship Isabellaanchored in Philadelphia withapproximately 150 captured Africans
who were sold into slavery by and for
Quaker settlers and forced into chattel,
labor, and sexual slavery and unlivableconditions. Records show Penn enslaved
people at the Pennsbury Manor estate.

Among those stolen are African agriculturists who bring withthem ancestral knowledge of farming methods and seeds forcrops that become mainstays in American agriculture andcuisine, such as yams, black eyed peas, rice, okra, collard
greens, millet, and melons.

1865

1680s

“Liberty Lands,” 10,000 acres
north of William Penn’s original
Philadelphia City plan, are set aside
to be granted—for free—to whitecolonists.
This stolen land is given only tothose who purchase large tracts ofcountry land outside the area
deemed Philadelphia at the time.

The American Civil War (circa 1861-1865) ends and Congress
ratiﬁes the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery in the US.
A new set of laws emerge to oppress freed Black people.
The Black Codes perpetuate segregation anddisenfranchisement of Black people and othernon-whites. Modeled after earlier slave codes, theselaws deny equal political rights to people of theAfrican
Diaspora (i.e., the right to vote and attend
Agricultural businesses take root.
publicschools,
the right to equal treatment underLandreth Seeds at 12th & Market
the
law).
The
codes control where Black people
Streets becomes the ﬁrst large
live,
how
they
travel, if they can own a business,seed distributor in the United
and
allow
Black
children to be seized for labor.
States.
The Black Codes lay the foundation for Jim
Crow laws (circa 1877-1954).
Subsistence farming shifts to
Despite continued threats of racism,
become more proﬁt-driven.
violence, and economic hardship,
The Philadelphia Society forBlack Americans seeking freedom
the Promotion of Agriculture
move to Philadelphia, the closest
experiments with agricultural
major city to the Slave States.
practices.

1784

1785

1827

The Philadelphia Free
Produce Association isfounded, part of a national
movement to abolishslavery by eliminating
demand for goods
produced by enslaved
people. The subscription
service provides customers
with “free” produce, grownwithout slave labor.

1680s–1860s

1865

As European colonists seek to grow proﬁtable crops (e.g.,
President Abraham Lincoln signs Special Field
tobacco, rice, coﬀee, cocoa, and cotton), the demand for
Order No. 15, announcing land “set apart for thestolen land, stolen people, and exploited labor increases. settlement of the negroes [sic] now made free by
the acts of war and the proclamation of the
Barbaric and exploitative practices carried out against
Presidentof the United States.” The 40 Acres andenslaved Africans result in huge growth for the USa
Muleidea was a radical, short-lived eﬀort toeconomy and private wealth for white landowners,
providereparations to newly freed slaves,initiating the generational wealth gap that remains today.
proposed by a group of Black ministers who asked
for land to “best take care of ourselves.” President
As a colonial identity forms, food and land practices of
Andrew Johnson overturns the Order less than a
Lenni Lenape people and enslaved Africans are adopted,
year later.
claimed, and co-opted by a white-dominant foodscape.

METHODS OF LAND-BASED OPPRESSION:RESPONSE:DISPLACEMENTCOLLECTIVE ACTIONCOMMODIFICATION OF LANDEXPLOITATION & ERASURE

1892

EXCLUSIONARY INSTITUTIONS1876

The Centennial Exhibition
opens in Philadelphia, withsigniﬁcant focus onagriculture andhorticulture.

1870s

More than one million immigrants—many from northern
and western Europe, but also from South America and the
Caribbean—arrive in Philadelphia, drawn by the promise of
economic opportunity. The city becomes rapidly
segregated by income, race, and ethnicity.”

1875

Ridge Avenue Farmers Market is built
in the Francisville neighborhood of
Philadelphia. Soon after, the Farmers’Hotel opens nearby to host farmers
after they deliver their meat andproduce to the city.

Growing unemployment among the working class
results in the return of urban gardening, supported byphilanthropic eﬀorts that position farming as a social
safety net. The Vacant Lot Cultivation Association
starts a Philadelphia chapter with 27 acres of vacantland for cultivation by 96 participating families. Foodgrown is kept for consumption or sold with proﬁts
shared among participants.

1900

1877

Bethel Burying Ground (400 Catherine St) was
purchased in 1810 by Bishop Richard Allen and theTrustees of Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church. The burial
ground may be the ﬁrst independent cemetery forthe internment of the African American community.
The City of Philadelphia purchased the cemetery in1889 from the Trustees; however, due to the lack offunds, ongoing disinvestment and vandalism, the City
allowed the space to be turned into the city’s ﬁrst
community garden in 1904. The garden had 250
individual plots growing radishes, turnips, lettuce,peas, tomatoes, lima beans, carrots, and string beans.

Maule’s Seeds publishes
the ﬁrst seed catalog, aninnovation that changes
the industry.

1877

LATE 1860s

Although slavery is abolished, the demand for exploitable laborto sustain the Southern agricultural economy remains. White
landowners adopt sharecropping for the illusion of
employment rather than enslavement, imposing crushingexpenses (e.g., the cost to use the land, supplies, and housing)on Black farmers, who still work in brutal conditions andwithout fair compensation or the ability to save, while white
generational wealth accrues. These conditions, coupled with
the Jim Crow laws, fuel migration of Southern Blacks tonorthern cities, including Philadelphia, in the coming decades.

"An Act to Provide for the
Allotment of Lands inSeveralty to Indians on the
Various Reservations," known
as the Dawes Act, is passed,
emphasizing the treatmentof Native Americans as
individuals rather than as
members of tribes, andforcing them to assume
private property rather thantheir traditional systems of
relating to the land.

1960s1910 (THROUGH THE 1970s)

The ﬁrst Great Migration begins. Many Blacktenant farmers and landowners forced to seek
relief from Jim Crow laws, lynchings, and thesabotage of Black land and businesses in theSouth move to northern cities, including
Philadelphia, bringing agricultural traditions withthem.
Industrial jobs are plentiful due to war eﬀorts
and decreased European immigration, but Black
residents face new forms of brutality, including
continued housing and union segregation, racist
policies, and police brutality.

LATE 1910s–1940s

During World War I andWorld War II, residents
across the US plant
millions of Victory
Gardens (i.e., vegetable,
fruit, herb gardens) at
home and in public parks
in an eﬀort to increase
food supply for civilians
and war troops.

Government-backed demolition clears so-called“blighted” areas of homes and residents,
permanently displacing and tearing down entire
predominantly Black communities. Urban
renewal displaces nearly 13,600 families in
Philadelphia by the late 1960s, over 72% of whomare people of color. While much of the cleared
land is redeveloped, some people use cleared
land to grow food.

1920s

New Jersey pig farmers begin collecting
residential food waste in Philadelphia to feed
their pigs, a practice that continues until 1995.

During the Great
Depression (circa
1929-1939), food grown incities experiences aresurgence as a means ofsubsistence and survival.

1910s–1930s

Black land ownership in the South isseverely threatened by federal policies
that exclude farmers of color. The
Agricultural Adjustment Administration,a New Deal program to restore
agricultural prosperity, allots
signiﬁcantly less land and economic
relief to African Americans.

1950s

Philadelphia loses residents, jobs, and the tax base needed to provide
city services. As government policies and programs shift resources
and jobs out of cities and into suburbs, white families ﬂee the city andagain experience vast economic gains.
The shift of manufacturing to the South and overseas results in job
loss and abandoned, vacant property across the city. Decades of
disinvestment follow. Communities that remain in place ﬁnd
new ways to grow and rebuild, often reclaiming vacant lots where
rowhomes once stood to garden and grow food.

METHODS OF LAND-BASED OPPRESSION:RESPONSE:DISPLACEMENTCOLLECTIVE ACTIONCOMMODIFICATION OF LANDEXPLOITATION & ERASURE
EXCLUSIONARY INSTITUTIONS

1970s

Food and wellness become more politicized, as resistanceand acts of self-determination surge. Urban agriculture
begins to take form in ways we understand today, with
communities reclaiming land in their neighborhoods toreturn to the practice of communal self-determination.
In gardens that still stand today, including Glenwood
Green Acres in North Philadelphia and Eastwick
Community Garden near the Philadelphia Airport, Blackand immigrant families begin to cultivate heritage
vegetables such as collard greens, lettuce, peppers,
eggplant, squash, string beans, okra, and blackberries to
eat and share with neighbors.

1974

Philadelphia Green, a program of thePennsylvania Horticultural Society, begins,
supporting the development andstewardship of community gardens andpublic green spaces.

1977

The Penn State Cooperative Extension
launches its Urban Gardening Program.

1986

The Neighborhood Gardens Association, now
Neighborhood Gardens Trust (NGT), forms
to preserve and promote community
gardening citywide by holding agriculturalland in trust for growers, gardeners, andfuture generations.

Gardeners tending formerly abandoned land that they
don’t own risk eviction and displacement.

1969

The Black
Panthers begin
the Free
Breakfast forChildren Program,a school breakfast
program forstudents that iseventually
co-opted by the
US government.

1992

LATE 1990s–EARLY 2000s

The Food Trust brings the Farm to Grassroots neighborhood groups such
City movement to Philadelphia with as the Urban Tree Connection and East
farmers markets across the city.
Park Revitalization Alliance emerge,
dedicated to food, land, and people.

1996

Congress cuts funding for the
USDA’s urban gardening programs.
Penn State Extension soon scales
back programs dramatically.

2008

University of Pennsylvania
researchers report that community
gardens in Philly have suﬀered a
55% loss since the 1996 cut tourban gardening funding.

2013

The Garden Justice Legal Initiative
launches Grounded in Philly,oﬀering education and pro bono
legal support to gardens and farms
at risk of losing their land.

2017

Philadelphia’s Food Policy Advisory Council
begins a pre-planning process withgrowers, laying the ground work for theCity’s ﬁrst urban agriculture strategic plan.

2019

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation
launches the planning process for theCity’s ﬁrst urban agriculture plan,
Growing from the Root.

2022

USDA names Philadelphia one of 17 cities toreceive a dedicated Farm Service Agency
County Oﬃce of Urban Agriculture andInnovation.

2016

Soil Generation and othercommunity organizations lead large
groups of growers to City Hall totestify at Philadelphia’s ﬁrst everUrban Agriculture Public Hearing.

1940s-ONWARD

Industrialization in Puerto Rico forces people oﬀ their land andinto metropolitan areas, as well as oﬀ the island and into the US,
a process that continues for the next three decades. After WorldWar II, manufacturing jobs draw large numbers of Puerto Ricans
to Philadelphia, where they make a signiﬁcant imprint on theurban agriculture community, integrating Boricua andAfro-Puerto Rican culture in many North Philly neighborhoods.
Las Parcelas and other community gardens around Norris Squarein North Philly take root by the mid 1970s, celebrating andpreserving Puerto Rican heritage, culture, and horticulture
within Philadelphia.

1960s-ONWARD

Refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos arrive in
the US en masse in the aftermath of the Vietnam War,known in Vietnam as the Resistance War Against
America.

Families ﬂeeing violent conﬂict settle in South
Philadelphia, bringing ﬂavors and growing practices
from home. In time, whole commercial strips arereactivated by Southeast Asian businesses, foodmarkets, and restaurants, only to again risk
displacement by rising property values andgentriﬁcation.

II. OVERVIEW OF THE
PLANNING PROCESS
Residents’ experiences, knowledge, and priorities give
shape to Growing from the Root. The planning process
involved multiple layers of community engagement
and collaboration within City government. Philadelphia
Parks & Recreation formed an advisory City Project
Team with representatives from other City agencies
whose work intersects with urban agriculture, including
the Office of Sustainability, Philadelphia City Planning
Commission, Philadelphia Department of Public Health,the Department of Public Property, Philadelphia Land
Bank, and the Managing Director’s Office. Parks &Rec also convened a Steering Committee to guidedevelopment of the plan, with equal representationfrom City agencies, partner organizations, andcommunity members. Despite the physical distancing
requirements created by the COVID-19 pandemic, theplanning process engaged hundreds of passionate
and dedicated growers and community advocatesfrom across Philadelphia, both virtually and in person.

The community engagement plan for the processadopted a culturally competent and equity-based
approach, aiming to:> Co-create an urban agriculture plan thatis racially and economically equitable,
responsive, and resourceful> Close gaps in participation by prioritizing
accessibility, especially for marginalizedgroups> Center the experiences of the mostimpacted communities> Engage and organize a diverse body ofpeople to develop solutions together> Foster transparency and accountability
through the process
As such, Growing from the Root is grounded in thevoices, vision, and values of the people who have thegreatest stake in its outcomes: the diverse communityof growers and gardeners across Philadelphia. Theirwords fill the pages of this plan, underscoring theimportance of urban agriculture in this city, in the livesof residents and communities, and in the health andwell-being of neighborhoods and local ecosystems.

FIGURE 11. The Multiple Levels of Plan Engagement

OVERVIEW OF THE PLANNING PROCESSThe planning process involved multiple levels of engagement,from the core planning team of the consultants andproject manager through broad public
engagement. This graphic wasshown to participants in public
engagement as a way ofensuring the planning process
was as transparent as
possible.

36

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONFIGURE 12. How Various Inputs Combine to Shape the Plan

This graphic was used at public meetings to show participants how ideas from many sources funnel into the plan.

FIGURE 13. Steps of Public Engagement in the Planning ProcessThis graphic represents the progression of public engagement activities throughout the planning process. It wasused in public engagement to show participants how their input fit into the larger planning process.

GROWING FROM THE ROOT: PHILADELPHIA’S URBAN AGRICULTURE PLAN

37

The first public meeting took place at the Free
Library of Philadelphia’s Parkway Central locationin December 2019. Nearly 300 people passionate
about the future of urban agriculture in Philadelphia
attended. Participants represented over 50 community
gardens and 110 other organizations and City
departments.
For a full summary of activities and outcomes,
see appendix f.

definitionsof urban agriculture
181 crowd-sourced

Nearly 300 people attended the first public meeting at the Free Library in December 2019.

OVERVIEW OF THE PLANNING PROCESSWHO HELPED SHAPE GROWING FROM THE ROOT?

38> Over 650 different residents and urban agriculture
stakeholders representing 35 of Philadelphia’s 45 zip codes, plus
30 zip codes outside the city
> People of all ages: youth, teens, adults, and seniors> People who identify as Black or African American; White, Hispanic;
Latinx, or Spanish; Asian or Pacific Islander; Middle Eastern;
American Indian or Alaska Native; by religious group; as human> People who speak 16 different languages at home aside fromEnglish, including Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, French, Italian,
Greek, German, Polish, Slovak, Tamil, Bengali, Persian, Tagalog,
Dutch, and Gujarati> People who garden or farm in Philadelphia and those who
Map of home locations of
don’t, people who used to and those who come from families ofparticipants in the first public
farmers
meeting> Of those who practice urban agriculture in Philadelphia, 36%
garden at home, 19% in their neighborhood, 17% in a community
garden, 8% at a farm, 7% with an organization, 6% at a school, 5% on parkland or other public land,and 2% at a cemetery (with many people listing multiple locations)

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONPhoto Credits: Noise Soul Cinema

Participants at the first public meeting split into small discussion groups to talk about (1) what is working, (2)what is not working and needs to change in relation to urban agriculture, and (3) what residents want.

Above: Lost & Threatened Gardens cards
Left: Note-taking boards used to facilitate thesmall group discussions
GROWING FROM THE ROOT: PHILADELPHIA’S URBAN AGRICULTURE PLAN

39

What did the meeting include?
The second public meeting was scheduled to takeplace on March 19 and 24, 2021 in two different
locations in the city. However, due to the COVID-19
pandemic,
both meetings
were canceled, and
PUBLIC MEETING
2
thePlanning
Team
insteaddeveloped an online(VIRTUAL)
engagement
SUMMER 2021process using an interactive website.
The website and web-based activities remained open
WHAT
IS April2 and May 2021, with the window
throughout
PUBLICMEETINGGROWINGFROM officially
THE ROOT? June 1, 2021.
for public comment
closing(VIRTUAL)
Community
input
Growing2021
fromthegathered
Root is from the site shaped
SUMMER
Philadelphia’s
first citywide plan
to 300 diverse
theplan’s recommendations.
Nearlyorganizeandrespond
to
the
needs
respondents
participated in discussions around a range
WHATIS
of topics,
the urban
agriculture
GROWING
FROM
THEcommunity.
ROOT ?
ofincluding:

The online public meeting included ten stations - each withinformation, ideas for action, and opportunities for participants
to contribute.

What did the meeting include?

The online public meeting included ten stations - each withinformation, ideas for action, and opportunities for participants
to contribute.
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40

1

1

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

KEY THEMES FROM THE COMMUNITY INPUT ACROSS
THE 10 STATIONS> Land Security: Land insecurity is the number one issue forgrowers and the top priority for how investments should
support community-led efforts. If people don’t have land
security, then long-term investment in infrastructure cannot
happen. Land insecurity creates barriers to belonging.
> Infrastructure Support: The second priority is the needfor infrastructure support - water, electricity, lumber,greenhouses, etc. These needs go unmet either due to alack of resources or because residents are hesitant to invest
in infrastructure because there is no land security for theirgardens.
> Economic Self-Sufficiency & Opportunities: Low wages andlack of job security prevent people from entering agricultural
fields or pursuing it full time, but for many, agriculture is alivelihood, not a hobby. The inability to secure land or invest in
it makes it is harder for businesses or cooperatives to succeed.
Market forces and federal regulatory structures tend not tosupport small-scale agriculture and food justice in a systemthat heavily subsidizes large-scale agriculture.
> Education: Participants indicated a desire for moreagricultural education and training. Many want to see moreagriculture curriculum in schools as well as more funding,specifically for Career and Technical Education (CTE) or
similar programs.
> Community Building, Connections & Mental Wellbeing:
The relationship between land and people is not only one ofsustenance, but also one of reconnecting with community
practices and teachings, childhood memories, and cultural andfamily ties. Beyond improving physical health and nutrition,
there were many responses about agriculture improving
people’s mental health.
> Retention of Culture and Ancestral Practices: Acrossmultiple stations, people talked about growing, foraging, andseed saving as being important for learning about and holding
onto their cultural traditions. Participants also expressed theimportance of connecting with methods and techniques theirancestors used to grow food.
> Trust & Skepticism: Given the history of land struggles, many
comments indicated a lack of trust and skepticism aboutaccountability and implementation of the plan’s vision. Trustin City agencies varies compared to trust in community-ledorganizations, so participants called for transparency andfollow-through.
> Partnerships: The City cannot implement the plan’s
recommendations alone. Participants believe the City should
funnel funding and support for agriculture through existing
community organizations who have demonstrated an ability
to effectively do food justice work. Input acknowledged a needfor strengthening and creating more formalized networks ofgrowers who work together.

What does THE LAND at your garden needto thrive?

Show some LOVE to your TOP 3 by clicking the heart
below the images and adding a comment

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT BEEKEEPING
IN THE CITY:
Are you HOT (strongly in favor of policies to support
raising bees in Philly) or COLD (strongly opposed) orsomewhere in between?

TELL US WHY YOU FEEL THIS WAY ABOUT BEES:

Sample questions and formats forthe online activities

GROWING FROM THE ROOT: PHILADELPHIA’S URBAN AGRICULTURE PLAN

41

With input from the second public meeting,the planning team began drafting the plan’s
recommendations. To test these draft ideas, Growing
from the Root hosted nine virtual focus group sessions
with over 80 participants in total, inviting residents,
City staff, and representatives of organizations fromacross Philadelphia. The topics for the focus groups
built upon input from the second public meeting andincluded:> An Indigenous Food and Land Circle> Market Farms and Enterprise> Community Gardens and Farms (x2)
> Health and Environmental Justice> Anti-Gentrification> Education and Innovation> Workforce> Open-Ended, all topics welcome

OVERVIEW OF THE PLANNING PROCESS

Participants discussed the issues of greatest concern
for their specific group, and the process allowed fora more open dialogue and transparency with groups
that have experienced discrimination in the pastand/or ongoing exclusion. The focus groups helped
the planning team refine the recommendations
and imagine new ways to address systemic issues.
All participants were offered honorariums for their
participation in these smaller discussion groups.
Participants were also allowed to redirect theirhonorariums to local community, nonprofit or tribalorganizations.

42

The third and final public meeting was held virtuallyon November 3, 2022 with the release of the draft planfor public review and comment. The planning teamprovided an overview of the planning process and thedraft plan itself to a crowd of 115. Attendees learned
how and where to access the draft plan and provide
written feedback during the open public comment
period, which ran from November 3 through 28, 2022.
The City and planning team designed all public
meetings with equity, diversity, and inclusion in mind.
The first public meeting included language translation
and American Sign Language interpretation. The
website and communications for the public meetings
had English and Spanish versions. The team also madeefforts to ensure both in-person and online meetings
were accessible to those with disabilities (e.g., buildings
for the public meetings were wheelchair accessible,
and online engagements were compatible withassistive technologies).

Small group discussions made deeper conversations possible American Sign Language interpretation during
during the first public meeting.
first public meeting presentation
PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

WHO IS GROWING FROM THE ROOT FOR?
FOR GROWERS
This plan is for people who have been doing this selfdetermined community work for generations, people
who just started because of the COVID-19 pandemic,
people who do this for survival, and people who do thisfor the safety and mental health of the kids on theirblock. It is for everyone who grows food, medicine,flowers, pollinator gardens and orchards in the city,
everyone who stewards animals and the land, all seedkeepers and seed rematriators, all food and land justiceeducators, all organizers and advocates, everyone whowants to make a living from agricultural work, everyone
who wants to learn about agriculture and be the next
generation of growers, and everyone who wants a
healthier, more just local food system that centers
BIPOC presence/resistance/histories/and ancestralknowledge and practices. The plan is for young people
looking to learn about farming and for elders who
have knowledge and experience to share. It lays thegroundwork for formerly incarcerated residents inneed of work to create new connections within thecommunity, and it honors Indigenous people whoare still here and whose ancestors first inhabited andstewarded this land.

FOR CITY AGENCIESThis plan is also for the City agencies poised to investin, support, and help evolve our local food system.
These agencies are key in moving Philadelphia towarda system that is more just -- one that understands
the value of urban agriculture, honors the visions andneeds of residents who make up the urban agriculture
constituency, and contributes to realizing those visions.
This includes members of City Council who will be
responsible for supporting the plan, crafting legislationthat supports the ideas contained in the plan,
supporting land use decisions that protect and expand
the footprint of agriculture in their districts, andapproving budgets that enable plan implementation.
This also includes City agencies or entities whose work
intersects with urban agriculture, among them:> Philadelphia Parks &Recreation and its Farm
Philly program, which
supports 60 farming
projects on Parks & Rec land,
including youth education
gardens, community
gardens, vegetable farms,
orchards, community

composting programs, and a public greenhousefor growing seeds and plant cuttings. Farm Philly
supports communities to design and lead theirown agriculture projects, redistributes resources
to communities impacted by food apartheid anddisplacement, and ensures equitable distribution offood produce on public land.
> The Philadelphia Land Bank, established in2014 and housed at the Philadelphia Housing
Development Corporation, which manages theCity’s portfolio of surplus property and grants leases
to gardeners and farmers tending public property,
to acquire privately owned, vacant, tax-delinquent
properties for garden preservation, and to transfer
surplus public properties that host gardens andfarms to private owners who will steward thosegrowing spaces.
> Philadelphia City Council members, who areresponsible for representing their constituents.
District Council offices field requests for land andare key players in the Land Bank’s process to acquireor dispose of property. They legislatively approve alltransfers of land into and out of the Land Bank. City
Council also approves the City’s budget each year.
> The Philadelphia City Planning Commission,
which drafts changes to the Zoning Code, advises
on land use and development decisions, andundertakes comprehensive planning efforts for
the City, including strategies that support urban
agriculture.
> The Office of Sustainability, currently home to
the Food Policy Advisory Council (FPAC), and whose
Greenworks Plan includes policies and strategies toincrease access to healthy food and drinking water,
reduce emissions, improve air quality, preserve
natural resources, and reduce waste.
> The Department of Public Health’s Division ofChronic Disease and Injury Prevention, whichworks to ensure access to affordable, nutritious
food choices for residents citywide and develop
good food purchasing policies and standards forCity meal programs.
> The Philadelphia Water Department, whose
programs provide water access and stormwater fee
exemptions for urban farmers.
> The Philadelphia Department of Prisons, which
has converted unused green space into a smallscale farm, orchard, and compost facility that offer
agricultural workforce development and re-entry
support for incarcerated individuals.
GROWING FROM THE ROOT: PHILADELPHIA’S URBAN AGRICULTURE PLAN

43

FOR SUPPORTING GROUPS
Additionally, this plan is for the many individuals andgroups who collaborate with City government andwill help implement the plan and effect the changethat the plan proposes. This includes diverse groups
outside City government that steward and support
Philadelphia’s urban agriculture sites, programs, andadvocacy agendas. These appointed bodies, nonprofits,
advocacy groups, and other community-led projects
work to fill gaps in the City’s institutional support
network and systems to protect and promote urban
agriculture in Philadelphia.
> The Food Policy Advisory Council and its
Urban Agriculture Subcommittee guides thedevelopment and implementation of new laws
and policies that support the conversion ofPhiladelphia’s vacant and underutilized lands into
sustainable community assets that increase foodaccess, food security, and food sovereignty for allcity residents.
> The Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia’s
Garden Justice Legal Initiative (GJLI) provides
pro bono legal support, policy research andadvocacy, and community education and trainings
to community gardeners and market farmers
interested in land access.
> The Neighborhood Gardens Trust (NGT)provides land security for over 50 gardens acrossPhiladelphia, offers technical assistance and capital
improvements to preserved gardens within the NGT
network, and works with City partners to remove
barriers to land security for all gardens and farms.

OVERVIEW OF THE PLANNING PROCESS> The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS)Community Gardens programs offer educational
workshops, gardening supplies and materials,
seedlings, access to the PHS tool library, technicalassistance, volunteer support, and infrastructure
improvements to Philadelphia-area community
gardens.
> The Philadelphia Garden Data Collaborative(PGDC) is a coalition of organizations formed
in 2017 to track and steward data on public andcommunity-based gardens and farms within thecity. The Collaborative includes members from the
GJLI, NGT, PHS, Soil Generation, and researchers
from Haverford College and Villanova University.
Together, and with the trust of Philadelphia’surban agriculture community, these entities
designed and implemented a citywide groundtruthing and garden census effort, and created a
database documenting the footprint of public andcommunity-based gardens and farms.

44

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION> A network of organizers and community activists
including, among others, Southeast Asian
Mutual Assistance Association Coalition(SEAMAAC), Sankofa Community Farm, Urban
Creators, Soil Generation, VietLead, Urban
Tree Connection, Norris Square Neighborhood
Project, Philadelphia Coalition for Affordable
Communities, Philadelphia Orchard Project,
Philadelphia Backyard Chickens, Cesar
Andreú Iglesias Community Garden, Eastwick
Community Garden and other grassroots andcommunity-driven organizations that work directlyin and with communities to advocate for a morejust and equitable local food system in Philadelphia.

FOR PHILANTHROPIC PARTNERS
This planning effort was supported by philanthropic
partners. Going forward, and in keeping with Growing
from the Root’s commitment to allocating power
and resources to community partners most impacted
and best positioned to co-lead implementation
efforts, it will be necessary to invest philanthropic andgovernment resources into city programs and projects
and a range of community-based organizations,large and small, established and emerging, diverse
and reflective of the communities practicing urban
agriculture in Philadelphia.

FOR EVERYONE
If you eat food, Growing from the Root is for you,too. Because of the interconnectedness of urban
agriculture, the people who are impacted by or havea stake in the outcomes of this plan are not limited
to urban farmers and gardeners. The plan has thepotential to influence the entire local food system ofPhiladelphia, making it relevant for virtually all who
consume food within city boundaries.

INTERESTED IN A CERTAIN TOPIC?
Use the next page as a guide to the recommendations.
Each element of the food system has its own chapter,goal, and series of recommendations.

GOALS OF GROWING FROM THE ROOT
Growing from the Root is organized into six sections that represent each element of the food system. Eachelement has an overarching goal and a series of recommendations to work toward achieving the goal.

LAND
GOAL: Increase land security for growers, access to growing space in allneighborhoods, and stewardship of the land.
> Preserve existing growing spaces> Create new growing spaces> Invest in land stewardship to increase climate resilience

PRODUCTION
GOAL: Build long-term support for urban agriculture initiatives into the City’s
infrastructure, policies, and programs.
> Ground Philadelphia’s urban farming programs and practices in agroecology> Make physical improvements to growing spaces more feasible> Support safe and appropriate animal keeping

PREPARATION & DISTRIBUTION
GOAL: Invest in existing and new local systems necessary to support asustainable, just, and equitable food system in Philadelphia.
> Invest in a network of food-processing facilities> Fill gaps in the food transportation system> Support opportunities to sell fresh produce

CONSUMPTION
GOAL: Build long-term support for locally sourced, nutritious meals and increased fresh
food access into the City’s infrastructure, policies, and programs.
> Increase access to nourishing food> Support safe foraging of wild foods

FOOD WASTE REDUCTION & RECOVERYGOAL: Be accountable to existing zero-waste commitments and create new ones.
> Improve and expand City operations to recover food waste> Increase residential, business, and institutional participation in food waste reduction> Prevent food waste by increasing food rescue and donations

PEOPLE
GOAL: Recognize the role urban agriculture can play in the lives andlivelihoods of people and communities.
> Affirm and solidify community gardens and inclusive spaces for culturalpreservation and community healing> Offer educational opportunities and programs for young people> Provide agricultural education and programs for adults> Create pathways toward economic justice through agricultural jobs andbusiness opportunities
GROWING FROM THE ROOT: PHILADELPHIA’S URBAN AGRICULTURE PLAN

45

Goal: Increase land security for growers, accessto growing space in all neighborhoods, andstewardship of the land.

LAND

Land, land care, and land security are central to foodproduction.

Photo Credit: Sonia Galiber

46

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

1. LAND
LAND

47

LAND
OVERVIEW
Agriculture is dependent on soil, water, air, and land. Access to land, however
big or small that piece of land may be, is essential for growing crops andtrees and raising animals. In Philadelphia, people and communities practiceurban agriculture in a variety of ways: in raised beds, directly in the ground,in containers, in buildings and on rooftops. They use land they find at
home, in their neighborhood, at community gardens and farms, at schools,
in parks, in cemeteries, on formerly vacant land, and on the groundsof places of worship and community-based organizations. Land is thecommon thread that underpins all agricultural activities. Therefore, issues
tied to land—and particularly to a lack of land security—are among thosemost pressing for farmers, gardeners, and urban agriculture advocates in
Philadelphia.
This chapter of Growing from the Root focuses on preserving existinggrowing spaces, creating new growing spaces, enhancing soil quality,
and advancing racial and economic justice through improved policies,
procedures, and processes for land access and land security. It calls for new
programs and resources to expand the footprint of agriculture in the city,
more environmentally sound practices for land care and soil testing, andrestorative actions in response to land theft and discriminatory policies to
put land in the hands of Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities.

WHY LAND SECURITY IS NECESSARY FORPHILADELPHIA AGRICULTURE

LANDLand access and security is the number one issue for Philadelphia’surban agriculture community, according to the growers and advocates
who participated in public engagement for this plan. More than halfof participants in this plan’s second public meeting (58%) said themost important action the City should take to invest in community-led
agricultural efforts is to help gardeners and farmers achieve land security.
Fifty-three percent said the most important policy commitment the City canmake is to a transparent process for selling and leasing land for agriculture.

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PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONThe Philadelphia Garden Data Collaborative (PGDC) database identifies
more than 400 active gardens and farms across more than 900 parcels,or pieces of land in Philadelphia.23 Sometimes a garden consists of justone parcel, while other gardens are made up of multiple parcels. In manycases, the parcels on which gardens are located are owned by multiple
entities, public and private. Before they were gardens, these parcels were
often vacant and disinvested over decades through deindustrialization,acts of landlord abandonment, and structural racism. Through theefforts of Philadelphia’s gardeners and farmers, this land now cultivates
not just plants, but also soil quality, water quality, wildlife habitats,stormwater management, physical space, and community relationships.
FIGURE 14. Diagram of a Typical Garden with

Multiple Parcels and Owners

COMMUNITY GARDENTOTAL PARCELS: 12
Garden Owned Parcels: 3
Publicly Owned Parcels: 6
Privately Owned Parcels: 3 (3 owners)
Tax Delinquent: 2
Source: Philadelphia Land Bank Strategic Plan

WHAT IS LAND SECURITY? WHAT IS LAND ACCESS?
Land Security> A garden has land security when all of its parcels are ownedby the gardeners or a trusted organization or entity that willprotect the garden over time.
> Fewer than half (44%) of gardens in the Philadelphia Garden
Data Collaborative database are secure, meaning that thewhole garden is owned by the gardeners, farmers, or a
supportive organization (e.g., Parks & Recreation, schools, orland trusts).
> A garden lacks land security when one or more of its parcels
are owned by an individual or entity that does not intend topreserve the garden over time.
Land Access> Gardeners and farmers have land access when they have alegal ability to use land for agriculture, provided through alease, license, other arrangement, or permanent ownership.

LAND

49

Racial and socio-economic barriers often
prevent communities from being able to stayon the land they tend. Lacking land security,
these growing spaces are at risk for eviction,
demolition, and redevelopment. Stories fromlocal gardens and farms, news articles, andresearch by members of the PGDC identify over
140 former gardens in Philadelphia that are nolonger active, though the actual number may
be much higher.
The land struggles experienced by Philadelphia
gardeners and farmers are part of a muchlarger history of land-based oppressionthat stretches across the United States andthroughout history. Data shows that historicand current US legislation has resulted in Native
American tribes experiencing loss of over 90
million acres of land,24 and Black farmers haveexperienced land theft of 80 to 90 percent of
the 16 million acres they owned in 1920.25 For
more information about this history, see thehistoric timeline on page 30.
These land struggles are personal for growers,
communities, and agricultural businesses, as
the statistics from the survey at the second
public meeting illustrate.

AMONG SURVEY RESPONDENTS> 54% of respondents know
a garden that is currently
being threatened, and 46%
know of a garden that was
lost/stolen. The majority ofreported lost gardens werelost to development.

LAND> 27% of respondents havepersonally experienced
race and ethnicity
impacting their ability toobtain access to land andland security.

50> 25% of respondents
reported that a lack ofland security is a major
barrier to establishingor expanding theiragricultural businesses.
— Input from survey at second public meeting

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONHOW PHILADELPHIA APPROACHESLAND FOR URBAN AGRICULTURE
City policies recognize urban agriculture as a long-term
land use. The majority of community gardens and farms in
Philadelphia are located on public land (e.g., Eastwick Garden
on Philadelphia International Airport property) or surplus,
formerly vacant land owned by a public agency or absentee
private owner. Among City agencies that host gardens on
their property, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (Parks& Rec) has policies and programs designed to expand thefootprint of urban agriculture in Philadelphia. Parks & Rec’s
Farm Philly program currently hosts 60 farming projects
on public land (e.g., community gardens, school farms,
leased farms) and aims to support long-term leases andpublic benefits with all of its agriculture projects, gardens,
and farms. Farm Philly supports the self determinationand sovereignty of communities to grow their own foodin spaces that nourish and heal their communities. The
program is also committed to the redistribution of publicresources for urban agriculture, specifically to communities
impacted by historical and ongoing disinvestment, foodapartheid, and displacement.
Other gardens are located on publicly owned land that
the City considers vacant or surplus, and gardeners facesignificant barriers to establishing long-term land security
on these lots. Roughly one-fifth (20%) of the estimated
40,000 plus vacant properties citywide are publicly owned.26
One of the Philadelphia Land Bank’s key functions is tosell, transfer, or lease surplus publicly owned property
for use as gardens and community open space, including
urban agriculture. In addition, the Land Bank’s Strategic
Plan calls on the Land Bank to “take action to preserve
active gardens” by proactively acquiring privately owned,
tax delinquent “vacant” properties that host active gardens
and preventing the sale of such properties to speculators
or developers at Sheriff’s Sale.27 The Land Bank can clear
the back-owed taxes and then transfer the properties to theindividuals and organizations who tend the land in orderto preserve gardens. However, throughout this planning
process, growers mentioned consistent challenges topurchasing or leasing land from the City, including confusing
or complicated processes, slow response times, a lack of
information, and lack of follow-up.
To date, most urban agriculture-related land transactions
through the Land Bank have granted one-year garden
license agreements.28 However, one-year agreements do notprovide adequate land security, according to growers who
participated in public engagement for this plan. Growers
expressed a desire for more options for long-term leasing

WHO OWNS GARDEN PARCELS?
The City of Philadelphia owns 74% of the garden parcels that are lacking land security. The remaining
26% are privately owned.
FIGURE 15. Analysis of Garden Ownership and Land Security

Sources: Philadelphia Garden Data Collaborative, Philadelphia Office of Property Assessment, research by planningteam, information from participants in public meetings

FIGURE 16. Surplus Land and Paths to Land Security

The Land Bank’s Acquisition and Disposition Policies detail the process and eligibility requirements for thoselooking to secure land for urban agriculture; decisions require support from the Philadelphia Land Bank
Board and the City Council District representative.

Q1: WHO OWNS THE LAND?
PUBLICLY-OWNED SURPLUS LANDPRIVATELY-OWNED ‘VACANT’ LAND

Q2: PURCHASE OR LEASE?
PURCHASE

Q2: IS THE LAND TAX-DELINQUENT?
LEASEELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR COMMUNITY GARDEN APPLY FOR TEMPORARY GARDENDISPOSITION FROM LAND BANK IF: LICENSE FROM THE LAND BANK:You are a nonprofit Low annual cost and provides
you with legal access to the
You have continuously gardened land during that time
there for 5+ years or have 5+ years ofexperience You must renew each year
Property is on Land Bank’s Garden
Property Map

ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR SIDE OR REAR YARDDISPOSITION FROM LAND BANK IF:
Median Sale Price of Homes in Census
Block Group is less than $75,000
You live in an abutting property
Property is not abutting a publicly-owned
parcel or part of an assemblage fordevelopment

PURCHASEYESNOELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR COMMUNITYGARDEN ACQUISITION BY LANDBANK IF:ELIGIBLE FOR QUIET TITLE ACTIONDECLARING YOU RIGHTFUL OWNER
USING ADVERSE POSSESSION LAW IF:

No payment agreement between
the owner and the City AND

You can demonstrate you claimed
or took over use of the land andstewarded it continuously for atleast 21 years

Tax delinquent for at least three
years OR
Owes $2,000 or more in past due
Real Estate Taxes and L&I liens

OTHERWISE ACQUIRE THROUGHPRIVATE SALE:
Buyer will be responsible forpaying past due taxes and liens
at closing

ELIGIBLE FOR CONSERVATORSHIPDECLARING YOU OFFICIAL OWNER
CARETAKER OF LAND IF:
You are a nonprofit working
within 5 miles or a resident orbusiness owner within 2,000 feet
The property is a vacant lot
on which a building has been
demolishedTax delinquent for at least three years
and $800 or more owed in past due Real
Estate Taxes and L&I liens

LAND

51

and permanent land transfer, so they can plan for the
future and grow without fear of losing their property.
Long-term lease agreements (of a minimum of fiveto ten years) and permanent land transfers canprovide growers with adequate land security when
they are made to an individual or group tending
the land or a long-term land owner committed togarden preservation, such as a land trust or nonprofit
organization.
Nonprofits and community-based organizations
have helped growers and gardeners navigate the Land
Bank’s processes for gaining access to land.

that will support disenfranchised communities withaccess to land for growing projects and technicalassistance for food and land projects.
The Philadelphia Coalition for Affordable
Communities (PCAC) has advanced land justicelegislation that would support community control ofCity-owned vacant land for permanently affordable
housing as well as growing space.31 Neighborhood
Gardens Trust (NGT), a land trust established in 1986
to preserve vegetable and flower gardens acrossthe city for future generations,32 has worked closelywith the Land Bank and other advocates to identify
properties for garden preservation and remove
roadblocks to land security, such as third-party liensthat have prevented the Land Bank from acquiring
tax-delinquent properties for garden preservation at
Sheriff’s Sale.

The Public Interest Law Center’s Garden JusticeLegal Initiative (GJLI) launched Grounded in Philly,
an online information hub with resources, data, andinformative guides on how to start a community
garden or urban farm, how to gain legal access to land,
and how to connect with other growers and activists
Other nonprofit, city, and state agencies intersect withacross the city.29 GJLI also provides pro bono legal
land and urban agriculture physically, below ground—incounsel for gardens, and works with local organizations the soil—and at surface level.
and the City to craft policy related to urban agriculture.
Penn State Cooperative Extension offers soil andwater testing services to evaluate soil composition,
fertility, and pH, as well as water quality for drinking
or irrigation water for greenhouses and food crops.33
However, these basic soil test kits, which cost $9 do
not include an investigation of soil toxins, which can bepresent in Philadelphia soils due to previous land usesand demolition practices. Optional tests for particular
toxins (e.g., lead, arsenic, mercury) are available for
additional fees.

LAND

The City contracts the Pennsylvania Horticultural
Society (PHS) Philadelphia LandCare program withfunding from federal Community Development Block
Grants to help maintain formerly vacant lots across thecity with grass, trees, and plants; and the program subcontracts to community organizations that provide
local jobs and workforce development.

52

The City’s Community Life Improvement Program(CLIP) enforces the City’s regulations to make sure
Visit https://groundedinphilly.org
vacant lots are kept clean. The Department offor more information
Licenses & Inspections (L&I) issues citations that canlead to fines for front-yard growers, wildlife habitats,
Soil Generation, a Black- and Brown-led coalition ofgardens, and farms for what may appear to thegardeners, farmers, individuals, and community-basedorganizations working to ensure people of color regain untrained eye to be overgrowth or scattered unwanted
community control of land and food,30 has made policy plants. It is necessary to recognize that overgrowthof gardens could be related to productive agricultural
demands and led campaigns to hold the Land Bank
uses or habitat creation for pollinators. Therefore, it
accountable to the urban agriculture community. Soil
Generation is currently incubating a nonprofit, 4DaSoil, is important for agencies (e.g., CLIP and L&I) to workwith growers to ensure that their gardens are not
mistaken as a nuisance, which could result in ticket
violations or removal of community growing spaces.
PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONPOTENTIAL FOR CHANGE
Urban farmers and gardeners need land access andland security. Actions that expand that access will help
create new growing spaces in Philadelphia, which will
not only grow the footprint of agriculture in the city,
but also create more opportunities for residents of
all ages and abilities to build community, to heal, tolearn, and to work. Establishing legal pathways to land
security is critical for those who tend and care forgrowing spaces that do not have legally recognizedaccess to or ownership of their land. These pathways,
including ownership and long-term leases, must assure
growers that their gardens and farms will remain
sources of nourishment and community for years tocome.
In addition to City-led pathways to land security,community-led efforts can create new opportunities
for gardeners and farmers. Examples of collective landownership include community land trusts (CLTs), in
which a nonprofit typically owns land to preserve andprotect it for agricultural uses forever, or cooperativemodels, in which member-owners pool resources toextend their buying and selling power.

Addressing issues related to land will also advance
Philadelphia’s need for climate justice and restoration.
Restoring natural land and soil for agricultural use will
boost Philadelphia’s resiliency in the face of ongoingclimate change. This means caring for, cleaning, andbuilding the soil, and healing the Earth while ensuringthat those who eat from these gardens are eating
foods that are culturally relevant, nutritious, chemicalfree, and safe.
Finally, society needs land justice, which means
repairing the history of Black, Brown, and Indigenous
land loss in this country and this city. Land is the
key to freedom, wealth, and power in this country.
Redistribution of land or rematriation—“restoring apeople to their rightful place in sacred relationship with
their ancestral land”34—recognizes land as a tool foradvancing racial, economic, and environmental justiceand holds transformative potential for community
healing, growth, transformation and cohesion.

CASE STUDYDUDLEY STREET NEIGHBORHOOD INITIATIVE, BOSTON
The Boston-based Dudley Street Neighborhood
Initiative (DSNI) provides an historic example of
how Black communities have used community
land trusts (CLTs) to preserve land for growing andother community development. DSNI started oneof the nation’s most notable CLTs, called Dudley
Neighbors, Inc. (DNI), in the late 1980s. TodayDNI property is home to housing, businesses,
farms, parks, and more. DSNI also established theGreater Boston Community Land Trust Network
to support emerging CLTs by sharing information
and advocating for policies and programs that
aid in their creation, maintenance, and expansion.
DNI also hosts its own urban agriculture program,
Dudley Grows, in partnership with The Food
Project.35 Residents lead the farm and greenhouse36
Photo courtesy of DSNI
on DNI CLT property, as well as three residentowned markets and two restaurants.

LAND

53

LAND RECOMMENDATIONS
The following recommendations aim to resolve long-standing issues with land ownership and access, improve
City operations related to agricultural land, preserve and expand the footprint of urban agriculture by increasing
access to land and land security, care for the land used for growing food and stewarding community, andaddress a legacy of land-based oppression experienced by Black, Brown, and Indigenous growers. There are three
categories of Land recommendations, which work together to:> Preserve existing growing spaces> Create new growing spaces> Invest in land stewardship to increase climate resilience

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
Preserve existing growing spaces.

X

1.1

Develop strategies to reduce the number of community gardens and farms on
private land sold at sheriff sale.
Establish a relationship with the Philadelphia Garden Data Collaborative (PGDC) to cross reference theirgarden dataset with City data sets, including the inventory of privately-owned, tax-delinquent “vacant”
property, to ensure that active/inactive gardens are not listed for purchase.
Coordinate with the Department of Revenue, Sheriff’s Office, and Land Bank to proactively acquire non-US
Bank garden properties in the sheriff’s sale pipeline.
Work to increase awareness and marketing of how to make formal requests to acquire privately owned, tax
delinquent, non-US Bank garden properties.

1.2

Support the work of the Philadelphia Garden Data Collaborative, including sharing
garden data with the collective, to ensure the City has access to updated garden datain order to preserve gardens.
Work with philanthropic partners to identify funding for the PGDC to continue to develop and sustain its
work, providing financial support to identify an institutional home for the database and standardize protocols
around data intake, updates, and sharing.

LAND

Establish an agreement between Parks & Rec and the PGDC (e.g., memorandum of understanding) to
exchange data, preferably on an annual basis, with the assurance from the City that all garden data provided
remains internal, and utilized for city planning and garden preservation purposes only. Support the collective’s
determination of standardized protocols around data intake, to facilitate updates and sharing.

54

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Administrative, Land Bank, Revenue,
Operations
Sheriff's Office, District
Council Offices

Short-Term

Administrative, Revenue, Sheriff's
Partnership
Office, Garden Data
Collaborative

Short-Term

Operations

Revenue, Sheriff's Office, Short-Term
Land Bank

Administrative Land Bank, City Council

Short-Term

Administrative Nonprofits, Area
Universities, Funders,Mayor’s Office, Parks &Rec, School District

Short-Term

BudgetShort-Term

Nonprofits, Area
Universities, Funders,
Parks & Rec

Operations,Nonprofits, Area
Administrative Universities, Grassroots
Orgs, Parks & Rec

Short-Term

Photo Credit: Catalina Jaramillo for Plan Philly

LAND

55

PRIORITYX

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
1.3

Seek improvements to how Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation (PHDC)
and the Philadelphia Land Bank educate and inform the public about equitably
selling, transferring, and leasing public land for community gardens and farms,
agriculture projects, community-managed open spaces or other productive land
uses.
Improve online guidance so it is accessible to all residents engaged in community gardening and farming,
outlining the process for growers to lease or own City-owned and tax-delinquent privately owned property.
Improve responsiveness and accessibility to notify the public on Land Bank policy and solicit feedback on land
management policies and all proposed changes prior to taking effect.
Continue to present at community workshops such as Vacant Land 215 hosted by the Public Interest Law
Center, and collaborate with grassroots and local community organizations to ensure growers are informed
about the Land Bank's services and procedures.
Improve response times to public inquiries on lease renewals, ownership applications, and requests forsupport within a commonly understood timeline and estimated waiting times.
Streamline and ease the path to secure land leases and ownership for gardens and farms by developing a
multilingual online and mail-in application, specifically designed for agriculture and open space projects (e.g.,
individual gardens, community gardens, and market farms).
Promote and advertise opportunities for public and stakeholder feedback on Land Bank and disposition policy
processes.

X

Integrate more community garden and farm experiences and representation within the Land Bank Board,prioritizing BIPOC, low-income, working-class, and immigrant farmers, to provide community oversight andvoice in decisions tied to the disposition of public land.

1.4

Increase the number of City-owned parcels preserved annually.
Partner with City Council to identify and transfer ownership a minimum of 50 City-owned garden or
open space parcels per year from the Land Bank to eligible gardeners, farmers, community land trusts,
cooperatives, community organizations, unincorporated associations, or other legally recognized entities
committed to preserving these green spaces. Prioritize those transfers in communities that have sufferedfrom discriminatory policies.

1.5

Create a land use code specifically for urban agriculture to minimize land use
conflicts and preserve agricultural spaces.
Utilize data provided by the Philadelphia Garden Data Collaborative (PGDC) to facilitate an update of the City’sland use data by the Philadelphia City Planning Commission (PCPC) to include urban agriculture for gardensthat have land security, with the assurance from the PCPC that all garden data provided for gardens that lack
land security remains internal, utilized for city planning and garden preservation purposes.

LAND

Reclassify community gardens and farms as “community managed open space” in the City's land use andvacant land databases to acknowledge gardens, distinguish them from vacant property or residential use(when the managed open space is the primary land use), and more accurately identify properties that
support the City’s agricultural and food access goals. Include community gardens, farms, orchards, and otheragriculture uses that involve the growing and harvesting of food and non-food crops and the raising of farmanimals under the urban agriculture use definition. Where the food production space is not the primary landuse, consider

56

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

BudgetLand Bank, City Council,
PHDC, Parks & Rec

Short-Term

Operations

Land Bank, Parks &Short-Term
Rec, FPAC, Nonprofits,
Grassroots Organizations

Administrative Land Bank

Short-Term

Operations

Land Bank, Parks & Rec,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations

Short-Term

Operations

Land Bank

Short-Term

Operations

Land Bank, Office of
Immigrant Affairs

Short-Term

PartnershipLand Bank, City Council,
Parks & Rec, FPAC,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Orgs, Local Growers

Short-Term

The Philadelphia Food Policy Advisory Council(FPAC) has 30 appointed members and ex
officio (i.e., City staff) members from acrossthe food system who advise the mayor
and local government on ways to create amore just food system. FPAC’s Fiscal Year2023 Recommendations advocate providing
Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation
the organizational capacity to implement newinternal practices that increase land accessand ownership for agriculture use as outlinedin the Land Bank’s 2019 Strategic Plan. FPAC
has continuously recommended providing
additional resources to the Land Bank (2014,2015, 2017, 2018, 2019). Staff members who
serve on FPAC as a function of their position
within the administration have met withdepartment leadership to discuss issues andcoordinate potential solutions that support
urban farmers and gardeners and increase
their access to land ownership.

LOCAL PROFILE

Administrative City Council, Mayor's
OfficeMedium-Term

Operations

Land Bank, District
Council Offices

Short-Term

Operations

Land Bank, District
Council Offices, FPAC,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations

Short-Term

Administrative City PlanningMedium-Term

Administrative, City Planning, Garden
Partnership
Data Collaborative

Medium-Term

Operations

Short-Term

City Planning

RESOURCES FOR CHANGEURBAN TREE CONNECTION
Urban Tree Connection’s (UTC) mission is
to build a neighborhood rooted food andland system through community leadershipdevelopment and land-based strategies
in West Philadelphia. For more than two
decades, UTC has partnered with residents totransition abandoned lots into six greening andgardening spaces to address food insecurity,
short-dumping, and social isolation. This
includes Neighborhood Foods Farm, a 3/4
acre urban farm. Together, the community
has transformed and stewarded these spaces
for communal gathering, sustainable foodproduction, and holistic health and wellness
education. Lots that had been neglected foryears are now community assets filled withfresh produce grown with and for neighbors.
UTC is part of a larger ecosystem practicing
and advocating for food sovereignty within
historically marginalized communities. Its
long-term vision is to build a local, sustainable,
and equitable food and land system that iscommunity governed.

LAND

57

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
1.6

Develop City legislation, resolutions, plans, and studies that establish urban
agriculture and community gardens and farms as permanent, viable, and essential
long-term land uses.

Formally accept the Growing from the Root as the City's pathway toward a racially and economically just foodsystem.

Establish an Urban Agriculture Charter that affirms the City’s commitments to future investments in urban
agriculture that affirm and acknowledge culturally based and ecologically friendly methods of growing andsafe and appropriate animal keeping, using the principles of agroecology.

Support increased food security by establishing urban agriculture, community gardening and farming, andgreen space as stated priorities for all public landholding and planning agencies. Administer interagency
coordination and planning to support these initiatives via an urban agriculture policy.
Work with City Council to develop urban agriculture policy, including reviewing and amending the zoning code
periodically to introduce new opportunities for advancing agriculture.
Work with residents to identify new and existing urban agriculture opportunities and support systems neededin future comprehensive and neighborhood planning efforts led or commissioned by the City. Assist in
identifying opportunities for urban agriculture for community groups seeking to develop neighborhood plans.
Where relevant, consider the role, relationship, and benefits of urban agriculture in all City studies (e.g., airand soil quality, crime reduction, access to food, public health and well-being, community relationships, andworkforce development).

X

1.7

Amend the City's acquisition and disposition policies to increase opportunities topreserve community gardens and farms on formerly vacant land.
Work with urban agriculture stakeholders in coordination with PHDC, City Council, and the Philadelphia Land
Bank Board to update the acquisition and disposition policies.

1.7a Acquisition Policies
Better explain and promote the process for eligible gardens and farms with demonstrated capacity to partnerwith the City in asking the Land Bank to acquire privately owned tax delinquent properties for garden or farmpreservation.

LAND

1.7b Disposition Policies

58

Continue to prioritize community gardens and farms to be classified as productive, community-benefiting
permanent uses of land that should be eligible for nominal (if transferring ownership to a nonprofit orcommunity garden) or discounted (if selling property to an agricultural business or market farm enterprise)
pricing.

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

City Council, Parks &Rec, Dept of Public
Health, EHS, Planning& Development, PHDC,
Office of Sustainability,
FPAC, Nonprofits,
Grassroot Organizations,
Local Growers

Short-Term

Administrative City Council, Parks &Rec, Dept of Public
Health, EHS, Planning &Development, Office ofSustainability, FPAC

Short-Term

Administrative Mayor’s Office, FPAC,
Parks & Rec, Office ofSustainability, Managing
Director’s Office, City
CouncilMedium-Term

Administrative Mayor's Office, PHDC,
Planning & Development,
Parks & Rec, School
District

Medium-Term

Legislative

City Council, Planningand Development, Parks& Rec, FPAC

Long-Term

Operations

Planning andDevelopment, Parks &Rec, FPAC

Medium-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec, Planning &Long-Term
Development, Dept of
Public Health, EHS, Officeof Sustainability, FPAC,
Parks & Rec, Streets

Legislative

Legislative,
City Council, Land Bank,
Administrative Mayor’s Office, Parks &Rec, FPAC

Medium-Term

Legislative,
City Council, PHDC, Land
Administrative Bank, Parks & Rec, FPAC,
Office of Sustainability

Medium-Term

Operations

Short-Term

City Council, Land Bank,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Administrative Land Bank, City Council

Medium-Term

LAND

59

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
1.7

Work in partnership to broaden and build gardeners’ eligibility to receive transfer of property for acont’d community-benefiting agricultural use beyond nonprofits (e.g., land trusts, cooperatives, unincorporated
associations, businesses, and other legally recognized entities). Increase residents’ awareness and engagementin accessing public and tax delinquent land.
Streamline the process for renewing leases by offering online and in-person options. Establish contact withthe lease holder to confirm that the garden is not seeking renewal prior to any lease termination.
Explore a land swap clause within the disposition policy that allows for privately held parcels within a garden
or farm to be swapped with a nearby public parcel of a similar value. (For more see Land recommendation 1.1;
land swaps can be phased out once recommendation 1.1 is implemented.)
Develop workshops and education opportunities for growers interested in market farms, including leasing orpurchasing land for a nominal fee or farm market value.

X
X

1.8

Explore the feasibility of allocating the funding necessary to purchase liens oncommunity gardens and farms and side yards to allow the Land Bank to acquire theland.
Change the Land Bank’s acquisition policies to allow the Land Bank to acquire and manage vacant properties
with US Bank liens as a systemic solution to putting this land into use, explicitly for equitable community
development (e.g., community gardens, affordable housing/public housing, open space, etc.).

1.9

Continue to provide guidance to individual applicants who are interested in licensing,leasing, or owning land to increase land security.
Develop improved application language for community gardens and farms, nonprofit farms, and market farms
seeking to own or gain legal access to land for urban agriculture, providing a clear pathway and front door for
growers.
Assign a project manager to help track the process of garden and farm applications and follow theseproperties through the leasing and disposition process.
Better promote existing opportunities for waivers to cover fees associated with land transfer for nonprofits
and low-income gardeners and farmers obtaining land through the Land Bank.

1.10

Promote community gardens and farms in the city as cultural resources that shouldbe acknowledged in the telling and preserving of all Philadelphians’ histories.

LAND

Preserve the cultural and physical history of community gardens and farms in the city that have been
stewarded by growers and residents for decades. Commemorate historic gardens and farms by nomination
through the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission's Historical Marker Program, and explore thenomination of sites to the National Register of Historic Places, formally recognizing gardens and farms thathave been tended for a decade of longer, including but not limited to, the following historic sites:

60

>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

Eastwick Community Garden (Bartram Avenue & Island Avenue)
Bethel Burial Ground
Glenwood Green Acres
Viola Street Community Garden
Wiota Street Community Garden
25th and Tasker Garden
Uber Street Garden
Urban Creators
One Art Oasis
Bel Arbor
Aspen Farms
South Philadelphia Boys & Girls ClubPHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Administrative Land Bank, Parks& Rec, FPAC, Officeof Sustainability,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Orgs

Short-Term

Operations

Land Bank

Short-Term

Legislative

City Council, Land Bank,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Orgs, Local Growers

Medium-Term

Administrative City Council,
Land Bank, FPAC,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

Legislative

Short-Term

City Council, Revenue

LOCAL PROFILENEIGHBORHOOD GARDENS TRUST
Philadelphia’s Neighborhood Gardens Trustis a nonprofit land trust which supports
community gardens through working withgardeners and the City to acquire or lease landthat is home to a garden of three growing
seasons or more. Once a garden’s application is
accepted, NGT also provides insurance, support
on maintenance and improvements, safety
monitoring, and access to other gardeners
and technical assistance. These services aid
the garden by protecting the lot from being
displaced by a sale for development, andallow gardeners to feel more secure that theirimprovements are here to stay.

CASE STUDY
Legislative

City Council

Short-Term

Administrative Land Bank

Short-Term

Administrative Land Bank

Short-Term

Operations

Land Bank

Short-Term

Legislative

City Council, Land Bank,FPAC, Funders

Medium-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec, City
Planning, Historical
Commission

Medium-Term

Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, PA
Historical and Museum
Commission

Medium-Term

Operations

NEIGHBORSPACE, CHICAGONeighborSpace is a nonprofit land trust in
Chicago that supports urban agriculture
preservation through property ownership,
insurance, stewardship, education, tool
lending, project planning, fundraising, andmore. Existing active garden groups with acommunity organization partner can apply to
be part of NeighborSpace, which will pursue
long-term ownership and share resources andconnections to other gardens.

CASE STUDY

EARTHSEED LAND COLLECTIVE,
DURHAM, NC
Earthseed Land Collective is a “center forcommunity resilience” created by “seven blackand brown folx” committed to “addressing
the overwhelming racial wealth gap throughcooperative ownership of land and resources.”
Together, they steward 48 acres of land,
growing food, jobs, and political movements,
as well as relationships between people andthe land. Earthseed is a successful BIPOC
led cooperatively owned land project, and it
demonstrates the potential reach and benefitsof the cooperative ownership model.
LAND

61

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
Nominate historically and culturally significant building structures in gardens for local historic designation by
the Philadelphia Historical Commission (e.g., Norris Square Neighborhood Project’s La Casita de Abuela).
Participate in the Philadelphia Historical Commission's Cultural Resource Survey Plan project to reinforce therole and need for preservation of urban agriculture in Philadelphia's cultural heritage.

1.11

Support the use of adverse possession as a tool to help growers obtain legal access to
privately owned land within the city and state.
Support the Public Interest Law Center's efforts to reduce the adverse possession statutory period from 21
years to 10 years for gardens and green spaces on privately held land in Philadelphia.
Collaborate with local community organizations and nonprofits, as well as out-of-state grassroots farming
organizations (e.g., Black Urban Gardeners and Farmers of Pittsburgh Co-op) and Food Policy Advisory
Councils, to engage state politicians and law makers to support and sponsor PA Senate Bill 939 to shorten theexisting adverse possession statutory period.
Develop a payment plan process for back taxes or liens owed when a garden or farm is successfully secured
through an adverse possession claim.

1.12

Use funds from federal and state agencies (e.g., US Department of Agriculture,
Environmental Protection Agency), the City of Philadelphia, and philanthropic sources
to create and sustain a Food and Land Justice Fund dedicated to the preservation ofcommunity gardens and farms.
Use the Food and Land Justice Fund to offer accessible community grant opportunities that support growers
in purchasing land and resources (e.g., water lines, tools, soil, hoop houses, etc.).

Use the Food and Land Justice Fund to support garden and farm data tracking, as well as land stewardshipover time. Allow funds to be used for human development, including training and education to ensure growers
have all the tools they need to manage relationships and growing spaces.
Apply for federal funding available for urban agriculture and food policy development in city municipalities.

Create new growing spaces.
1.13

Establish a Land Access Program within a new Office of Agriculture to provide longterm affordable leases on public park land for growers citywide.
Survey public land within Parks & Rec’s inventory, including neighborhood parks and recreation centers that
do not yet include agriculture or food growing spaces, to identify spaces that could support urban agriculture.
Also, survey residents within a half-mile of these sites to gauge interest in growing food and participating in
agricultural projects (e.g., Fox Chase Farm).

LAND

Identify priority areas for the Land Access Program tied to benefits for residents, including increasing foodsupply and food security in low-income communities.

62

Explore opportunities for long-term cooperative land care partnerships with growers, land stewardship, andtribal organizations on park land.

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Partnership

Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations,
Parks & Rec

Long-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec, Nonprofits,
Short-Term
Grassroots Organizations

Legislative

FPAC

Medium-Term

Partnership

FPAC, Nonprofits

Medium-Term

Partnership

FPAC, Nonprofits,
Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

Administrative Dept of Revenue

Medium-Term

BudgetParks & Rec, Fund forPhiladelphia, Officeof Sustainability,
Nonprofits, Federal
Agencies

Long-Term

Administrative Parks & Rec, Fund forPhiladelphia, Office ofSustainability, Federal
Agencies

Long-Term

Administrative Parks & Rec, Fund forPhiladelphia, Office ofSustainability, Federal
Agencies

Long-Term

BudgetMedium-Term

Parks & Rec, Fund forPhiladelphia, Office ofSustainability, Federal
Agencies

Administrative Parks & Rec

Medium-Term

Operations

Short-Term

Parks & Rec,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Administrative Parks & Rec,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

Partnership

Medium-Term

Parks & Rec

LOCAL PROFILEEASTWICK COMMUNITY GARDENSThe Eastwick neighborhood is home to thelargest community garden (7.64 acres) in
Philadelphia. The garden space, also known as“the airport garden,” comprises two gardensthat have been operating there for over 40
years, Eastwick Community Gardens and The
Victory Gardens. Over 100 diverse gardeners
from the Southern US to the Caribbean, Italy
to Southeast Asia, grow bountiful crops ofculturally important foods to feed their families
and communities. Many of the gardeners
are elders for whom the garden is their main
source of exercise, healthy food, community,and purpose. Elder gardeners share seeds,
tools, knowledge, skills, and life lessons withthe younger generation of gardeners. The
gardens are coordinated by advisory boards
made up of gardeners, and the land is ownedby the Philadelphia International Airport.
Growers have shown interest for many years inpreserving these gardens for permanent use asa beloved asset of southwest Philadelphia.

Eastwick Community Garden (Photos courtesy of thePennsylvania Department of Agriculture)

LAND

63

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
1.13
Explore opportunities for cultural heritage conservation easements and agreements, which would allow
cont’d for formalized Native American and Indigenous access to land for cultural purposes (e.g., foraging andceremonies).
Connect all leaseholders to the network of City resources (e.g., compost, mulch, garden beds, translation
services, etc.).
In partnership with growers and advocates, develop guidelines for community gardens and urban agriculture
projects on public lands to ensure long-term maintenance, public environmental benefit, and transparency
between gardeners and Parks & Rec.

1.14

Facilitate collaboration between Parks & Rec and Rebuild Philadelphia to evaluate
potential and need for garden creation or preservation at Rebuild recreation centers.
Develop assessment sheets for each Rebuild site that documents food insecurity in the surrounding area, thepotential to grow food on site (i.e., access to sun, water, soil), and nearby community gardens and farms withexpertise as potential partners.
Ensure community gardening and farming activities are presented to residents as a recreation option during
the community engagement and design process.
Establish a protocol for Rebuild and future initiatives to coordinate with the proposed Office of Agriculture
during pre-planning and site assessments for improvements at Rebuild sites.
Conduct training on how to facilitate community conversations about community gardening and farming
for Rebuild Project Users (i.e., the nonprofit entities facilitating Rebuild community engagement, design, andconstruction processes).
Work with Rebuild design teams to assess the feasibility of creating or reconstructing gardens with ADA
accessibility (e.g., sidewalks and pathways, accessible garden beds) to further promote inclusive recreation.

1.15

Work with the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) to incorporate community
gardens and agriculture projects at existing and future public housing developments.
Offer informational sessions for PHA's Resident Advisory Board and Resident Councils to build awareness about
City and PHA support for growing food, community gardening, and food-related programs.
Survey residents at all public housing developments to gauge resident interest in growing food andparticipating in agricultural projects (e.g., bee keeping, composting, indoor and vertical farming).
Partner with PowerCorpsPHL, relevant City agencies, and nonprofits to build out new community gardens andbring agricultural programming (e.g., farm stands, food and wellness cooking demonstrations) for residents
to access free, fresh, locally grown produce at PHA sites.
Formalize and codify the process for residents of PHA housing to create gardens on PHA property for futurereference.

LAND

Incorporate community gardening, agriculture projects, and/or space for fresh food and wellness
programming in the design of all new public housing developments.

64

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Administrative Parks & Rec

Medium-Term

Operations

Medium-Term

Parks & Rec, Streets,
Office of ImmigrantAffairs

Administrative, Parks & Rec,
Partnership
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec, Rebuild

Short-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec

Short-Term

Operations

Rebuild, Parks & Rec,
Nonprofits

Short-Term

Administrative Rebuild, Parks & Rec

Short-Term

Administrative Parks & Rec, Rebuild,
Nonprofits

Short-Term

Partnership

Rebuild, Parks & Rec

Short-Term

Partnership

PHA

Long-Term

Operations

PHA, Parks & Rec, FPAC,
Nonprofits

Short-Term

Operations

PHA

Short-Term

Partnership

PHA, PowerCorpsPHL,
Medium-Term
Parks & Rec, Nonprofits,
Grassroots Organizations

Administrative PHA

Medium-Term

Operations

Long-Term

PHA

LAND

65

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
1.16

Build awareness about pathways to land ownership and long-term leasing
opportunities for growers tending Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA)’s vacant andscattered site properties.
Share information throughout the network of local growers to market PHA’s Community Choice Program
through which nonprofits can register with PHA and request surplus PHA land for community-serving uses,
including community gardens and farms.
Create a process for PHA residents and neighboring residents to develop or preserve gardens on PHA land.

Explore expanding eligibility for PHA's Community Choice Program to include legally recognized entities(e.g., community land trusts, cooperatives, and unincorporated associations) beyond neighborhood-based
nonprofits.

1.17

Work across City agencies and with major institutions to support the creation of newcommunity gardens and market farms to increase food production in the city.

Partner with PWD’s Vacant Land Program to create a new community gardens and farms initiative thatincorporates green stormwater infrastructure (e.g., rain gardens) as part of a shared stewardship andlong-term land protection and maintenance plan. Develop a call for submissions by neighborhood to selectinterested community partners.
Seek opportunities to co-locate community gardens on Free Library property (e.g., Lillian Marrero Library)where there is suitable space and demonstrated interest among staff and community members. Coordinate
efforts with other food- and agriculture-related initiatives based in the library system.
Partner with the School District of Philadelphia to establish a process for creating new community gardens
and leasing land to provide access for neighboring residents. Explore liability challenges and provide support
for clearances to allow residents to work in gardens on school grounds.
Develop innovative zoning incentives and designations (e.g., urban agriculture zones) to encourage urban
agriculture production.
Collaborate with PIDC/PAID to do a land suitability analysis to identify vacant or underutilized public land andbuildings that are suitable for a diverse range of agriculture projects, including vacant industrial buildings(e.g., hydroponics, indoor agriculture, vertical farming) that could be candidates for market farms or otheragricultural enterprises. Develop an outreach and engagement process to connect farmers and agricultural
producers to available land and buildings.

LAND

Partner with universities to make their surplus land and underutilized spaces available to growers, while
encouraging students and residents to grow together (e.g., Temple University Community Garden).

66

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Operations

PHA

Short-Term

Partnership

PHA, Grassroots
Organizations,Nonprofits, Local
Growers

Short-Term

Partnership

PHA, Local Growers,
Grassroots
Organizations,Nonprofits

Short-Term

Administrative PHA, Grassroots
Organizations,Nonprofits

Medium-Term

Operations,
Partnership

PWD, Free Library,
School District, Planning& Development, PIDC/
PAID, Commerce, Officeof Sustainability, Parks &Rec, FPAC

Medium-Term

Operations,
Partnership

PWD, Parks & Rec,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Short-Term

Operations

Free Library, Parks & Rec

Short-Term

Operations

School District,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

Administrative Planning & Development,
Dept of Public Health,Parks & Rec, FPAC

Medium-Term

Operations

PIDC/PAID, Land Bank,
Commerce, DVRPC,
Planning & Development

Medium-Term

PartnershipArea Universities,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

LAND

67

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
1.18

Partner with environmental stewardship organizations, City agencies, and advocatesthroughout Philadelphia to evaluate whether a countywide Conservation District
should be established, which could create new access to technical and financial
resources.
Establish the mission and components of the Conservation District in collaboration with FPAC and urban
agriculture and environmental stewardship community stakeholders, and partner City agencies.

Seek funding from the National Association of Conservation Districts Urban Agriculture Conservation (UAC)
Grant Initiative, philanthropic partners and federal and state agencies to implement plan recommendations
within the city.

X

Utilize the Conservation District to preserve agricultural land within Philadelphia, in addition to other mutually
beneficial efforts to stabilize and grow the local tree canopy and improve soil and water quality, among otherinitiatives.

1.19

Increase availability of funding for growers and nonprofits to acquire land throughphilanthropic, state, and federal funding sources.
Increase and advocate for more available funding for urban agriculture activities under the Pennsylvania
Department of Agriculture’s Pennsylvania Farm Bill program.
Seek philanthropic support from mission-aligned foundations, private donors, and universities. Support
building relationships between community garden and farm operators and philanthropic partners interested
in supporting land preservation efforts as well as racial and economic justice.

Utilize state grants, including Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Community
Conservation Partnerships and Department of Community and Economic Development Greenways, Trails andRecreation Program grants, to support land acquisition and garden preservation.

Utilize federal grants (e.g., the Community Development Block Grant) to acquire land for growers who areland insecure and fund capital projects on public land such as installing water lines and green stormwater
infrastructure, building new community gardens and food forests on City-owned vacant land, and redeveloping
City-owned buildings.

LAND

Provide an annual report of incoming funds and funds spent on land acquisition for community gardens andfarms within the proposed Office of Urban Agriculture.

68

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Administrative Parks & Rec, PWD, Officeof Sustainability, School
District, FPAC

Medium-Term

Administrative Parks & Rec, PWD,
Office of Sustainability,
Streets, School District,
Mayor’s Office, FPAC,
Nonprofits, Area
Universities, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

BudgetMedium-Term

Parks & Rec, PWD, Officeof Sustainability, FPAC

Administrative Parks & Rec, PWD, Officeof Sustainability, School
District, FPAC

Long-Term

BudgetFunders, PA Dept of Ag,
Fund for Philadelphia,
Federal Agencies (e.g.,
USDA, EPA)

Medium-Term

BudgetPA Dept of Ag, FPAC,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations

Short-Term

BudgetParks & Rec, Office ofMedium-Term
Sustainability, FPAC, Fundfor Philadelphia, Funders,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

BudgetParks & Rec, Office ofSustainability, FPAC,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

Planning & Development,
Parks & Rec,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Long-Term

BudgetAdministrative Parks & Rec

DEFINITION

Long-Term

SOIL REMEDIATION
Healthy food starts with healthy soil. Somemethods of removing contaminants andpollutants from poisoned soil include
bioremediation and phytoremediation which
both use plants to draw up particles such as
pesticides, petroleum hydrocarbons, metals,
and chlorinated solvents. These plants arethen considered to be biohazards and need
to be disposed of responsibly. (For more
information, see the FPAC Healthy Soil Report).
Photo Credit: Marcus Spiske, via Unsplash

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69

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
Invest in land stewardship to increase climate resilience.
1.20

Review and revise current City practices for land care, including Community Life
Improvement Program (CLIP), Parks & Rec, Licenses & Inspections (L&I), and private
contractors to be more sustainable, friendly, and effective in supporting resident
health, the environment, and growing practices.
Investigate common land care issues, how and why they occur (e.g., citations for tall grass and weeds,
unintended mowing, destruction of food gardens, fruiting trees, and green stormwater infrastructure), anddevelop guidelines for City entities and contractors to prevent those situations.

Produce and distribute urban agriculture, green stormwater infrastructure and pollinator habitat training andmanuals (referencing the Citywide GSI Maintenance agreement) for City agencies and private contractors
hired by the City, to prevent the removal or destruction of plants and trees grown by residents and unjustified
fines for gardeners (i.e., pollinator habitats, fruit-bearing trees, code-compliant animal keeping, front yard
gardens growing food and native or medicinal plants).
Increase training for land management agencies about how to manually remove plants to effectively manage
disruptive (i.e. invasive) species and better manage larger tracts of natural lands. Explore public campaigns
and workdays with partners to remove disruptive (i.e., invasive) species within the parks system.
Continue to utilize Integrative Pest Management, agroecology, and other sustainable technologies to reduce
the potential negative impacts of these practices on human and animal health, water quality, soil quality, andair quality.
Ensure synthetic herbicide (e.g., Monsanto’s Roundup) and pesticide applications do not take place within 50
feet of play equipment and food producing gardens and farms on Parks & Rec properties. In the event there isan application of herbicides or pesticides within the parks system, staff will continue to post signs providing
notice in advance and until the chemical dries.
Continue to ban synthetic herbicide and pesticide applications by community gardens and farms locatedon park land, educating residents on the health impacts of glyphosate and encouraging alternatives forresidential use.
Institute a pilot program, on selected sites, to test the efficacy of organic pest management products.
Create education and hands-on opportunities for residents, universities, and growers to remove disruptive(i.e., invasive) species within the parks system for creative purposes (e.g., removing pokeweed berries as aplant dye for textiles or removing kudzu vine to process as fiber for fabric).

1.21

Explore how to expand City-funded programs to recognize, protect, and compensate
gardens for their stewardship of formerly vacant land.
Encourage continued collaboration between PHS and Community LandCare staff whose maintenance work
occurs at sites where residents are gardening in raised beds or other formats; offer training to LandCare staff
about how to support gardening activities and work with growers.

LAND

Consider City sponsorship of a new longer-term and more resource-intensive track under the PHS LandCare
program that directs funds to community gardens on the LandCare maintenance list, so that gardeners can
support their own operations, equipment, and physical improvement needs over multiple growing seasons.

70

Create a pathway to move City-owned PHS LandCare sites where community gardening and agriculture
activities are taking place towards open space/urban agriculture protection rather than treating these lots as
surplus vacant land.

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

TORONTO PUBLIC HEALTH SOIL STUDY

Administrative CLIP, Parks & Rec,
Licenses & Inspections,Nonprofits

Short-Term

Administrative, Licenses & Inspections,
Partnership
CLIP, Parks & Rec,
PWD, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers, Nonprofits

Medium-Term

Administrative Parks & Rec, PWD,
Licenses & Inspections,
CLIP

Short-Term

Administrative Parks & Rec, CLIP,
Licenses & Inspections

Short-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec

Short-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec

Short-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec

Medium-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec

Medium-Term

Partnership

Parks & Rec, Grassroots
Organizations, Area
Universities, Local
Growers, Nonprofits

Medium-Term

Partnership

Mayor’s Office, Planning& Development, Parks &Rec, FPAC, Nonprofits

Medium-Term

Partnership

Planning & Development,
Parks & Rec, FPAC,
Nonprofits

Short-Term

Partnership

Planning & Development,
Nonprofits

Long-Term

Administrative Land Bank, Planning &Development, Parks &Rec

CASE STUDY
Toronto Public Health’s guide for soil testingin urban gardens, From the Ground Up, wascreated to provide guidance on when and how
to test soil for contaminants prior to initiating
garden operations, which previous uses makea site more likely to have contaminated soil,
and what efforts to take (such as raised beds
or adding clean soil annually) to mitigate
contamination in crops.

Photo courtesy of Toronto Public Health

CASE STUDYPHILADELPHIA SOIL KITCHEN

Long-Term

Soil Kitchen was a temporary architecturalintervention by Futurefarmers, powered bya windmill at 2nd Street and Girard Avenue
in 2011. Residents could attend lectures
and workshops on agriculture, cooking, soil
remediation, compositing, and windmill
construction, as well as enjoy free soupin exchange for samples of soil from theirneighborhood. The intervention coincided withthe 2011 EPA National Brownfields Conference,and Soil Kitchen was able to test soil samples
and produce a Philadelphia Brownfields Map
and Soil Archive.

LAND

71

PRIORITYX

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
1.22

Support existing land trusts and the creation of new community-led land trusts andland cooperatives in the city to secure land and hold ownership/leases for community
gardens and other shared open spaces.
Provide technical assistance to support existing and new land trusts and land cooperatives working withresidents and community organizations that need land security. Assist in navigating City processes andpolicies, securing funding for land purchases, liability insurance, and other costs, as well as navigating realestate tax exemptions, water access, and any other common landowner responsibilities.
Work with community partners to host teach-ins and trainings for residents and community organizations
interested in land trusts and cooperative ownership models for their land projects and farms; including
significant topics such as heirs’ property laws, tangled title, class and race analysis, wealth and legacy (passing
down of land) needs and desires.
Advance land reclamation by Black farmers and the Land Back movement for Indigenous/Native farmers
by helping to organize and raise awareness of legal skill shares with partner organizations on Black, AfroIndigenous, and Native Indigenous land tenure models.

1.23

Develop a citywide Healthy Soils and Education Program to support urban
agriculture, build up topsoils, address carbon sequestration, increase water capture insoils, and prevent water contamination from soil runoff.
Update guidelines for safe growing in the city that are accessible in multiple languages, both online and in
print. Develop a step-by-step site history guide for growers to learn about what the land they are growing on
was used for previously (e.g., housing, gas station, laundry mat), and to understand the implications that priorland use may hold for soil health. Work with local organizations to develop and deploy educational materials
to encourage public practices that build up healthy soil (e.g., using compost, biochar, fermented nutrients,
manure to boost soil nutrients).
Subsidize workshops and skill shares hosted by community gardens and farms that teach traditional and agroecological soil remediation techniques.

Partner with community organizations to create community education campaigns and cultural events about
the benefits of healthy soil, compost, biodiversity, and traditional agriculture techniques. Conduct soil safety
outreach and education in neighborhoods, prioritizing low income and predominantly BIPOC neighborhoods
that have experienced decades of disinvestment due to structural racism and environmental injustice.
Create a guide, in partnership with building and trades organizations, on how to build raised beds and other
out-of-ground growing structures to grow food in safe, chemical-free, and affordable ways.

Conduct healthy soil projects with community gardens in areas with high amounts of soil contamination andair pollution to demonstrate how to improve soil health and safety.

LAND

Submit grant applications to state and federal programs and partners for brownfields and soil remediation
funding and other soil health programs to support community garden and farm soil testing and other related
projects.

72

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Operations,
Partnership

Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers, FPAC, Parks &Rec

Short-Term

Operations

Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers, FPAC, Parks &Rec

Medium-Term

Partnership

Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, FPAC,
Parks & Rec

Medium-Term

Partnership

Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, FPAC,
Parks & Rec

Medium-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec

Short-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec, Office ofSustainability, FPAC,
Office of ImmigrantAffairs, Area Universities

Medium-Term

Partnership

Parks & Rec, Officeof Sustainability,
FPAC, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers, Nonprofits

Medium-Term

Partnership

Parks & Rec, Officeof Sustainability,
FPAC, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers, Nonprofits

Medium-Term

Partnership

Parks & Rec, Office ofMedium-Term
Sustainability, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers, Nonprofits

Operations

Parks & Rec, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers, Nonprofits

Medium-Term

BudgetParks & Rec, Office ofSustainability, FPAC

Short-Term

LAND

73

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
1.24

Collaborate with Penn State University Extension, Pennsylvania Association for
Sustainable Agriculture and other local organizations, institutions, colleges, anduniversities to provide affordable soil testing services, including guidance andresources for gardeners and farmers submitting soil samples for testing.
Advocate to ensure that tests include a more complete analysis specific to Philadelphia (e.g., lead, arsenic,
persistent bioaccumulative toxins (PBTs), mercury, solvents).

Support efforts to ensure that scientific results of soil tests are communicated in a way that residents andnon-scientists can understand; provide definitions, key take-aways, and recommended action steps for healthand safety.

Support residents in identifying sources of contamination, risk levels, and strategies for dealing withcontaminants.

Establish contaminant concentration thresholds specific to urban agriculture in Philadelphia. Review andupdate these thresholds regularly for urban gardeners to reference.
Analyze soil in existing gardens to determine the impact of long-term gardening on soil quality.

1.25

Collaborate with community gardens and leaseholders to increase wildlife habitats
on park land, public right-of-way, and other open or riverine spaces to improve theenvironmental quality for wildlife, enhance the City’s climate change mitigation
efforts, and increase wildlife viewing and recreational opportunities (e.g., birding,bee keeping).

LAND

Expand and promote the nation’s first City-owned Freshwater Mussel Hatchery at Fairmount Water Works
and other initiatives to return mussels to the Delaware River watershed where they help improve and protect
freshwater systems. Support Partnership for the Delaware Estuary and partners in creating a large-scalemussel hatchery at Bartram’s Garden, expected to bring millions of mussels back into the Delaware River.

74

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

PartnershipArea Universities,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers, Parks & Rec

Short-Term

PartnershipArea Universities,
Parks & Rec,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Short-Term

PartnershipArea Universities,
Parks & Rec,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Short-Term

Operations

Area Universities,
Parks & Rec,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Short-Term

Administrative Area Universities, Parks & Medium-Term
Rec, Nonprofits
PartnershipArea Universities,
Nonprofits, Parks & Rec

Medium-Term

Partnership

Parks & Rec, NRCS,
EPA, PA DCNR, Streets,
John Heinz National
Wildlife Refuge,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations,
Local Growers, Area
Universities

Medium-Term

Partnership

Nonprofits, Area
Universities, Institutions,
PWD, Parks & Rec

Medium-Term

DEFINITION

NATURAL BIVALVE WATER FILTRATION
Bivalves such as oysters, clams, and mussels
are natural filtration systems in our waterways,
but due to pollution and over harvesting, their
numbers have declined. Local organizations
such as Partnership for the Delaware Estuary(PDE) and Fairmount Water Works have beenworking toward restoring the local mussel
population in the Schuylkill and Delaware
rivers, which will help clean our water, prevent
shoreline erosion, and provide habitats forsmaller organisms. PDE and Bartram’s Garden
have partnered to create a new watershededucation and restoration complex at
Bartram’s Garden. The project will include a
9,000-square-foot hatchery, where freshwater
mussels will be placed in the riverbeds of local
streams, wetlands, and waterways, and a
12,000-square-foot education center that will
provide hands-on, year-round opportunities
for intergenerational learning and exchange
within a teaching kitchen and indoor/outdoor
classroom spaces.

Mussels (Photo courtesy of the Partnership for the
Delaware Estuary)
Visit https://bartramsgarden.org/hatchery/ formore information.

LAND

75

Goal: Build long-term support for urban
agriculture initiatives into the City’s
infrastructure, policies, and programs.

PRODUCTION

Production is the act of cultivating crops, growing food,and raising animals.

76

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

2 . PRODUCTION
PRODUCTION

77

PRODUCTIONOVERVIEW
Production of food, flowers, medicinal plants, and fiber (such as hemp)
requires adequate agricultural resources. This chapter of Growing fromthe Root focuses on access to and the availability of resources for growers,
seed keepers, and stewards of land and animals. Necessary resources
include the various inputs needed to grow food or tend farm animals:
water infrastructure, tools, storage, organic materials (e.g., compost,
mulch), seeds, and farm equipment, as well as new City legislation, code
amendments, and guidelines that enable people to increase harvests andsafely raise animals in the city.

WHY PHILADELPHIA NEEDS TO INVEST
IN PRODUCTION AND INFRASTRUCTURALSUPPORT FOR AGRICULTURE
When public meeting participants were asked, “What does yourcommunity garden need to thrive?” the majority said growing
materials (e.g., soil, seeds/seedlings, and tools) and growing
infrastructure (e.g., raised beds, hoop houses or greenhouses, andcompost bins), followed closely by long-term land security and water
infrastructure. Participants described various barriers to increasing
their production and investing in agricultural infrastructure, includinglack of land security and access to growing space.

PRODUCTION

Participants also described the potential of urban agriculture: mitigatingclimate change impacts such as flooding, heat islands, and biodiversity loss;
retaining stormwater and lessening the impact on Philadelphia’s combined
sewer systems and overflows; and storing carbon that would otherwise be
released into the atmosphere, a process called carbon sequestration. All ofthese benefits are core to urban agriculture that employs the principles ofagroecology, which takes a holistic approach to growing food. Agroecology
brings growing food back in harmony with biology and the environment,
people, and our cultural and political structures.37 Whereas conventional
agriculture exacerbates climate change and food waste, small scale
farming and urban agriculture that employs agroecology and agroforestry
principles can reduce both.

78

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

“I can’t afford
to buy the foodI can grow.”—Public meeting participant

Many participants also emphasized that urban agriculture can increase
access to nourishing food and bring communities together. The COVID-19
pandemic led to empty grocery store shelves, especially in disinvested
communities, where - participants said - many residents turned toneighborhood gardens and farms to access quality, affordable, andnutritious foods. With the physical distancing constraints broughton by the pandemic and the collective heartbreak and outrage at thecontinued loss of Black lives that led to racial justice uprisings acrossthe city and country, gardens remained safe spaces where people could
come together to heal and take collective action. Food-producing spaces
and organizations became ever-more critical in feeding Philadelphia’s
population and providing safe spaces for gathering during difficult andpainful times.
In addition to plants and growing spaces, animals are a key part ofurban agriculture in Philadelphia. Many participants indicated support
for animal keeping in Philadelphia: nine out of every 10 participants said
they support keeping bees, and three-quarters said they support goats.
Participants mentioned wide-ranging benefits that these animals provide
to local ecosystems, including bees’ essential role in pollination andpropagation.
Participants also described the social benefits of infrastructure
improvements. Seating, tables, outdoor kitchens, washing stations, andsun shelters can transform gardens from functional growing spaces
into welcoming and comfortable common spaces. Walkways andraised beds can make gardens and farms more accessible to elders andpeople with limited mobility. More permanent infrastructure, such as
water lines, electricity, cold storage, tool storage, and fencing, gives
growers a greater sense of permanence, with investments reflecting an
understanding that the land will be used for agricultural purposes for theforeseeable future.

Physical improvements to growing spaces
allow gardeners and farmers to increase
their production and deepen theirconnection to place.

PRODUCTION

79HOW PHILADELPHIA APPROACHES FOOD AND
AGRICULTURE PRODUCTION
State and City governments, large nonprofits,
and grassroots communities all work to support
agricultural production, though there is still much to
be done. Since 2019, Pennsylvania’s Departmentof Agriculture has offered funds to improve
agricultural infrastructure in urban areas throughthe Urban Agriculture Infrastructure Grant Program,an innovation that arose out of the first Pennsylvania
Farm Bill.38 Through the program, individuals or single
entities can apply for micro-grants of up to $2,500, andgroups of several partners can apply for collaboration
grants up to $50,000. Additionally, the Penn State
Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardener Programprovides horticultural research, education, knowledge,
and technical skills to residents and interested
gardeners, especially in the Philadelphia area. They
focus on best practices in sustainable horticulture andenvironmental stewardship.
There are also several City initiatives that support
urban agriculture production. Philadelphia Parks& Recreation (Parks & Rec) offers free mulch,compost, and lumber through the Fairmount Park
Organic Recycling Center and hosts the Community
Propagation Program at Fairmount Park Horticultural
Center, where city growers can apply to sharegreenhouse facilities at a nominal fee. In 2019, Parks &Rec also launched the Community Compost Network,
which currently supports public composting at 13 sites
across Philadelphia, with plans to expand. (For more
information, see the Food Waste Reduction & Recovery
chapter.)

PRODUCTION

Additionally, the Philadelphia Water Department(PWD) offers several opportunities to help growers
access water for their gardens and farms. PWD’sRain Check program offers rain barrels that canbe connected to home gutter systems to support
stormwater retention and provide water to residential
growing spaces. PWD also provides growers with fire
hydrant permits on a case-by-case basis.

80

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONAs of 2017, City legislation made community gardens
eligible to receive a 100% discount on stormwater
management service charges (the Stormwater
Exemption) for parcels classified by PWD as
Community Gardens following an application (whichmust be renewed every three years) and approval.
In an effort to support community-led efforts that
address food apartheid, the Philadelphia Departmentof Public Health’s Division of Chronic Disease andInjury Prevention partnered with The Reinvestment

WHY “FOOD APARTHEID”
AND NOT “FOOD DESERT”?

“Food deserts” are generally defined as lowincome areas with little access to nutritional
foods and large grocery stores. This term has
been used by many organizations, academic
institutions, and government entities,
including the USDA and food movements.
The term “desert,” however, may give theimpression that these food landscapes arenaturally occurring, when in fact they are a
result of compounding systemic injustices
and racism. The co-founder of Black Urban
Growers, Karen Washington, has said, “Foodapartheid looks at the whole food system,
along with race, geography, faith, andeconomics. When we say food apartheid, thereal conversation can begin.”39

Fund to offer grants to local food justice andcommunity organizations, gardens, farms, andbusinesses. The Philadelphia Food Justice Initiative(PFJI)​funds community-driven solutions “informedby health justice, the collective movement to heal
society and remove barriers that prevent individualand community well-being.”40 The initiative has funded
dozens of projects throughout the city.
Some City regulations prevent or place constraints on
people growing produce and raising animals in the city.
For example, the Philadelphia Land Bank’s Disposition
Policies do not allow accessory structures for urban
agriculture by right,41 preventing the installationof greenhouses for seed starts, tool sheds andstorage, temporary high and low tunnels for season
extension, and infrastructure for washing stations
and refrigeration unless expressly permitted in theagreement. City regulations also make it unattainable
to keep egg-laying hens in Philadelphia.
According to the City’s code, “farm animals,” including“any chicken, goose, duck, turkey, goat, sheep, pig, cow,or other farm animal”42 are allowed only on parcelsof land that are three or more acres in size—bigger
than the average city block—or at a facility used for
education or scientific purposes.43

NEEDS: physical &1st LAND
ecological infrastructure
NEEDS: skills, training,
2nd PEOPLE
support & resources for growers
NEEDS: resources
3rd COMMUNITY
for cultivating relationships
NEEDS: support navigating
4th SYSTEM
institutional regulations & resources

Garden and farm needs, prioritized by participants atthe second public meeting

The above structure provides storage, room for seedstarts, and houses the garden’s planting plan/plot map.

PRODUCTION

81

Philly-area nonprofits also have several programs that
support urban agriculture production. The following
are just a few examples:

PRODUCTION> Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) offers
classes that teach introductory gardening skills aswell as urban agriculture and gardening support
through its Community Gardens Program. Gardens
can apply and access resources, tools and othermaterials including seedlings grown and distributed
through the City Harvest Initiative.
> The West Philly Tool Library, established in 2007,
loans tools to community members so they can
perform simple home maintenance, tend their yards
and gardens, build furniture, start projects, andSeed-keeping can maintain connections to culture,learn new skills in a safe and affordable manner.
tradition, and ancestral practices.
Community-based organizations and businesses
by Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Association
practice and promote urban food production as a
Coalition (SEAMAAC) and serve over 300 gardeners,
means of preserving traditions and culture—and of
more than 70 percent of whom are refugees44 fromresistance against racist and discriminatory systems.
Bhutan, Burma, Nepal, and the Democratic Republic
Food production enables communities to decide forof the Congo, among other nations. With seeds forthemselves what foods are relevant and nourishing,vegetables and herbs from their home countries,
and to promote health and identity from thefamilies are able to extend their food budgets, grow thegrassroots up. The following are just a few examples
food and flavors of home, and maintain connections toof the many community based organizations andtheir cultures and traditions.45
programs that engage in urban agriculture with afocus on its social, cultural, and health impacts.
> Truelove Seeds is a farm-based “profit-sharing
seed company that grows, preserves, and sells> Sankofa Community Farm, Resilient Roots Farm,
rare and culturally significant seeds.”46 The seeds
and Urban Tree Connection each host farms andare collected from over 50 small urban and ruralcommunity gardens that provide fresh produce tofarmers who share a commitment to “community
their communities through farmers’ markets andfood sovereignty, cultural preservation, andcommunity-led food distribution, while also offering
sustainable agriculture.”47 Through TrueLove,
workshops and programs to learn about cultural
farmers share seeds and stories of their “ancestralseed keeping and preservation, agroecology, andand regional crops,” while also earning additional
more.
income from the sale of these seeds to others.
Growing Home Gardens is a collection of community> In 2021, Soil Generation released a manual titledgardens across South Philadelphia that offer a safe
Agroecology From the People: Volume 1, whichspace for refugees putting down roots in the city.
shares the history of the group’s organizing andOriginally established by the Nationalities Services
formation, technical and culturally based farming
Center in partnership with Pennsylvania Horticultural
practices from growers around the city, andSociety and the City, the gardens are now managed
political organizing strategies.

82

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONPOTENTIAL FOR CHANGE
A range of actions are necessary to ensure growers
have the resources they need to enhance agricultural
production in Philadelphia, from citywide policychanges to new programs and initiatives to help
growers invest in improved infrastructure. At a citywide
policy level, growers need supportive land policies.
Zoning changes can provide institutional clarity, lend
legitimacy, and standardize agricultural practices.
Several US cities have passed zoning ordinances andother policies that Philadelphia can look to as models.
The City of Cleveland Urban Garden District ordinanceincludes regulations on permitting uses and structures,
including greenhouses, hoop houses, chicken coops,
beehives, rain barrels, and farm stands.48 Seattle’s
highly detailed urban agriculture ordinance clarifies
regulated uses and structures for urban foodproduction and animal raising.49
Regulations should be based on a broad understandingof food production that includes culturally based,
agroecological practices as well as training for code
inspectors, who may not be familiar with thesepractices. Regulations must also be paired withfinancial assistance and support for navigating the newrules to ensure equitable outcomes for growers, andassistance must be distributed in a racially equitableway, so it reaches the communities most likely to be
negatively impacted by new regulation.
It is important to also note the connection between
food production and land security. Land insecurity has
been the biggest barrier preventing communities frommaking capital and infrastructural investments in foodproduction operations. In order to repair the systemic
erosion of growing spaces across Philadelphia, growers
need support installing improvements that have been
prevented due to land insecurity, such as access towater, electricity, and building materials.

CASE STUDIESNEW YORK’S GREENTHUMB PROGRAM& BOSTON’S GRASSROOTS PROGRAM

New York City’s GreenThumb programsupports community gardens throughworkshops, supplies, information, andconnections to organizations and funding.
GreenThumb also facilitates communication
with the City if residents are interested in
growing on a City-owned lot.50
In Boston, the Grassroots program provides
funding up to $100,000 per project, City-owned
land, and technical assistance to neighborhood
garden groups in low- and moderate-income
neighborhoods.51 Both Grassroots andGreenThumb are successful examples of a City
program that provides gardening resources totheir residents.

“Rainbow Garden of Life and Health”, acommunity garden in the Bronx managed bycommunity members under the City of New
York’s GreenThumb Program.
Photo credit: Phillip Kester for GreenThumb

PRODUCTION

83

PRODUCTION RECOMMENDATIONS
The following recommendations aim to eliminate existing barriers and increase support for making significant
investments in food production spaces, establish new public programs and resources for growers andgrowing spaces, create a more inclusive and equitable city culture around food production practices, and easeburdensome regulations on food production. There are three categories of Production recommendations, which
work together to:

PRIORITY> Ground Philadelphia’s urban farming programs and practices in agroecology> Make physical improvements to growing spaces more feasible> Support safe and appropriate animal keeping

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
Ground Philadelphia’s urban farming programs and practices in agroecology, anddevelop resources, facilities, and partnerships that directly support agriculture
activities in Philadelphia.

X

2.1

Establish an Office of Urban Agriculture within the Department of Parks & Recreation
to provide centralized support for growers, and coordinate with City agencies andpartners to implement the plan and track progress.
Increase the number of permanent positions dedicated to local food production and policy, and advocate forand implement urban agriculture related programs and policies.

Administer an operational budget for Parks & Rec’s Farm Philly program to expand and sustain its programs,
including but not limited to improving, expanding, or relocating the Carousel House Farm (i.e., Parks & Rec’s
public education and production farm).
Engage directly with gardeners and farmers to provide information about, including, but not limited to,accessing land, education and training programs, permitting, zoning, soil safety, ongoing maintenanceresponsibilities, and free or low-cost resources.
Manage a Land Access Program that would provide long-term affordable leases on public park land for
growers citywide.

PRODUCTION

Build relationships to explore opportunities for cultural heritage conservation easements and agreements,
which would allow for Native American and Indigenous access to park land for cultural purposes (e.g.,
foraging, ceremonies, gatherings). Work with the Lenni-Lenape communities located in Pennsylvania,
Delaware, the Ramapough Lenape Nation in New Jersey, the Delaware Tribe in Oklahoma, and the Delaware
Tribes of the diaspora in Wisconsin and Canada, as well as other Indigenous groups to promote Native/
Indigenous food sovereignty and traditional food ways and agriculture practices within the city.

84

Study best practices from other cities that have established a practice of paying a voluntary land tax to local
tribal nations or organizations in recognition of current access to stolen Indigenous land. For more, see
https://nativegov.org/news/voluntary-land-taxes

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONWHAT IS VOLUNTARY LAND TAX
TO A TRIBAL NATION?

Such a payment is a continually necessary
debt paid in acknowledgment of land
expropriation and genocide, not a grant oropportunity that can be paid with limit or in
exchange for services.

CASE STUDYTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Administrative Parks & Rec, Mayor's
Office, City Council,
Finance, Office ofSustainability

Short-Term

BudgetCity Council, Finance,
Parks & Rec

Short-Term

BudgetCity Council, Finance,
Parks & Rec

Medium-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec, Office of
Short-Term
Sustainability, School
District, Nonprofits,
Grassroots Organizations

Administrative Parks & Rec

Operations

SOGOREA TE LAND TRUST, OAKLAND
Sogorea Te Land Trust is a community
land trust led by Indigenous women in
the San Francisco Bay Area that works toreturn Indigenous land to the Chochenyo
and Karkin Ohlone people. This land trust
demonstrates how CLTs can be used to restore
or “rematriate” land back to Indigenous
communities. Sogorea Te facilitates healingfrom the legacies of colonialism and genocide.
At the Lisjan farm site, Indigenous people
cultivate traditional and medicinal plants
alongside fruits and vegetables and maintain arainwater catchment system with over 5,500
gallons of potable water storage. Sogorea Te
also accepts a Shuumi Land Tax, a voluntary
annual contribution that non-Indigenous
people living on traditional Lisjan Ohlone
territory make to support the work of the land
trust.

Medium-Term

Parks & Rec, Indigenous
Short-Termleaders and communities

Administrative Mayor’s Policy Office,Parks & Rec

Short-Term

Visit https://sogoreate-landtrust.org/
for more information.

PRODUCTION

85

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
2.1
Support farmers markets, market farms, community gardens, and other urban agriculture projects selling or
cont’d distributing produce. For more on the City’s role in supporting these vending opportunities, see Preparation &Distribution recommendation 3.8 and Consumption recommendation 4.8.

Provide technical assistance (e.g., land and tree care, water hookup access, plant propagation, and material
supplies such as compost and mulch), as well as guidelines and tools to increase the self-sufficiency ofcommunity gardens and farms on public land.
Formalize the process for Parks & Rec to transfer gardens to preserve gardens if growers want access insteadof ownership. Extend support systems offered to “Friends of Parks” groups to gardens on park and otherpublicly owned land.
Provide connections to translation services made available to City agencies to community gardens and farms
and nonprofits working with non-English speaking growers. Plan for translation as a budget item in projects
that will require this service.
Develop targets and metrics to implement recommendations and track the progress of Growing fromthe Root. Continue to survey and keep and inventory of agriculture projects, including but not limited tocommunity gardens, farms, orchards, and beehives on park land.
Convene an Urban Agriculture Task Force that includes community gardeners and farmers, local foodproducers, advocates, City staff, and elected officials to support the implementation of the plan. Prioritize adiversified group of community members including those who identify as BIPOC, low income/working class,
women, LGBTQIA, disabled, and/or immigrant owned.
Collaborate with the Philadelphia Land Bank in reviewing, issuing, maintaining, and tracking all leases forurban agriculture, and alongside local partners to identify pathways and tools to preserve existing gardens
and establish new gardens. Work with the Land Bank and local partners to identify preservation-ready urban
agriculture projects and facilitate a pathway to preservation.
Continue diversifying Parks & Rec's programming to provide race, culture, and gender inclusive youth and adultprogramming that focuses on the next generation of farmers.

2.2

Coordinate across departments to develop and implement policies, procedures, andprocesses that support urban agriculture, food distribution, and markets.

PRODUCTION

Explore establishing designated staff at City agencies to provide assistance and technical support and answer
inquiries from gardeners and farmers.

86

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Administrative Parks & Rec, Office ofSustainability, Deptof Public Health, EHS,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Area
Businesses

Medium-Term

Operations

Short-Term

Parks & Rec,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Area
Universities, Funders

Administrative Parks & Rec,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Funders

Medium-Term

Administrative Parks & Rec, Officeof Immigrant Affairs,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations

Short-Term

Administrative Parks & Rec, Office ofSustainability, FPAC

Short-Term

Administrative Parks & Rec, FPAC, Officeof Sustainability

Short-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec, Land Bank,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations

Short-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec

Medium-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec, Partner City
agencies

Medium-Term

Administrative Parks & Rec, Dept of
Public Health, EHS,
Commerce Dept, Land
Bank, PWD, School
District, Licenses &Inspections, Streets,
Office of Sustainability

Short-Term

Community Propagation Program space at the
Fairmount Park Horticultural Center

PRODUCTION

87

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
2.2
Engage staff across the City departments to expand their expertise on issues related to urban agriculture,cont’d particularly on the values that drive the urban agriculture community, the ways in which their agencies
interact with gardeners and farmers, and the benefits that gardens and farms can have for Philadelphia.

2.3

Create additional resources and expand services to address known needs identified
by gardeners and farmers, such as access to insurance, trash collection, and tree
care.
Partner with local food justice organizations and legal nonprofits to develop shared resources and guidance
documents to help growers meet requirements of the City’s disposition policies and the Philadelphia Code andHome Rule Charter.
Explore how to subsidize insurance costs for organizations and individuals as financial support to new gardens
and relief funds for existing gardens.

Partner with the Streets Department to explore the possibility of providing trash collection at community
gardens and farms.

Assess local garden and agricultural organizations, nonprofits, community development corporations (CDCs)
and business partners' ability to provide technical or financial support for growers seeking to meet therequirements of the City's disposition policy (e.g., umbrella liability insurance policy for growers) and fiscal
sponsorship.
Work with gardeners to contact local organizations and institutions to be their partner in holding liability
insurance or to be their fiscal sponsors in order to receive grant funding.

Classify community gardens, farms, and areas of urban agriculture activity as priority areas for illegal dumping
prevention and remediation.

X

2.4

Support orchard planting and care across the city, and prioritize neighborhoods with
low to no tree canopy and those that have experienced extreme heat and decades of
disinvestment.

PRODUCTION

Connect community gardens and passive green spaces with tree resources, including free fruiting trees
through Parks & Rec’s TreePhilly program and other resources in conjunction with efforts to implement thePhilly Tree Plan, to increase access to food and tree canopy (i.e., shade).

88

Coordinate with the Philadelphia Water Department to prioritize neighborhoods vulnerable to extreme heatfor green stormwater infrastructure and urban agriculture interventions.
Coordinate with and provide support for local orchard organizations (e.g., Philadelphia Orchard Project andothers) in the installation, pruning, and maintenance of orchards. Prioritize neighborhoods with low to no tree
canopy.

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Operations

Parks & Rec, Dept of
Public Health, EHS,
Commerce Dept, Land
Bank, PWD, School
District, Licenses &Inspections, Streets,
Office of Sustainability

Medium-Term

Operations

Office of Sustainability,
Parks & Rec, FPAC,
Streets, Finance,
Nonprofits

Medium-Term

Partnership

Parks & Rec, Office ofSustainability, FPAC,
Nonprofits

Short-Term

Operations

Nonprofits, Parks & Rec,
Office of Sustainability,
FPAC

Medium-Term

Operations

Streets, Finance,
Parks & Rec, Office ofSustainability, FPAC

Medium-Term

Operations

Nonprofits, Parks & Rec,
Office of Sustainability,
FPAC

Medium-Term

Operations

Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

Administrative Streets, Parks & Rec,
Office of Sustainability,
FPAC

Medium-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec,
Nonprofits

Short-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec, Officeof Sustainability,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Short-Term

Operations

PWD, Parks & Rec, Officeof Sustainability

Short-Term

Partnership

Nonprofits, Parks & Rec,
Streets

Short-Term

CASE STUDYFREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIACULINARY LITERACY CENTER & EDIBLE
ALPHABET PROGRAM
The Free Library of Philadelphia demonstrates
its interest in and ability to host valuable
agricultural programming with their existing
programs. Their Culinary Literacy Center
aims to further educational opportunities
through events ranging including cookbook
author visits, cooking classes for schoolage kids, immigrant-led cooking workshops,
and nutrition courses. Their Edible Alphabet
Program’s mission is to teach English language
and literacy skills through cooking and cultural
exchange.

Photo courtesy of the Free Library ofPhiladelphia

PRODUCTION

89

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
2.5

Expand education, knowledge sharing, and cultural preservation and exchange
through expanded agricultural programming and materials available through theFree Library of Philadelphia.
Expand the selection of books on agriculture, with an emphasis on books authored by BIPOC and otherhistorically under-represented authors and scholars.
Continue investing in and expand existing programs such as the Free Library's Culinary Literacy Center.
Increase collaborations with local chefs, growers, and cultural workers.
Pursue partnerships to share knowledge and develop public programming about cultural heritage, ancestral
foods and food-related practices (e.g., fermentation, medicine making, etc.). Also see Consumption
recommendations 4.9 and 4.10 about foraging.

X

2.6

Support and promote local seed saving practices with partnerships between the City
and local organizations.
Spread knowledge about seed saving and its significance to make it more accessible in agricultural programsand through conversations with local gardens, agricultural organizations, and in- and out-of school learning
opportunities. Focus especially on culturally relevant and climate resilient crops.
Work with existing seed saving networks as well as BIPOC and immigrant and refugee community
organizations to design and implement a public seed library within the Free Library of Philadelphia systemwith culturally relevant and ecologically diverse plant species in the inventory of seeds. Ensure this resource iscommunity-led and informed, and that educational materials include the origin stories of the seeds.
Educate and hire seed keepers from local growing communities to staff the public seed library.
Build relationships with Lenni Lenape communities located in Pennsylvania, Delaware, the Ramapough Lenape
Nation in New Jersey, the Delaware Tribe in Oklahoma, and the Delaware Tribes of the diaspora in Wisconsin
and Canada, to promote and support traditional seed saving practices. Connect this work with existing seedsaving networks and programs within the city.
Produce policy recommendations and communications that aim to protect the rights of residents to save andshare seeds, especially culturally significant and climate resilient crops.

> 35% of people talked about connections to their ancestry, family and culture
when talking about seed saving> 30% mentioned that the practice allows them to save money and have greater
access to nourishing foods

PRODUCTION

Input from survey at second public meeting

90

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Operations

Free Library

Short-Term

Operations

Free Library, Parks & Rec

Short-Term

Operations

Free Library, Nonprofits, Short-Term
Grassroots Organizations

PartnershipFree Library, Parks & Rec,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Short-Term

PartnershipFree Library, Parks &Rec, School District,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Orgs, Local Growers

Medium-Term

Operations,
PartnershipFree Library, Parks &Rec, School District,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Orgs, Local Growers

Short-Term

Operations,
PartnershipFree Library, Parks & Rec,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Orgs, Local Growers

Medium-Term

Operations

Free Library, Parks & Rec

Medium-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec, Free Library,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Orgs, Local Growers

Medium-Term

Administrative Parks & Rec, Free Library,
FPAC, Nonprofits,
Grassroots Orgs, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

CASE STUDYPHILADELPHIA SEED EXCHANGE
Philadelphia Seed Exchange hosts citywide andneighborhood gatherings of gardeners andfarmers, botanists, and seed savers working
together to maintain personal and collective
seed collections, preserve local biodiversity,and offer public educational opportunities
and classes about saving seeds and plant
propagation. The Exchange is a project of
Truelove Seeds, and since 2015, they haveorganized and hosted several seed swaps every
year in partnership with the Free Library ofPhiladelphia and other neighborhood groups.
At the swaps, gardeners and farmers from theregion bring their extra seed harvests and halfused seed packets to trade with each other.
Growers are able to connect and share storiesof why they love their particular seed varieties.
Truelove also brings their collection of seeds
to the gathering, and provides seed saving
handouts to share advice and tips.

Philadelphia Seed Exchange gathering(Photo courtesy of Truelove Seeds)

PRODUCTION

91PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
Make physical improvements at growing spaces more feasible.

X

2.7

Advocate to update the City code and Land Bank disposition policies to allow urban
agriculture accessory structures by right.

Amend code requirements on accessory agricultural structures (e.g., high tunnels, cold frames, hoop houses,and greenhouses) to reduce side setbacks (currently a minimum of 20 feet) and reduce regulatory barriers(e.g., permit requirements) for temporary structures whose intended use is longer than 180 days. Explore thepossibility of making accessory agricultural structures eligible for the EZ Permit process.
Explore revising the Land Bank’s disposition policies to permit a variety of accessory agricultural structures
for urban agriculture on land transferred or leased by the Land Bank (e.g., green houses for seed starts, tool
sheds and storage, high and low tunnels for season extension, and infrastructure for washing stations andrefrigeration), and allow multiple structures on a single lot when appropriate. In instances that require earth
disturbance (i.e., any construction or other activity that disturbs the surface of the land), gardeners/farmers
may still need to get a permit to protect underground infrastructure (e.g., pipes, electrical lines).

2.8

X

Update Parks & Rec's design standards to include guidelines for garden design andconstruction for growing spaces, including structures and safe and appropriate
animal keeping on public land.
Specify allowable uses and necessary restrictions (e.g., apiaries not allowed within a certain distance fromplaygrounds). Specify necessary design considerations such as sunlight, water access, and accessibility. Shareresources with other land-holding partners (e.g., School District of Philadelphia).

2.9

Develop resources (e.g., guides, tools, and funding) to support community gardens
and farms incorporating universal design techniques to ensure that they areinclusive and accessible to people of all abilities.
Coordinate with the Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement and the Office for People with Disabilities to accessexisting and new resources for City staff and community partners on equitable engagement practices (e.g.,
the Equitable Engagement Playbook).
Partner with organizations such as AgrAbility for Pennsylvanians and ArtReach to provide community gardens
and farms with access to disability resources.

Seek funding for community garden and farm renovations that enable meaningful access for people withdiverse disabilities, including people who are deaf, blind, or have cognitive, sensory, and mental healthdisabilities.
Pilot a growing space located on Parks & Rec land to demonstrate universal design solutions for inclusivity.

PRODUCTION

Support community gardens and farms who want to adapt their spaces with training, technical assistance,and securing volunteers for construction.

92

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Legislative,
City Council, Licenses &Administrative Inspections, Land Bank,
Planning & Development,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Short-Term

Legislative

Short-Term

City Council, Planning &Development, Licenses &Inspections

Administrative Land Bank, Planning &Development

Short-Term

Administrative Parks & Rec

Medium-Term

Administrative Parks & Rec, Office for
People with Disabilities,
School District

Medium-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec, Office for
People with Disabilities,
Nonprofits

Medium-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec, Office of
Civic Engagement,
Office for People with
Disabilities

Short-Term

Partnership

Parks & Rec,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Short-Term

Budget,Operations

Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Funders

Medium-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec

Medium-Term

Operations

Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers, Parks & Rec

Medium-Term

WHAT IS UNIVERSAL DESIGN?
HOW DOES IT MAKE GARDENS MOREACCESSIBLE?

Universal design is “the design andcomposition of an environment so that it
can be accessed, understood and used to
the greatest extent possible by all people
regardless of their age, size, ability or
disability… By considering the diverse needs
and abilities of all throughout the design
process, universal design creates products,
services and environments that meet
peoples’ needs.” (Centre for Excellence in
Universal Design)
In gardens, universal design could mean: flat
walkway designs to meet the needs of people
with limited vision, cognitive disabilities,
or mobility aids; raised beds and frequent,flexible seating for people with limited
mobility; high-contrast plantings, tactile
pavement, and auditory cues for people withlimited vision; visible and nearby bathrooms
for people who need them; non-slip andnon-glare materials; direct access to engage
with plants and other garden visitors to
help visitors with loneliness, mental illness,and cognitive disabilities; as well as circularor figure-eight paths and multi-sensory
wayfinding (such as smell, sound, or textures)to help more people navigate independently.
(ASLA)

Photo of the Chicago Botanical Garden
courtesy of Clare Cooper Marcus / ASLAPRODUCTION

93PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
2.10

Increase awareness of existing programs and explore new programs to assist
gardeners and farmers with agriculture-related bills and utilities, especially in lowincome, low-wealth communities and for gardens that employ sustainable practices.
Continue existing and explore new exemptions and price/bill reductions for community gardens and farms(e.g., Philadelphia Water Department (PWD)’s stormwater bill exemption and L&I’s Vacant Residential Property
License fee exemption).
Explore designing a program that provides gardens and farms free tie-ins to the electric grid where possible.
Increase awareness of existing discount and credit programs from PWD, including :1) Chapter 2 of the PWD Regulations, which provides guidance on assistance programs, such as theCommunity Garden Stormwater Charge Discount in section 203.0;
2) Sections 5.2 and 5.3 of the Water, Sewer and Stormwater Rate Board’s Rates and Charges (a.k.a. PWD Rates
and Charges) document that provides guidance on discounts for special customers, including community
gardens as defined under Philadelphia Code 19-1603, and Land Bank properties;3) Section 4.5 of the Water, Sewer and Stormwater Rate Board’s Rates and Charges (a.k.a. PWD Rates andCharges) document that provides details related to Stormwater Management Services Credits for nonresidential and condominium properties.

X

Explore the possibility and outline the impact of new utility subsidies and tax reductions tied to theenvironmental and health benefits of agricultural land uses and/or the use of sustainable farming techniques.

2.11

Increase awareness of existing city and state programs and explore new programs
to support gardeners and farmers with access to free or reduced cost resources forphysical improvements.
Design a program through partnerships with nonprofits and community organizations to provide individual
residents with the necessary materials and information to create container gardens, to increase access togrowing space and food, especially for residents who live in homes without access to a yard or areas with noaccess to community gardens or farms.
Investigate physical improvements that may be necessary to take advantage of City programs that benefit
agricultural uses, and design specific micro-grants and technical assistance to help gardens and farms makethose improvements (e.g., PWD's fire hydrant permit program requires the purchase and installation of abackflow preventer; gardens may benefit from help purchasing and installing this hardware). Work with therelevant City programs to integrate information about available assistance into their communications.
Explore how to increase resources for PWD’s Rain Check Program to provide more consistent access to rain
barrels specifically for gardens and farms. Pair with education on water catchment systems and necessary
precautions to reduce mosquito larvae.
Explore examples of affordable city programs that offer solar power at community gardens and farms, anddevelop a pilot program to make it easier and less expensive to install solar panels. Encourage the expansionof local solar programs (e.g., Philadelphia Energy Authority's Solarize Philly program) to include gardens andfarms as an eligible property type.
Explore providing broadly advertised micro-grants and technical assistance to help gardens and farms makephysical improvements that will increase their production yield and increase the accessibility of their gardens
to folks of all physical abilities.

PRODUCTION

Expand the Green Roof Tax Credit to include additional benefits for the construction of agricultural, foodproducing roofs.

94

Utilize federal and state funding sources, such as the PA DCNR’s Land Acquisition and Conservation funding and
PA Department of Agriculture’s Urban Agriculture Grant, to purchase properties for community garden andfarm preservation in low-income communities.

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Administrative, Parks & Rec, PWD, PECO
Operations

Short-Term

Legislative

PWD, Licenses &Inspections, PECO, City
Council

Short-Term

Partnership

PECO

Long-Term

Partnership

PWD

Medium-Term

Administrative PWD, PECO

The Philadelphia Water Department offers
programs to help urban farms and gardens
gain water access, including installing submeters on personal water meters, interestfree loans to support garden water hook up
costs, free rain barrels, permits to connect
to fire hydrants, and up to 25% charitablediscount. Nearby water access helps a garden
to be successful in its growing— though it’s
important to note most rain water cannot be
used on edible crops.

Long-Term

Operations,
Budget,Partnership

Parks & Rec, Nonprofits,
Short-Term
Grassroots Organizations

Partnership

Parks & Rec, Nonprofits,
Short-Term
Grassroots Organizations

Operations,
BudgetParks & Rec, PWD

Short-Term

Operations,
Budget

PWD, City Council

Medium-Term

Partnership

Office of Sustainability,
Nonprofits

Medium-Term

Operations,
BudgetParks & Rec, Office for
People with Disabilities

Medium-Term

Administrative Planning & Development,
PWD, Dept of Revenue

Medium-Term

BudgetShort-Term

Nonprofits, PA DCNR,
USDA, PA Dept of Ag

EXISTING PHILADELPHIA WATERDEPARTMENT PROGRAMS THATSUPPORT WATER ACCESS FOR URBAN
AGRICULTURE

Photo of rain barrel courtesy of the
Philadelphia Water Department

PRODUCTION

95

PRIORITYX

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
2.12

Explore the feasibility of establishing a staffed agriculture and horticulture hub
in West Fairmount Park as essential infrastructure for local food production andenvironmental stewardship.
Develop a centralized City-operated public agriculture tool library and resource center that serves the garden,
farm, agriculture and horticulture community city-wide.
Locate the agriculture tool library and resource center with the goal of providing a one-stop shop for
gardening and basic food production needs, including tools, seeds, compost, soil testing, etc.
Host gatherings for engaging new and existing growers who can participate in workshops, training, and public
programming.

Explore other publicly accessible locations for satellite tool libraries with partnering organizations.

Ensure that BIPOC, low-income, and immigrant communities and their experiences are centered in thisresource’s programming.

2.13

Within the City’s budgeting process, assess the feasibility of expanding public
programming and repairing the Fairmount Park Horticulture Center’s publicgreenhouses as a garden hub that provides centralized resources for gardeners andfarmers.
Expand Farm Philly’s Community Propagation Program to allow more residents and businesses to propagate
their plants for the growing season and increase local food production.
Invest capital dollars in modernizing (e.g., new HVAC, automated systems) and replacing the roof of the
propagation green house.
Create a clear method for members of the urban agriculture community to rent the greenhouse space for
events and meetings for free or at a reduced cost.
Work with SEPTA to add an additional bus line to improve access to the Horticulture Center.

Support safe and appropriate animal keeping.

X

2.14

Develop a long-term road map to explore safe and appropriate animal keeping within
the City, prioritizing animals that are already in the City’s code (e.g., bees, goats,horses, and fish/aquaponics).

PRODUCTION

Conduct educational sessions for residents about the importance of safe and appropriate animal keeping,providing information and guidance on what is allowed in the City’s code.

96

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

HOW MUCH SPACE DO YOU NEED TO
KEEP SMALL ANIMALS IN THE CITY?

Operations

Parks & Rec

Medium-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec, City Council,
Funders

Medium-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec, City Council,
Nonprofits, Area
Universities, Funders

Medium-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations,
Local Growers, Area
Universities

Medium-Term

Parks & Rec,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Long-Term

HOW MUCH SPACE DOES THE
PHILADELPHIA CODE REQUIRECURRENTLY?

Operations

Parks & Rec

Medium-Term

Budget,Operations

Parks & Rec, Finance,
City Council, Funders,
Nonprofits

MediumTerm

Space needed for animals in the City varies
for each type. The Philadelphia Code currently
requires the following for these common
animals:

Operations

Parks & Rec, Finance,
City Council, Funders,
Nonprofits

Short-Term

BudgetParks & Rec, Finance,
City Council, Funders,
Nonprofits

Medium-Term

Operations

Administrative Parks & Rec

Short-Term

Partnership

Long-Term

Parks & Rec, SEPTA

Administrative, FPAC, Office ofOperations,Sustainability, ACCT,
Legislative
MDO, Parks & Rec,nonprofits, grassrootsorgsLong-Term

Administrative, FPAC, Office ofOperations,Sustainability, ACCT,
Legislative
MDO, Parks & Rec,nonprofits, grassrootsorgsLong-Term

Space needed for animals in the City varies foreach type. Some common farm animals thatare feasibly able to be kept in the City are:> Goats: Two goats need at least 400 square
feet of outdoor space (20 ft. x 20 ft.) with ashed on the lot to provide shelter> Bees: A common bee box is 20 in. long x 16
in. wide x 10 in. tall
> Fish: A 50-gallon, 3 ft. x 2ft. x 2ft. tankpaired with 6 cubic feet of plant growing
space for aquaponics> Goats: 3+ acres OR a facility used for
education or scientific purpose> Bees: No regulations, but all apiaries
must register with the PA Department ofAgriculture> Fish: No regulations

Photo of bee boxes in East Fairmount Park

PRODUCTION

97PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
2.15

Adopt climate adaptation policies and practices that support the health ofPhiladelphia's bee, bat, butterfly, and bird populations for pollination and plant
propagation.

Maintain natural areas on public parkland, reducing the level of active management and allowing a diversity ofblooming plants and trees to thrive in order to attract pollinating insects (bees, butterflies, etc.) that fertilize
many food crops and other plants. Utilize natural areas to mitigate extreme weather events, enhance carbon
sequestration (i.e., storage), and provide space for plants and animals to adapt to a changing climate.
Work with PWD to incorporate pollinator gardens in new green stormwater infrastructure projects.
Organize an annual bulk distribution of native wildflower seed mix to gardens, farms, residents, and community
organizations who tend and maintain land to encourage the creation of pollinator corridors.
Launch a public campaign in support of pollinators, and share information about how to support bee
populations through interpretive signage, plantings, avoidance of pesticides, and provision of shelter andwater sources. Work with partners to establish more wildlife corridors in the city.

Work with the Division of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and PHS to develop and fundpollinator gardens in lots maintained by PHS’s LandCare program.

2.16

Support aquaponics as a key opportunity to steward local waterways, produce local
food, and create jobs.
Offer educational programming and resources to establish aquaponic growing systems. Focus especially on aculturally relevant approach to the topic, which is grounded in ancient cultivation traditions of Central Americaand Asia.

PRODUCTION

Connect educational programs within the School District of Philadelphia with local and regional aquaponic
programs (e.g., Aquaculture Research and Education Laboratory at Cheyney University) to increase career
pathways in science, research, and food production.

98

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERS

Administrative, Parks & Rec, PWD, Office
Operationsof Sustainability, NRCS,
EPA, PA DCNR, John Heinz
National Wildlife Refuge,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Area
Universities

TIMELINE
Short-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec, Nonprofits,
Short-Term
Grassroots Organizations

Operations

PWD, Nonprofits,
Short-Term
Grassroots Organizations

Operations

Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Parks &Rec

Short-Term

Operations

Office of Sustainability,
FPAC, Parks & Rec, NRCS,
EPA, PA DCNR, John Heinz
National Wildlife Refuge,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Area
Universities

Medium-Term

BENEFITS OF SMALL GROWING SPACES
Growing in small spaces, such as window
boxes and containers, both makes gardening
accessible to people without outdoor space orlarge tools, and has environmental benefits.
Plantings in window boxes and movable pots
help produce local food and flowers, absorb
heat and CO2 in the environment, as well as
provide habitat for pollinators such as bees.
(Plant Something Maine / Independent Garden
Center of Maine)

Photo courtesy of Garden Gate Magazine

Administrative, DHCD
BudgetMedium-Term

Partnership

PWD, Office ofSustainability,
Parks & Rec, Nonprofits

Medium-Term

Operations

Nonprofits, Area
Medium-Term
Universities, Institutions,
Grassroots Organizations

Partnership

School District,
Area Universities,
Nonprofits

Medium-Term

PRODUCTION

99

Goal: Invest in existing and new local systems
necessary to support a sustainable, just, andequitable food system in Philadelphia.

PREPARATION AND DISTRIBUTION

Preparation and Distribution are about how food moves andchanges as it transitions from production to consumption.

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Robertson for The Philadelphia Inquirer

100

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

3. PREPARATION &DISTRIBUTION
PREPARATION & DISTRIBUTION

101

PREPARATION& DISTRIBUTIONOVERVIEWThis chapter of Growing from the Root focuses on preparing, processing,
distributing, and bringing locally grown produce to market. Whereas
the Consumption chapter that follows focuses on direct-to-consumer
distribution of food, this chapter discusses processing and preparation offood for sale and larger-scale distribution. With coordinated effort, there
is an opportunity to grow businesses and jobs to prepare and distribute
Philadelphia-grown food. Doing so also has the power to reduce the city’s
food-related carbon footprint, and build a robust bridge between local andregional growers who are eager to expand their production and find local
buyers for their harvests. This also presents an opportunity to improvethe distribution quality, nutritional value, diversity, and cultural relevanceof food consumed locally. Culturally relevant food is food that holds
significance for a particular culture or subcultural group, such as Halal or
kosher foods.

PREPARATION & DISTRIBUTION

This chapter looks at ways to ensure that local agricultural producers
and related businesses can process, prepare, and distribute theirproducts effectively throughout Philadelphia. Furthermore, it aims tofoster a preparation and distribution system that is equitable; promotes
environmental, climate, and racial justice; supports local BIPOC producers;
and supports small-scale food and logistics entrepreneurs.

102“We need better
connections between
local farmers andfarmers’ markets inthe city.”—Public meeting participant

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION“Philadelphia needs
more community
kitchen spaces where
people can gather
and prepare locallygrown food.”—Public meeting participant

WHY PHILADELPHIA NEEDS A SMALLSCALE, EQUITABLE FOOD PREPARATION
AND DISTRIBUTION NETWORKThe importance of preparation and distribution for Philadelphia’s urban
agriculture system cannot be overstated. Without readily available
and affordable preparation, storage, and distribution options, theother recommendations in this plan would have only a fraction of theintended positive impact. A healthy food economy has preparationand distribution spaces and services that encourage entrepreneurship,
increase agricultural and food service wages, and ultimately create amore resilient local food system.
Public meeting participants expressed support for a range of ideas
related to preparation and distribution. About eight out of every 10
participants expressed support for a centralized, City-run food processing
facility specifically to support City meal programs and the preparationof locally sourced food. However, a number of participants felt that
nonprofits and community organizations should take the lead in thisarea.
Many participants in public meetings and focus groups said it isessential that recommendations related to this part of the foodsystem be equitable, collaborative, and designed to support the
producers and residents who need it most. Some participants also
expressed that opportunities for food processing and distribution are
revenue-generating and business-focused, signaling that there may be
opportunities to draw in private investors, encourage entrepreneurship,
and produce tax revenue for the City over time. Additionally, larger-scale
public projects such as a multi-million dollar food processing facility for
City meal programs may have the potential to provide significant costsavings for the City over time while also creating living-wage local jobs
and supporting area farmers by sourcing ingredients locally.

Photo Credit: Philabundance Community Kitchen

PREPARATION & DISTRIBUTION

103

HOW PHILADELPHIA APPROACHES PREPARATION
AND DISTRIBUTION
A number of existing nonprofit, for-profit, andcommunity efforts provide food processing,
preparation, and distribution infrastructure in
Philadelphia. However, there are gaps in the system.
A broader strategic effort could explore the potential
to scale these operations, while also addressing
challenges like access to affordable space, equipment,
vehicles, and licensing.

PREPARATION AND DISTRIBUTION

On the preparation front, community kitchens—clean,commercially licensed facilities available for rent by
food businesses who share the space and equipment—
are a core and growing piece of infrastructure forprocessing food on a smaller scale. However, suchrentals can be cost-prohibitive for emerging foodbusinesses if sliding-scale pricing or windows offree usage time are not available. The following area few examples of this type of preparation space in
Philadelphia:

Affordable access to certified commercial
kitchen space can create opportunities for foodentrepreneurs and cottage industry.

> The People’s Kitchen in South Philadelphia
produces chef-prepared meals for free distribution
to elderly, undocumented and low-income> Philabundance’s commercial kitchen program
residents and a network of nonprofits that serve
has offered culinary and life skills training to overfood-insecure residents. Food is sourced from
900 people since 2000. The organization opened
community gardens across South Philadelphia, as
its new permanent facility, the Philabundancewell as donated and purchased. Started in 2020
Community Kitchen,52 in North Philadelphia inby chefs Aziza Young, Cristina Martínez, and Ben
2020. The 16-week program is targeted at low- toMiller (the latter two from the restaurant South
no-income adults, and it provides ongoing services
Philly Barbacoa), the People’s Kitchen operates out
for up to two years to help graduates secureof Martínez and Miller’s El Compadre restaurant.
employment. Graduates complete the program withFounded in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to
a Manager’s ServSafe Food Handler’s Certificate
address a crisis of food insecurity, it has expanded
and eight college credits that are transferable toto now offer commercial kitchen space for rent.54
the Community College of Philadelphia towards acertificate or Associates in Culinary Arts.
> Drexel Food Lab (DFL), founded in 2014, designs
food products that aim to improve health,> The Dorrance H. Hamilton Center for Culinary
53
the environment, and the economy. The Lab
Enterprises, opened in 2012 by the Enterpriseassists local food businesses, entrepreneurs,
Center in West Philadelphia, offers membershipand restaurants in research and productaccess to commercial kitchen space for establisheddevelopment to develop new food products, andand start-up food businesses and processors. The
introduce new products to market. In 2021, DFL
center also offers workshops and events, as wellteamed up with the Philadelphia Department
as business support services, including feasibilityof Public Health (PDPH) to develop the Goodstudies, access to capital, training, and more. It
Food Accelerator Program, designed to offer
includes three eateries that are open to the public
small businesses assistance in accelerating
and staffed by clients of the center.
their “good food” products to market. PDPH
and DFL defined “Good Food” as “products[that] support health, sustainability, fair labor
practices, economic investment, and support
communities most negatively impacted by thefood system.” Participants in the program included
Authentic Ethnic Cuisine, TRIBU, Saté Kampar, andHoneysuckle Projects.55

104

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

OC

ERS
RTN
PA

VAL
UE
-A

FOOD PREP
AR
AT
I

AL

ED
D
D

ODUCTS WITH
R
P
L

L-

E
AL
C
S

N
O

SM
AL

FIGURE 17. Examples of Small-Scale Food Production

COMMUN
IT
YK
I

HE
TC

NS

CASE STUDYMASA COOPERATIVA
Masa Coopertiva is a worker-owned
cooperative business that shows how
collective community efforts can lead tobusiness opportunities that also honor cultural
foodways. Masa harvests corn from local
farms and members’ backyards to make andsell corn masa to Philadelphia-area restaurants
for tortillas. The collective is “designed togive undocumented immigrants a legal way
to profit from their labor,”56 while continuing
the culinary traditions of their ancestors andnative countries.

Photo credits (clockwise from top): Jennifer Fumiko
Cahill for the North Coast Journal, USA Architects for
Philabundance, GrowNYC

PREPARATION & DISTRIBUTION

105

When it comes to transportation and distribution,
there are a number of programs and organizations
dedicated to connecting communities of farmers withmarket opportunities in the city. The following are a
few examples that serve various types of buyers at a
range of scales:

PREPARATION AND DISTRIBUTION> The Common Market is a nonprofit regional> Reading Terminal Market is one of the oldest
food distributor that operates in the Mid-Atlantic,
public markets in the country and home to moreSoutheast, Texas, and Chicago.61 The organization
than 80 merchants offering a mix of “locally grown
was founded in 2008. It sources food from smalland exotic produce, locally sourced meats andfamily farms for distribution to institutions,poultry, plus the finest seafood, cheeses, baked
hospitals, eldercare facilities, community
goods, and confections” to individual consumers—organizations, workplaces, restaurants, retailers,
locals and tourists—as well as larger-scale buyers
57
and more. The Common Market and its vendors
from area restaurants.
support more than 3,100 urban and rural jobs and> The Italian Market on South 9th Street is homesteward more than 24,000 acres of land. It also
to over 200 businesses, many of them owned byhelps organizations set up community-led farmers’immigrant families58 — some who have been inmarkets, and they operate the Philly Good Food
Philadelphia for generations and gave the market
Lab, a 70,000-square-foot warehouse space set
its name, others who arrived more recently fromup for food distribution and located in Northeast
Asia and Central America. The market offers a wide
Philadelphia, offering co-location opportunities torange of fresh foods at a wide range of prices,other mission-driven businesses.
from very affordable to luxury goods, and it serves> Share Food Program is a nonprofit fighting fooda diverse clientele reflective of the surrounding
insecurity that distributes food from “government
neighborhoods and food businesses.
partners, supermarkets, wholesalers, restaurants,> Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market is a largefarms, and food drives” to community-based
scale distribution center in Southwest Philadelphia
organizations and school districts engaged inthat opened in 2011 as “the largest refrigerated
food distribution and meal provision. Through its
building in the world, housing some 700,000
network, Share distributes food to over 1 million
square feet of the world’s freshest produce.”59 The
people in need each month including children,
market offers wholesale prices to bulk purchasers,
seniors, and people with disabilities.62
among them restaurants, grocers, and institutional> Philabundance started in 1984 as a “small food
food producers. In 2014, community organization
rescue organization” and is now the “largest
Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha formed theirhunger relief organization in the Delaware Valley.”63
Food Buying Club, which bought food collectively
It accepts donations from grocers, food industry
for member families who were able to save “uppartners, retailers, farmers, and individuals andto 75 percent on the cost of fresh, high-quality
60
redirects these goods to food pantries, reducing
produce.”food waste and connecting neighbors in need withsafe, high-quality food.

106

During public engagement, local growers listed a lackof access to vehicular transport as a limiting factor in
their ability to bring harvested produce to market.
PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONPOTENTIAL FOR CHANGE
Currently, Philadelphia spends roughly $25 million
per year on food service for its summer and afterschool recreation, shelter, and prison programs. The
City outsources meal production due to scale (tens of
thousands of meals daily), and $1.25 million (5 percent)goes to local sources.64 A new City-run food processing
and meal preparation facility could provide training forpeople with a GED or high school diploma; create livingwage jobs in agriculture, food service, and education;
source food locally to support area growers; improve
food quality and labor practices; and invest tax dollars
back into Philadelphia’s economy.

While a centralized food production facility is acostly and long-term project, there are smaller-scale
opportunities to cultivate agricultural businesses too.
Affordable kitchen processing and storage space canhelp grow and formalize cottage industry (small-scale
enterprises often run out of the home, such as baking
and catering) and value-added product manufacturers
such as hot sauce, honey, jams, and other items madefrom agricultural produce. Given Philadelphia’s accessto large regional farms producing oats, hemp, corn,and dairy, shared processing infrastructure in the city
could seed new local businesses that make high-value
products out of raw local produce (e.g., ice cream, oat
milk, bread, and tortillas), as in the Masa Cooperativa
case study on page 105.

Carousel House Farm harvest getting ready to leave the farm.

PREPARATION & DISTRIBUTION

107

PREPARATION & DISTRIBUTION RECOMMENDATIONS
The following recommendations aim to provide a broad, strategic vision for the system of preparation anddistribution that stems from and services local agricultural production. There are three categories of Preparation& Distribution recommendations, which work together to:> Invest in a network of food processing facilities> Fill gaps in the small-scale food transportation system> Support opportunities to sell fresh produce

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
Invest in a network of food processing facilities.

X

3.1

Assess and catalog the ways in which existing community-oriented kitchens arebeing used and how accessible they are to determine whether they can be used
for affordable culinary community programming such as food preservation,
fermentation, food safety, and medicine making workshops.
Partner with City agencies, as well as community and nonprofit organizations, to gauge interest in providing
public programming (e.g., Free Library Culinary Literacy Center) at recreation and senior center kitchens.
Contract local chefs, medicine workers and herbalists, and farmers for community programming at recreationand senior center kitchens, to provide nourishing and culturally relevant foods to surrounding neighborhoods.
Seek opportunities through Rebuild and other Parks & Rec capital improvement projects to upgrade kitchen
facilities in order to accommodate a greater range of culinary community programming in more sites
throughout the system, targeting underserved geographic- and program areas.

3.2

Develop a network of affordable community kitchens that support small foodprograms and emerging community food businesses throughout the city.
Identify existing public infrastructure (e.g., recreation and senior centers, school cafeterias) that can be
outfitted to support food entrepreneurs in value-added product development and pre-packaged meal
production.

PREPARATION AND DISTRIBUTION

Explore resources to fund the installation of functional outdoor kitchens in community gardens.

108

Explore ways to invest in existing community-run kitchens (e.g., places of worship/religious institutions, Boysand Girls Club facilities) that do not yet meet commercial standards in order to be used by community foodbusinesses.
Support existing and build out new community kitchens and culinary innovation spaces in partnership withfood entrepreneur support organizations (e.g., Philabundance Community Kitchen, The Enterprise Center), toallow for affordable rental commercial kitchens where food service operators, farmers, chefs, bakers, caterers,
food entrepreneurs, and food trucks can prepare and store their food. Prioritize locations at or near existinggardens and farms, community institutions and schools.
Provide information and assistance to new commercial kitchens as they navigate building codes, secure
permits and leases, and deal with other logistical and regulatory issues such as leasing and insurance.

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Operations

Parks & Rec, Free Library,
Area Universities,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations

Medium-Term

Partnership

Parks & Rec, Free Library,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations

Medium-Term

Operations,
Partnership

Parks & Rec

Short-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec, Rebuild

Medium-Term

Operations,
Partnership"

Commerce, Parks &Rec, School District,
Nonprofits,

Medium-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec, School
District

Medium-Term

BudgetParks & Rec, FPAC, Officeof Sustainability, Fundfor Philadelphia

Medium-Term

Operations,
BudgetCommerce Dept, Area
Universities, Nonprofits,
Community & Religious
Institutions

Medium-Term

PartnershipCommerce Dept, Area
Universities, Nonprofits,
Community & Religious
Institutions

Long-Term

Operations

Commerce Dept,
Licenses & Inspections

Medium-Term

Photo Credit: B. Dale for Philadelphia
Convention & Visitors Bureau

PREPARATION & DISTRIBUTION

109

PRIORITYX

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
3.2
Provide comprehensive wrap-around technical assistance (e.g., food safety education and certifications, andcont’d business planning) for producers and chefs using community kitchens. Prioritize BIPOC, low-income, andimmigrant producers, including translating all materials.

3.3

Establish and connect gardeners and farmers to shared resources for critical aspectsof food processing such as weighing, washing, and storage.
Explore opportunities to provide resources for the installation of infrastructure for washing, processing, andweighing harvested produce and building cold storage spaces at community farms and gardens for communaluse.
Support the creation of a commercial-scale washing and rinsing facility for market farmers and foodprocessing and preparation businesses that pack food for sale or make value-added products. Partner witha returnables business operator that picks up recyclable packaging from food processing and preparation
businesses, washes it, and makes items available for buy-back at a price that is cheaper than buying new.

3.4

Connect agricultural businesses and nonprofit partners in the city with regional foodproducers to bring produce and products into the city for smaller-scale craft foodprocessing operations.
Seek opportunities for food processing business development tied to key crops and products from the region(e.g., dairy and grain farms whose products can support craft ice cream production, plant milks, brewing
operations, etc.)
Support and expand nonprofits partnering with regional and local farmers to create nutritious retail fooditems (e.g., added-value products, cheeses, sauces, pickles) from surplus farm products (e.g., vegetables,
fruits, dairy, eggs).

3.5

Conduct a feasibility study for the creation of a food production and distribution
facility for city programs that provide public meals (e.g., schools, prisons, hospitals).
Conduct a feasibility and impact study that evaluates potential sites for a centralized or decentralized foodcommissary. Evaluate costs to develop and operate such a facility, and the potential benefits, including
the economic benefits of new living-wage job creation and local food sourcing compared to existing foodcontracts, health benefits, and environmental benefits.

Seek funding to support this initiative.

PREPARATION AND DISTRIBUTION

Align workforce development partners and training programs to build a career pipeline to these new local
jobs. Explore how to expand existing workforce development opportunities while prioritizing formerly
incarcerated individuals, recent high school graduates, immigrants, and adult workers without college degrees.

110

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Operations

EHS, Dept of Public
Health, Commerce,
Nonprofits

Medium-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec

Medium-Term

Budget,Operations

Parks & Rec

Medium-Term

Partnership

Parks & Rec, Area
Businesses

Medium-Term

Operations

Commerce Dept, PASA,
Nonprofits, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

Operations

Commerce Dept, PASA,
Nonprofits, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

PartnershipCommerce Dept, PASA,
Nonprofits, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

Operations

Dept of Public Health,Commerce, Planning &Development, FPAC

Long-Term

Operations

Dept of Public Health,Commerce, Finance,
School District, Prisons,Planning & Development,
FPAC, Parks & Rec,
Nonprofits

Medium-Term

BudgetDept of Public Health,Finance, City Council,
Nonprofits, Funders

Long-Term

Operations

Dept of Public Health,Long-Term
Commerce, Finance,
School District, Prisons,Planning & Development,
Parks & Rec, Nonprofits,
Grassroots Organizations

CASE STUDYOAKLAND CENTRAL KITCHEN,
INSTRUCTIONAL FARM, AND
EDUCATION CENTER
Oakland Unified School District Central Kitchen,
Instructional Farm and Education Center,
which opened in August 2021, is the nation’s
first City-run central food processing facility.
The $40 million facility feeds 35,000 students
fresh nutritious meals daily, from preschool
through high school. The Center connects
nutrition, education, and community programs
at schools, kitchens, gardens, and produce
market stands.

CASE STUDY

THE COMMON MARKETThe Common Market in Philadelphia
demonstrates a local example of nonprofit
agricultural distribution that helps to fill
the gaps in the food transportation system.
TCM describes itself as “a nonprofit regional
food distributor on a mission to connect
communities to good food grown by
sustainable family farmers. [The Common
Market] strive[s] to improve food security,
farm viability, and community and ecologicalhealth.” In addition to providing a platform forsustainable local farmers to sell their produce,
TCM offers a discount to nonprofit customers,
pop up farm stands, fundraising opportunities,
and a lab for local food entrepreneurs toco-locate with the market’s operations andcontribute to the local food economy.

Photo courtesy of The Common Market

PREPARATION & DISTRIBUTION

111

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
Fill gaps in the food transportation and distribution system.
3.6

Partner with workforce and economic development programs and nonprofit partners
to foster new economic and mutual aid opportunities in agricultural transportation.
Extend or share transportation services that meet pick-up and delivery needs of farmers bringing materials
and produce to and from their growing locations (e.g., utilization of PHS’s pick-up trucks by growers).
Explore opportunities to connect local growers with regional food distribution support networks (e.g.
The Common Market, Philly Foodworks, SHARE, Philabundance, Sharing Excess) to create employment
opportunities and transport food from gardens and farms to food markets and businesses.

X

Design and fund a distribution pilot program that helps farmers to distribute their goods locally, such as a rideshare program with refrigerated trucks.

3.7

Advance nonprofit and other efforts to facilitate and support partnerships with
community gardens and farms and local food distributors, such as food banks,
food pantries, and food cupboards as well as with small food retailers and local
restaurants.
Expand programs such as PHS’s City Harvest and Philadelphia Orchard Project that incentivize gardens todonate to local food pantries/banks. Connect community gardens and farms on public land to such programs.

Establish a crop sharing network to support coordinated production, aggregation, transport, and distributionof local harvest. Extend this network to supply anti-hunger, food distribution and food rescue organizations
that serve housed and unhoused residents (e.g., food access organizations such as Broad Street Ministry,
Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission, Philabundance, SHARE, and Sharing Excess).

Explore the feasibility of installing refrigerators and other food preservation infrastructure at participating
gardens. Encourage and support collaboration with local community fridges (e.g., Mama-Tee Fridge,
South Philadelphia Community Fridge) and mutual aid (e.g., The People’s Kitchen, West Philly Bunny Hop)organizations.

PREPARATION AND DISTRIBUTION

Expand ongoing efforts and create new opportunities to connect growers with small grocers, corner stores,
and other local markets, such as The Food Trust’s Healthy Corner Store Initiative, which is piloting a program
to support the sale of locally grown fresh produce in corner stores.

112

Support opportunities to sell fresh produce.

X

3.8

Provide enhanced education and information about City regulations andrequirements for safe food vending.
Make existing informational resources for existing and new market vendors to easy to locate online so they
can readily access information on permits, licenses, and any other guidance to help them run safe markets invarious spaces (e.g., street vending, indoor and outdoor markets, etc.).
Provide clear online information and resources about food safety standards and certifications to ensure foodsafety compliance.

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE
CASE STUDY

PartnershipCommerce, Nonprofits,
Area Businesses

Medium-Term

Partnership

Nonprofits, Community
Organizations, Local
Growers

Short-Term

Partnership

Nonprofits, Community
Organizations, Area
Businesses, Local
Growers

Short-Term

Operations

Commerce, Nonprofits,
Local Growers

Medium-Term

Partnership

Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers, Office ofChildren & Families,
Parks & Rec

Short-Term

Partnership

Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers, Office ofChildren & Families,
Parks & Rec

Short-Term

Partnership

Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers, Office ofHomeless Services,
Office of Children &Families

Medium-Term

Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

Operations

EHS, Dept of Public
Health, Parks &Rec, FPAC, Office of
Immigrant Affairs

Short-Term

Operations

Dept of Public Health,
EHS, FPAC

Medium-Term

Operations

EHS, Dept of Public
HealthShort-Term

Partnership

CITY HARVEST AT SOUTHWARKGARDEN, SPRING GARDEN, ROBERTO
CLEMENTE, AND MORE
Many gardens in Philadelphia donate all orsome of their harvests to the local community,
either directly or through food banks, pantries,
or community cupboards. The Pennsylvania
Horticultural Society’s Harvest program is
an example of a program that facilitates
those relationships. The program oversees
distribution of produce from community
gardens such as The Spring Gardens andSouthwark-Queen Village Community Garden
to local food banks and public housingdevelopments to provide local fresh food tocommunity members in need.

Online 2021 Harvest Impact Dashboard
courtesy of PHS
Visit https://phsonline.org/for-gardeners/phsharvest for more information.

PREPARATION & DISTRIBUTION

113

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
3.8
Prioritize historically disinvested neighborhoods and communities when providing education, certifications,cont’d and hiring educators.
Create multilingual and easy to use documents that describe the requirements of running a farmers market,
food stand, or food truck (e.g., poster, pocket guide). Plan to budget for translation services.
Create multilingual, culturally appropriate signage for farmers markets within diverse communities in the city(e.g., signage prohibiting animals at markets). Include resources for translation services.

3.9

Connect farmers and food producers with wholesale opportunities to sell produce or
get their products into local businesses such as restaurants, corner stores, and othersmall food retailers, helping vendors and farmers access multiple income streams.
Work with businesses, farmers, and food producers to establish new business-to-business connections with
networking events.

PREPARATION AND DISTRIBUTION

Incentivize entrepreneurship around new aggregation and distribution businesses that source produce fromlocal gardens and distribute it to local commercial buyers.

114

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Administrative EHS, Dept of Public
Health, FPAC

Short-Term

Operations

Dept of Public Health,Parks & Rec, FPAC, Officeof Immigrant Affairs

Short-Term

Operations

Dept of Public Health,Parks & Rec, FPAC, Officeof Immigrant Affairs

Short-Term

PartnershipCommerce Dept,
Nonprofits, Area
Businesses, Local
Growers

Long-Term

PartnershipCommerce Dept,
Nonprofits, Area
Businesses, Local
Growers

Long-Term

Operations

Commerce Dept,
Nonprofits, Area
Businesses, Local
Growers

Long-Term

PREPARATION & DISTRIBUTION

115

Goal: Build long-term support for locally sourced,
nutritious meals and increased fresh food accessinto the City’s infrastructure, policies, andprograms.

CONSUMPTION

Consumption is the act of gathering food, eating food, or
gaining access to food.

Photo Credit: Sonia Galiber

116

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

4. CONSUMPTIONCONSUMPTION

117

CONSUMPTIONOVERVIEWThis chapter of Growing from the Root explores the relationship between
urban agriculture and access to affordable, nutrient-rich, chemicalfree, and culturally relevant food within Philadelphia’s food system. It
focuses primarily on direct-to-consumer distribution of food, whereas
the Preparation & Distribution chapter focused on food processing andlarger-scale distribution between businesses or other entities. Thereis an opportunity and deep need for urban agriculture to play a rolein providing consistent and reliable sources of nourishing food for thepeople who need it most. This chapter promotes consumption of locallygrown and culturally relevant food, more inclusive food standards, andacknowledgment of the many different ways people experience food.

WHY PHILADELPHIA NEEDS A COMMUNITYAPPROACH TO ENSURING ACCESS TOFRESH, LOCALLY GROWN FOOD
Philadelphia has hundreds of emergency food providers, like pantries, thatprovide supplemental food, as well as many providers that serve free meals
to children and adults through federally funded programs. Nonetheless,in 2019, nearly 270,000 (14.4%) of Philadelphians were considered foodinsecure.65
The foods that people consume are often considered a matter of choice:individuals decide what to buy at grocery stores, restaurants, or otherfood-related establishments. In reality, the foods that people eat arelargely determined by what they can afford and where they live. According
to the Department of Public Health’s Neighborhood Food Retail study,
roughly half of the city’s Census Block Groups have a very low proportionof food stores that sell fresh produce, with fewer than one in every 10
food stores in the Block Group selling fresh fruits and vegetables.
While gardens and farms could play a role in providing
produce in those low-produce areas, only 20 percent“We all need to eat! Andof low-produce Block Groups have at least one active
the closer to home we66
garden or farm. See Figure 6.
grow it, the better it is.

CONSUMPTION

Everyone deserves accessto land somewhere to
grow a portion of what
they eat.”118—Public meeting participant

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

Residents also choose what to eat based on their culture and background.
Foods that are important or fulfilling to one culture may not appeal toanother. Food and food preparation practices that are significant for aparticular culture, religion, or subcultural group are considered “culturally
relevant.” Two common examples are halal foods, in which animals are
slaughtered in adherence with Islamic law, and kosher foods, which meet
Jewish dietary laws. It is important that all City of Philadelphia nutrition
standards, food purchasing, and meal provision programs prioritize
cultural relevance to ensure families have access to nourishing food. The
City’s food offerings should reflect the variety and richness of its people.
While food stores, food programs, gardens, and farms may be the primary
way that most Philadelphians eat, public meeting participants also said
that foraging can be a key source of food, medicine, and other plants.
Foraging is the act of searching for and gathering food from the wild(i.e., parks, forests and open spaces, city sidewalks, and undeveloped
areas). It is a traditional practice in many of the city’s ethnically diverse
communities that has deep historical and cultural roots. Prior to thearrival of European colonists, Native American tribes across the continent
thrived by foraging, among other means of procuring food (e.g.,
subsistence farming, cultivating fruit trees, hunting, and fishing). In theSouth, enslaved Africans foraged for subsistence. After the Civil War,anti-foraging laws sought to restrict the foraging rights and practices of
newly freed Black people. Throughout history, immigrant groups havebrought foraging practices with them to the United States, as a means ofself-reliance and maintaining connections to the flavors and habits of their
homeland.
Public meeting participants said they forage for wild foods in Philadelphia
for different reasons: for economic access, for a sense of connection tonature, and for self-reliance. Six out of every 10 participants shared that
foraging is culturally significant to them. Four out of every 10 respondents
said they currently forage in the Philadelphia area, and 35 percent said
they do not but would like to learn more.

Photo Credit: Sonia Galiber

CONSUMPTION

119HOW PHILADELPHIA APPROACHES CONSUMPTION
The City of Philadelphia is a major public meal
provider. Through City-funded after-school andsummer programming, early care and education
facilities, housing shelters, and correctional facilities,
the City serves more than 20 million meals per year toPhiladelphia residents.67
The City adopted comprehensive nutrition standards
via Executive Order in 2014 to ensure that City meal
programs offer a broad range of healthy food andbeverages to employees and constituents. Thesestandards provide guidance for all meals purchased,
served, sold, or prepared through City-funded
programming. The Philadelphia Department of
Public Health (PDPH) has been working with affected
City agencies since 2014 to help them implement thestandards within their contracts and food purchasing,
preparation, and service activities. PDPH maintains
nutrition standards, annually assesses the nutritional
quality of City program meals, and conducts a public
process for updating the standards.68 PDPH also aims
to include cultural relevance as a part of its nutritional
standards. However, this work requires additional
resources to build capacity and better align with
Philadelphia’s demographics.
When it comes to food purchasing, the City ofPhiladelphia employs a Food Supply Chain Program
Manager (formerly the Good Food Purchasing
Coordinator), co-housed in the PDPH’s Divisionof Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention and theProcurement Department. The program manager
serves as an ex-officio member of the Food Policy
Advisory Council as well.

CONSUMPTIONThe School District of Philadelphia offers students
low-cost or free breakfast and lunch each day throughthe federally assisted National School Lunch Program.69
The District is able to provide free meals through the
US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Community
Eligibility Provision, which reimburses schools based on
the percentage of students determined to be eligible
for free meals.70

120

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONWHAT ARE THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF
PHILADELPHIA’S MEAL GUIDELINES?
The School District of Philadelphia’s Student
and Staff Wellness Policy meal guideline
language reads: “All reimbursable school meals
served through the National School Lunchand School Breakfast Programs, After School
Feeding Program, and any other reimbursable
school meal programs implemented by the
district shall:> Be appealing and attractive to students.
> Be served in clean and pleasantsettings.
> Be in compliance, at a minimum, withnutrition requirements establishedby local, state, and federal statutes
and regulations, including USDA
guidelines under the School Meals
Initiative.
> Ensure that all grains offered in meals
are whole grain rich.
> Ensure that foods are free of artificial
sweeteners, flavors, or colors.
> Offer a variety of fruits andvegetables daily, including dark green,
red/orange, and legumes weekly.”71

With over 200,000 students enrolled and eligible fortwo free meals a day, the District’s Division of Food
Services provides over 70 million meals per 180day school year. The District ensures that all meals
served to youth in schools follow the USDA nutrition
guidelines.72 Historically, there was no consideration
for cultural relevance in these guidelines, although
recently, as part of a standards revision process, theDistrict has begun to address cultural relevance.

The School District’s current policy on food gardens
on school grounds allows students to eat garden
produce as part of a class or after-school activity, but
the produce cannot be served as part of school meals.
There are however examples of site-specific pilot
programs—including one at W. B. Saul High Schoolof Agricultural Sciences—where lettuce grown at theschool is incorporated into school meals. In addition,teachers and students have been allowed to sell the
products grown in these gardens at farmers’ markets,and to make food products from them.
In other instances, federal funding and guidelines
influence the meals served to Philadelphia residents
by private entities. The federal Child and Adult Care
Food Program (CACFP) provides reimbursements fornutritious meals and snacks to eligible children andadults. Eligible populations include children and youth
in daycare, childcare, and after-school care programs,
or those residing in emergency shelters, and adults
over the age of 60 or living with a disability who areenrolled in daycare facilities. CACFP contributes to thewellness, healthy growth, and development of young
children and adults in the United States.

There are also a number of markets and sellers, both
citywide efforts and individual operations, that offer
produce to residents who have limited to no accessto fresh, nourishing food. Some small-scale operators
have brought produce trucks to various sections of
the city, providing an alternative to grocery stores
and an opportunity for entrepreneurship. Examples
include the West Philly Fresh Food Hub, Village Market
Produce Truck, and Solomon Fruit and Produce, all ofwhich operate in West Philadelphia. A small number ofgardens and farms sell produce on-site, including
Urban Creators and Mill Creek Urban Farm; however,
the reach of this activity is limited because of City
policies that restrict the amount that growers can sell
if the underlying land is City-owned.73

CASE STUDYHENRY GOT CROPS PROVIDES FRESHPRODUCE TO SAUL’S CAFETERIA
Students at Philadelphia’s W. B. Saul High Schoolof Agricultural Sciences provide fresh fruits andvegetables to students in the School District. Henry
Got Crops is a community-supported agriculture(CSA) operation made up of Saul High School,
Weavers Way Co-op, Weavers Way Community
Programs, and Fairmount Park (which leases
farmland to Saul); through this partnership, Henry
Got Crops provides locally grown produce to
School District of Philadelphia cafeterias, including
Saul’s.74“Saul Cafeteria Now Serving Up School Harvest.”
WHYY, October 22, 2013.
Photo credit: Nathaniel Hamilton for NewsWorksCONSUMPTION

121

On a citywide scale, farmers’ markets provide anessential opportunity for the distribution of fresh
produce to communities that may not have accessto it otherwise. The USDA’s Special Supplemental
Nutrition Program for Women Infants and Children(WIC) provides Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program(FMNP)75 coupons in addition to regular WIC benefits
for purchasing locally grown fruits, vegetables, honey,
and herbs from farmers, farmers’ markets, androadside stands, as does the Seniors Farmers’ Market
Nutrition Program for low-income seniors.76
Currently, most farmers’ markets in the city are run
by two organizations: The Food Trust and Farm toCity. Those organizations provide centralized expertiseand resources, and The Food Trust increases accessto fresh produce and supports its affordability with
the Philly Food Bucks program that encourages
shoppers paying with Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP) dollars to buy more fruits
and vegetables from local growers; customers who
spend $5 using their ACCESS card receive an additional$2 to purchase fresh produce. The Food Trust also
distributes promotional Food Bucks during cooking
demonstrations and through community partners aswell as Food Bucks Rx, produce prescription vouchersthat healthcare providers distribute to patients and canbe redeemed at farmers markets and stores aroundthe city.

CONSUMPTION

Though the Food Bucks program was initially fundedthrough the Philadelphia Department of Public Health,when that investment ended The Food Trust was able
to secure a combination of USDA GusNIP funds, private
foundation grants, and individual donations to support
the program. The demand for Food Bucks and growthin volume of the program has demonstrated the needfor diverse funding of this resource. Other states haveleveraged city and state funding to draw down larger
grant awards from the USDA to support nutrition
incentive programs. This issue and program deserves
more attention and is critical to supporting the healthof Philadelphia residents.

122

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONCASE STUDYFRESH TRUCK, BOSTON
Serving the Boston area, Fresh Trucks are
retrofitted school buses that bring weekly
mobile markets to communities with low
access to fresh produce. The program showsa sustainable way to get fresh produce intoneighborhoods experiencing food apartheid,
while also providing jobs and engaging healthprofessionals in the effort. The Fresh Trucks
were originally started to address healthdisparities created by lack of access to healthy
and affordable food options. Doctors canprovide Fresh Connect cards to patients tofund their Fresh Truck purchases.77

Image courtesy of Fresh TruckFinally, many Philadelphians acquire fresh food andother plants from the city’s public spaces by foraging.
Public input for this plan indicates that foraging
may be fairly common among Philadelphians, butthere is limited knowledge among the broader public
about best practices to prevent overharvesting
and misidentification of naturally occurring foods,
which is essential to ensuring that foraging remains
a sustainable and safe method of accessing food.
Input about the plants participants forage for paints
a colorful picture of existing foraging practices in
Philadelphia.

PUBLIC INPUTWHY DO PHILADELPHIANS FORAGE?
“Foraging helps me
feel connected to place.
I can eat foods andmedicine that I would
not otherwise be able
to access...if I wereever in a desperatesituation, I could stillfind some food.”—Public meeting participant

PUBLIC INPUT

WHERE DO PHILADELPHIANS FORAGE?
Locations that stood out among thosementioned by public meeting participants
were the edges of parks, public spaces, or
school grounds, which are spaces that are notofficially designated as gardens but have thespace or other conditions for growing.
Philadelphians forage in the woods, in parks
and gardens, in Tinicum, and across theCity, though mainly in West Fairmount Park,
East Fairmount Park, the Wissahickon, andPennypack Park.

“There was a mulberry tree next toour house in West Ph
illy growing
up. A family friend ma
de jam fromit and I have always
rememberedthat taste. Also, I sp
ent a lot oftime around some cr
abapple trees
on the Parkway andon Kelly Drive
as a kid. They are tie
d to my senseof Philadelphia as aplace and to
my identity as someon
e who grew up
here.”—Public meeting participa

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trticipaneeting pa—Public m

Philadelphians forage for food, herbs and medicinal purposes.
CONSUMPTION

123

PUBLIC INPUT

WHAT DO PHILADELPHIANS FORAGE FOR?
Public meeting participants reported foraging for awide range of plants in Philadelphia, including:> Herbs/herbaceous plants> Edible flowers and greens> Fruits (including pawpaws, crab apples,
native persimmons, cornelian cherries,
and figs)> Berries (including black raspberries,
mulberries, juneberries, wineberries,
serviceberries, aronia berries,
elderberries, and dewberries)

Pawpaws. Image courtesy of the Philadelphia Inquirer> Nuts (including ginkgo nuts, black
walnuts, and acorns)> Mushrooms (including morels, oyster
mushrooms, wine caps, lion’s mane, black
trumpets, puffballs, chicken mushrooms,
and hen of the woods).
Residents also forage for Japanese knotweed,
lambsquarters, garlic mustard, wood sorrel, fieldgarlic, stinging nettle, burdock, purslane, dandelion,
ailanthus, pine needles, spruce, juniper, goldenrod,
chickweed, watercress, mugwort, plantain, and wild
asparagus.

Juneberries harvested by neighbors.
Image courtesy of the Philadelphia Inquirer

LOCAL PROFILECONSUMPTIONOAK LANE MAPLE

124

Oak Lane Maple (OLM) was formed in 2021 in
the East Oak Lane neighborhood as a way forresidents to engage with local trees by tappingthem to make maple syrup. In two seasons it has
grown to include multiple neighborhoods andorganizations. Through its efforts, OLM increases
awareness, stewardship and growth of our urban
sugarbush and food forest while expanding K-12
grade hands-on educational opportunities througha number of school partnerships, including with
Wyncote Academy which hosts OLM’s educationalsugar shack. In the 2022 season OLM and program
participants tapped 110 trees, making over 40
gallons of syrup.

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

Oak Lane maple products from maple trees inNorth Philadelphia. Image courtesy of Jethro HeikoPOTENTIAL FOR CHANGE
There is an urgent need for sustained investment inincreased food access for communities struggling withpoverty in Philadelphia—and a community-informed
process to guide it. Additionally, food standards must
shift away from focusing solely on nutrition and toward
a nuanced approach that recognizes foods that areculturally appropriate. Standardizing what constitutes
nutritious foods erases the varied cultural preferences
and health needs of different groups. Therefore, it isnecessary to expand the understanding of nutritionand diet inclusivity beyond adhering to federal nutrition
guidelines. The nutrition and cultural relevance offood can be heightened when it is grown locally andresponsibly, travels fewer miles between production
and consumption, or is grown by a person or in a placethat feels more connected to home.

Explore strategies to prioritize buying local produce
cultivated and delivered through sustainable andjust methods. Funds that ordinarily go toward larger
corporate food distributors and providers can instead
be invested in smaller food and agricultural businesses.
This would not only help keep money in the local
economy, but also impact food consumption practices
citywide and encourage higher standards related tochemical use and fair working conditions.

There is also a need to reduce transportation andgeographic barriers to accessing nourishing andculturally relevant foods. In areas known to haveinadequate food accessibility, locally grown, nourishingfoods should be made more available in ways that canbe sustained and are responsive to neighborhoodspecific needs. For example, mobile markets offering
When it comes to buying food, the City of Philadelphia’s fresh produce, as well as corner stores and local
grocers such as halal shops and Asian food markets, arenutrition and purchasing standards can have aexisting resources that could be better supported intremendous effect on the local food system because
the city. Data on the location of areas with inadequateof the City’s large-scale food contracts, relationships
food access is also crucial when considering where towith existing institutions, and direct connection to
make financial investments in food-producing gardens
food production, preparation, distribution, and waste
to respond directly to localized food inaccessibility.
management. The City could find opportunities toredirect food funds into contracts that reflect a
commitment to a more equitable local food economy. It is important to consider cultural relevance not onlyin terms of what foods are essential to multicultural
A Good Food Purchasing Policy78 would ensure that
communities but also how residents want to source
public food contracts reflect community values. It
their food. The practice of foraging for wild foods
would encourage City government to direct its buying
needs to be better understood both by governing
power in support of racial justice, local economies,
institutions and the public. Supporting and investing
environmental sustainability, a valued workforce,in people and organizations who are rooted in the
animal welfare, and nutrition. With the City’s buying
practice and tradition of foraging for food deepens
power behind it, the policy would increase access tothe public’s relationship to the land and creates anboth high-quality jobs in the food system and healthy,
accessible, safe and environmentally conscious source
sustainably produced food.
of food.
Among public meeting participants, 92 percent are in
Lastly, there is an opportunity to better utilize publicfavor of the City adopting and implementing a Goodoutdoor spaces currently not in use for growing
Food Purchasing Policy. When asked how the City
food and include more edible wildlife, creating moreshould implement a Good Food Purchasing Policy,
opportunities to eat from the land. Doing all ofparticipants answered:this responsibly and equitably requires intentional> “Require City funding to be spent on local
partnerships with residents, growers, grassroots
foods, sustainably produced and fair tradeorganizations, local Tribal Nations, and individuals
foods, and incentivize zero waste practices”
already practicing these traditions.
> “Start with a consultant to help craft a policy
specific to the issues facing Philadelphians”> “Look to the Common Market model inschools and hospitals”> “Require similar purchasing by non-City
institutions”

CONSUMPTION

125

CONSUMPTION RECOMMENDATIONS
These recommendations take a whole community approach to improving access to healthy food. They aim
to make it easier for families to get fresh, locally grown food and to build a more equitable culture of foodconsumption in Philadelphia through collaboration with schools, community organizations, businesses,
municipal services, and public spaces. The recommendations focus on reviewing existing nutrition standards andprocurement practices to make them more reflective of community values, creating new responses to systemic
food inaccessibility, and improving public understanding of, and public practices related to, food foraging, so it
is safe and equitable for both people and the land. There are two categories of Consumption recommendations,which work together to:> Increase access to nourishing food> Support safe foraging of wild foods

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
Increase access to nourishing food.

X

4.1

Work to develop a Good Food Procurement and Fair Food program for all City meal
programs that includes worker protections and assurances on a municipal level.
Develop a Fair Food Program teach-in led by national leaders (e.g., Coalition of Immokalee Workers, WorkerDriven Social Responsibility Network, Migrant Justice) for City employees and members of the Food Policy
Advisory Council involved in food policy and food procurement. Explore “Farm to Institution” educational
materials and assess the feasibility of a city-wide Farm to Institution policy.

Support legislation for values-driven food procurement across all programs funded or administered by theCity, and support policy implementation by increasing procurement budget for City meal programs andemergency food planning to support purchase of values-driven regional foods.
Establish values-driven food procurement policies citywide that support creating resilient regional agricultural
supply chains.
Establish a food purchasing system for City food programs and events to purchase food directly from farmers
and local producers at a fair market price, paying the cost of production, fair return for their products, andlivable conditions and wages for workers.

CONSUMPTION

Invest in the local food supply chain, with a targeted effort to increase the number of certified Minority-owned
Business Entity (MBE) food producers in the Office of Economic Opportunity registry, and increase purchasesfrom small, local producers of color for City meal programs.

126

Conduct a study of current food miles traveled under existing food procurement policies.

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

CASE STUDYGOOD FOOD COMMUNITIES CAMPAIGN

Administrative Dept of Public Health,
Procurement, FPAC

Medium-Term

Operations

Dept of Public Health,
Procurement, Parks &Rec, Office of Children& Families, Office ofHomeless Services,
Office of Sustainability,
FPAC

Medium-Term

Legislative

City Council, Deptof Public Health,
Procurement, Office ofSustainability, FPAC

Long-Term

Administrative Dept of Public Health,
Procurement, FPAC

Medium-Term

Operations

Dept of Public Health,
Procurement, FPAC

Long-Term

Operations

Office of Economic
Short-Term
Opportunity, Public
Health, Office of Children& Families, Office ofHomeless Services

Operations

Dept of Public Health,
Office of Sustainability

Short-Term

The Good Food Communities Campaign isa national movement, calling to shift publicdollars to food contracts that advance worker
justice by providing living wages, fair working
conditions, and racial equity in deciding how
public food contracts are awarded.
The campaign demonstrates that City policy
can positively impact how food is sourced
in our cities. It encourages establishinginstitutional food contracts with small-scale
producers of color, demanding protections
from food- and farm-related pollution forcommunities of color and frontline workers,
and transparency by advocating for publicaccess to supply chain data and community
involvement in policy implementation.

DEFINING “FAIR FOOD”
Fair Food programs can promote initiatives
and strategies including - but not limited to- cooperative land ownership or wage theftsupport systems, that prioritize procurementfrom small to mid-sized producers ofcolor, that reduce food miles traveled andlowers emissions, that consider racial andenvironmental justice, and that create
better living conditions (e.g., labor housing,affordable healthcare, and human services) for
farm laborers and their families.

CONSUMPTION127PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
4.1
Implement transparency in City food procurement by issuing annual public reports on supply chain spending
cont’d and contracts based on Good Food Procurement values.

Create a coalition of participating early childhood education providers and charter schools who alreadypurchase collectively to access nutritious food from the city and region.

Encourage Philadelphians interested in Good Food Procurement and just, resilient, and ecologically responsible
food systems to develop a local coalition associated with other organizations working toward food supply
chain restructuring (e.g., Center for Good Food Purchasing, Real Food Generation, Health Care Without Harm).

X

4.2

Strengthen policies guiding the composition of publicly funded meals provided by
the City to broaden the focus to include serving foods that nourish communities
beyond adhering to federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Continue to amend the Philadelphia Nutrition Standards to ensure that meals served at City-funded afterschool and summer programs, senior programs, shelters, healthcare facilities, correctional facilities, and youth
detention centers are culturally relevant (e.g., halal, kosher) and inclusive of diet (e.g., celiac disease, lactose
intolerance) and allergy (e.g., nuts, eggs, soy) restrictions. Add a section on Cultural and Religious Guidelines,
similar to the Sustainability Guidelines.
Coordinate with FPAC on efforts to define and operationalize Good Food values in the City’s Nutrition
Standards.
Continue and deepen the Department of Public Health’s annual assessment process for evaluating thenutritional quality of City program meals, and ensure that these assessments are transparent and communityinformed, considering both the nutrition and the cultural relevance of foods provided.
Develop a transparent community-informed process to provide recommendations for revisions to meal
policies, in response to the results of annual assessments and food waste audits.
Explore financing opportunities to have more competitive prices for procurement and contracting with local
meal providers. Consider a decentralized approach that would consider multiple providers from the city andregion.

Incorporate a food waste audit as part of the review process to understand preferences throughout the meal
programs and better tailor meal plans to reduce food waste. Also see recommendation 5.4 in Waste Reduction
chapter re. food waste audits of meals served in the School and Prison systems.

CONSUMPTION

X

128

4.3

Work with the School District of Philadelphia’s Division of Food Services to expand
meal offerings to accommodate more diet and allergy-related restrictions (e.g.,celiac disease, lactose intolerance, nuts, eggs, soy) and consider the cultural relevance(e.g., halal, kosher) of food in addition to nutritional value.
Encourage and support the School District in amending its student and staff wellness policy to include
language on culturally relevant and diet appropriate foods.

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Administrative Dept of Public Health,
Procurement

Medium-Term

Partnership

Public Health, Office ofChildren & Families, ECE
Providers, Area Schools

Short-Term

Partnership

FPAC, Grassroots
Organizations,Nonprofits, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

Administrative Mayor's Office,Dept of Public Health,
FPAC

Short-Term

Administrative Dept of Public Health,Parks & Rec, Office ofChildren & Families,
Office of HomelessServices, Dept of PrisonsMedium-Term

Operations

Dept of Public Health,
Procurement,
FPAC

Medium-Term

Operations

Dept of Public Health

Short-Term

Operations

Dept of Public Health,Medium-Term
FPAC, Nonprofits,
Grassroots Organizations

Operations

Budget, City Council,
Long-Term
Parks & Rec, Office ofChildren & Families,
Office of HomelessServices, Dept of Prisons,
Dept of Public HealthOperations

Office of Sustainability,
Parks & Rec, Office ofChildren & Families,
Office of HomelessServices, School District,
Dept of PrisonsMedium-Term

Administrative School District, Dept of
Public HealthLong-Term

Administrative School District, Dept of
Public Health, Mayor’s
Office, FPAC

Short-Term
Photo Credit: Emma Lee for WHYY

CONSUMPTION129PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
4.3
Expand school meal monitoring by developing a survey for students to weigh and provide feedback/cont’d suggestions on the meals provided at school.
Increase local efforts to push for new nutrition standards in school meals by exploring opportunities to attract
more resources for school meals and food programs.

X

Work with local farmers and gardeners to grow crops and develop curriculum that pairs with the District’s
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program and Harvest of the Month Program, connecting produce provided
through these programs with culturally based food histories and methods of growing. Coordinate with theDistrict’s GreenFutures program on ways to integrate student learning opportunities tied to sustainability andoperations.

4.4

Investigate adopting policies and establishing partnerships throughout City
government and the School District that result in the purchase and provision of more
locally grown and prepared foods.

Raise funds for public schools to update or build full-service kitchens where feasible to enable moreelementary, middle, and high schools to serve meals that are produced on site rather than off site anddelivered for reheating at school.
Advocate for the School District to adopt a Good Food Procurement policy to establish plans for equitable &sustainable food purchasing and preparation.
Explore opportunities to establish contracts with local and regional BIPOC, low-income, working-class, disabled
and/or immigrant farmers (e.g., a pre-buying program that identifies several specific crops to be purchased
locally toward a designated quantity for use in school meals) in order to provide a steady seasonal cash flow
for area growers. Increase procurement from local and regional farms over time, prioritizing farms owned
by BIPOC, low income/working class, disabled, and/or immigrant farmers and building in provisions for the
additional communication and logistics necessary.
Survey and invest in existing and new school gardens in the district, and establish a process for theincorporation of school garden-grown produce in school meals.
Expand Farm to School and the School District’s EAT.RIGHT.NOW. programs into a robust and comprehensive
education program that matches schools with local gardens, farms, and chefs certified to provide nutrition
curriculum and fresh, ready to consume local produce. Consider partnering with Penn State Extension Master
Gardeners to gain support in school garden maintenance and curriculum development and the District’s
GreenFutures program around integrating sustainability into lessons.
Continue supporting and expanding the School District’s GreenFutures committee, focusing on sustainability,
increasing outdoor learning environments and play areas, and providing more opportunities for edible gardens
and hands-on, project-based gardening lessons with educators.

CONSUMPTION

X

130

4.5

Create a Farm to Public meal program that increases access to locally grown farm
products in public meals.
Design and implement a program whereby Philadelphia urban and regional farmers can sell their produce toinstitutional, commercial, and community kitchens that produce meals to be purchased by City entities andother publicly funded programs (e.g., pre-K sites, Out of School Time meals, etc.).

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Administrative School District, Dept of
Public Health, Mayor’s
Office, FPAC

Medium-Term

Administrative School District, Dept of
Public Health, Mayor’s
Office, FPAC, Nonprofits,
Funders

Long-Term

Partnership

Medium-Term

School District, Parks& Rec, Nonprofits,
Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Administrative School District, Deptof Public Health,Parks & Rec, FPAC,
Nonprofits, Area
Universities, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

BudgetLong-Term

School District

Administrative Dept of Public Health

Medium-Term

Administrative School District, Local
Growers, Nonprofits,
Area Businesses

Medium-Term

Administrative School District

Short-Term

Partnership

School District, Parks& Rec, Nonprofits, Area
Universities, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

BudgetSchool District,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Short-Term

Operations

Commerce Dept, Deptof Public Health, Parks& Rec

Medium-Term

Operations

Commerce Dept, Parks& Rec, Nonprofits, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

DEFINING “FARM TO SCHOOLS”
Farm to Schools is an initiative to bring locallygrown farm products into school kitchensand cafeterias where this fresh produce canbe incorporated in snacks and meals served
to students. Farm to School programs can be
implemented at individual schools or districtwide, and can extend beyond fresh food accessto include lessons on nutrition and hands-on
learning in school vegetable gardens and meal
preparation spaces.

CASE STUDYITHACA FRESH SNACK PROGRAM,ITHACA, NY
In Ithaca, the Youth Farm Project’s Fresh Snackprogram demonstrates how local produce
can help nourish children in schools and earlychildhood education centers. The programprovides free fruit and vegetable snacks two to
three days a week through the school year toover 2,000 Ithaca Elementary School students,
with a preference for local and organic
produce. This helps kids explore new, healthysnacks.

Image courtesy of Youth Farm Project.

CONSUMPTION131PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
4.6

Create opportunities for early childhood education centers to provide nutritious
locally grown snacks in schools.

Continue education and outreach to PHLpreK and other early childhood education providers about the federal
Child and Adult Care Food Program that provides reimbursements for nutritious meals and snacks provided toeligible children and adults enrolled at care facilities.
Assess the feasibility to provide tools and technical assistance for early childhood education programs thatwish to incorporate gardening on site.

Create a process to match early childhood education providers with local gardens, farms, and chefs certified
to provide fresh, ready to consume local produce for students to eat as well as immersive programming foryouth.

4.7

X

Revise Department of Prisons policies and program management procedures toensure that incarcerated individuals can provide feedback on the choices of foods
available and to consume food produced as supplements to meals or share with theircommunities/neighborhoods, etc.
Continue to provide opportunities for incarcerated individuals to acquire work and wellness skills related tofood production and preparation (e.g., ServSafe certification, nutrition education, cultural food preparation).

4.8

Support safe and fair farmers market and food stand operations throughout the city,and prioritize expanded food access and food security in areas with no to low accessto grocery stores and limited access to fresh, high-quality, and nutrient-rich fruits
and vegetables.
Investigate requiring Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits acceptance at all farmers
markets in the city, and provide the necessary funding, EBT technology, training, and technical assistance tosupport this requirement.
Promote SNAP utilization at markets by increasing awareness of and funding for the Philly Food Bucks
program (which provides an additional $2 for every $5 spent using SNAP at participating markets). Increase
outreach about the Philly Food Bucks program to new farmers market and farm stand sites.
Promote utilization of Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and Seniors Farmers Market Nutrition Program(FMNP) vouchers at farmers markets. Develop a campaign to expand outreach to residents across thecity. Explore opportunities to improve shopping experiences for WIC, SNAP, and other public benefit using
customers.
Explore expanding vendor eligibility beyond food vendors at farmers markets to increase public interest andfoot traffic.

CONSUMPTION

Investigate ways to expand affordable and discounted vending opportunities to local and regional farmers andproducers at all farmers markets.

132

Increase the public’s awareness about all Philadelphia farmers markets by developing a comprehensive
campaign. Develop support systems for farmers market operators, and community organizations, gardens
and farms that run farm stands.

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Partnership

Office of Children &Families, ECE Providers,
Dept of Public Health,Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations

Medium-Term

Operations

Dept of Public Health,
Office of Children &Families, Nonprofits

Medium-Term

Operations

Dept of Public Health,Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

Partnership

Dept of Public Health,
Office of Children &Families, ECE Providers,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

CASE STUDY

Operations

Dept of Prisons,Medium-Term
Grassroots Organizations

Operations

Dept of Prisons,Nonprofits

Medium-Term

Operations

Dept of Public Health,Parks & Rec, Nonprofits,
Local Growers

Medium-Term

Administrative Dept of Public Health,Nonprofits, Local
Growers

Short-Term

Operations,
BudgetDept of Public Health,Parks & Rec, Nonprofits

Short-Term

Operations

Dept of Public Health,Parks & Rec, Nonprofits

Short-Term

Administrative Parks & Rec, Nonprofits,
Local Vendors

Short-Term

Administrative Nonprofits, Area
Businesses, Local
Growers

Short-Term

Operations

Short-Term

Dept of Public Health,Parks & Rec, Nonprofits,
Grassroots Orgs, Local
Growers

ROSA PARKS PRODUCE MARKET,JACKSONVILLE, FL
Rosa Parks Produce Market in Jacksonvilledemonstrates how cities can partnerwith organizations to get food into areas
experiencing food apartheid, while also
providing job opportunities to young people. It
is a partnership between teens in the I’m A Star
Foundation youth leadership program and theJacksonville Transportation Authority in which
the teens own and operate the weekly market
at a major bus terminal, Rosa Parks Transit
Station. The community’s nearest grocery
store is more than five miles away, and themarket provides access to fresh, locally grown
foods in a location people are already going toregularly.

Produce market at the Rosa Parks Transit Station.
Image courtesy of the I’m A Star Foundation.
CONSUMPTION133

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
4.8
Raise funds to provide bulk reusable bags to local farm vendors to raise awareness about the plastic-bag ban
cont’d and support vendors' transitions from plastic bags to alternatives.
Support market operators establishing new markets with local and culturally appropriate vendors - such as
BIPOC, low-income, and immigrant farmers and producers - to provide additional social, cultural, and economic
soil benefits.
Support new community-based mobile market programs that bring fresh produce to neighborhoods without
access to existing farmers markets or other fresh food vendors, prioritizing operators who are from thecommunities they will serve and who aim to source food from local and regional growers.
Support the establishment of farmers markets along commercial corridors, at neighborhood centers, and attransit stations, prioritizing operators who are from the communities they will serve and who aim to source
food from local and regional growers.

4.9

Explore ways to connect transportation services and land use planning with foodaccess.
Encourage grocery stores, corner stores, and outdoor markets that provide fresh produce and products tolocate at key transit intersections and within transit-oriented development zones.
Work with partners to implement the City’s District Plans and Comprehensive Plan, which identify
opportunities for new farmers markets at major transportation stations (e.g., Church, Margaret-Orthodox,
and Frankford Transportation Center El stations and Somerton Station and Boulevard Direct bus stations).
Assess the relationship between food access, transit, and bike lane access across the city, and designatepriority areas for transportation infrastructure and other projects that will expand easy access to food
options.

4.10

Convene community health and wellness partners from hospitals across Philadelphia
to share and test best practices that integrate nutritious, locally grown food in
hospital operations and patient care.
Coordinate with farmers markets or mobile vending farmers markets to establish vending days at medical
institutions.
Develop a Farm Rx program at hospitals across the city that provides patients with nutritious, locally grown
food as part of their medical treatment and wellness plans.
Support partnerships between farmers and medical institutions to design on-site farms and grow fresh
produce for on-site cafeterias and patient meals.

CONSUMPTION

Establish more Farm to Families programs at hospitals not currently running the program.

134

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Operations

Office of Sustainability,
Nonprofits

Short-Term

Operations

Dept of Public Health,Parks & Rec, Nonprofits,
Area Businesses, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

PartnershipCommerce Dept,
Dept of Public Health,Nonprofits, Local
Growers & Distributors

Short-Term

Operations

Dept of Public Health,Commerce, City
Planning, Parks &Rec, Nonprofits, Area
Businesses

Medium-Term

Operations

Commerce Dept, City
Planning, Dept of Public
HealthShort-Term

PartnershipCommerce Dept, City
Planning, Dept of Public
HealthMedium-Term

Partnership

City Planning, SEPTA

Long-Term

Operations

City Planning, OTIS,Streets, Office ofSustainability

Short-Term

Partnership

Dept of Public Health,Area Hospitals, Area
Universities

Medium-Term

Partnership

Dept of Public Health,Nonprofits, Area
Hospitals

Medium-Term

PartnershipArea Hospitals, Local
Growers & Distributors

Medium-Term

PartnershipArea Hospitals, Area
Universities, Nonprofits,
Local Growers

Long-Term

PartnershipArea Hospitals, Area
Universities, Local
Growers

Long-Term

CASE STUDYBOSTON GENERAL ROOFTOP FARM
Boston Medical Center’s Rooftop Farm is
a 2,500+ square foot farm on top of thehospital’s power plant, and its hyperlocal
harvests are provided to hospitalized patients,
the cafeterias, the Demonstration Kitchen,
and Preventative Food Pantry. The farm also
provides habitat for pollinator bees and helps
reduce the hospital’s carbon footprint andenergy use.

Photo courtesy of Boston Medical Center
Visit https://www.bmc.org/nourishing-ourcommunity/rooftop-farm for more information.

CASE STUDY

ST. CHRISTOPHER’S FARM TO
FAMILIES INITIATIVE
St. Christopher’s Foundation for Children in
Philadelphia is home to the Farms to Families
Initiative, which supplies registered families
with weekly boxes of fresh produce and local
eggs and meat at a reduced cost. The Initiative
also leads nutrition education programming,
cooking demonstrations, and advocates forpolicy change to increase affordable fresh foodaccess in the region. Any family of any income
can register for the program, and there is
special collaboration with patients who receivea Fresh Rx “prescription” from doctors forhealthy foods.
Visit https://scfchildren.org/farm-to-families/ formore information.

CONSUMPTION135

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
Support safe foraging of wild foods.
4.11

Promote safe and ethical foraging, recognizing Native and Indigenous land
management and cultural practices.
Assess and amend the Parks & Rec regulations to allow for guided foraging.
Catalog and share information about native species in Philadelphia and where to safely forage them. Ensure
residents understand the liabilities and personal responsibility of practicing foraging.
Identify and map existing and potential areas within the parks system that are considered safe and designatedfor foraging. Create online and printed resources at public facilities (e.g., libraries, recreation centers,
environmental centers) where residents can access this information freely.
Teach residents how to harvest “disruptive” species (e.g., garlic mustard and pokeweed, Japanese knotweed,
bindweed) for consumption. Promote foraging of nonnative species, in particular those that cause ecologicalharm or threaten native species and biodiversity.
Provide funding for community organizations and experienced individuals to lead programming and produce
content related to foraging techniques and traditional food stories, to increase wild food and foraging literacy.

X

Partner with local agricultural organizations and growers to publish public guides on how to safely andethically harvest food and medicinal plants from designated safe areas within the parks system, public land,
the public right of way, and local forests.

4.12

Develop opportunities for new City-run and community-led food forests on publicland, at the edges of City-owned forests, and in school yards to increase access towild food, trees, and wildlife habitat in the city.
Coordinate to identify locations for growing fruit and nut-bearing trees, prioritizing safe planting in areas offood insecurity and disinvestment.

CONSUMPTIONWork with the Philadelphia Orchard Project and other community organizations to plant, maintain and prune
public food-producing orchard locations on public land, and seek funding from the state and federal agencies
to expand training and educational programs on best practices. Explore funding opportunities to broaden thescope of PHS’s Tree Tenders program to include fruit and nut bearing trees.

136

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

CASE STUDYBROWNS MILL FOOD FOREST, ATLANTA

Administrative Parks & Rec

Short-Term

Administrative Parks & Rec

Short-Term

Operations

Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers, Parks & Rec

Medium-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec,
Medium-Term
Nonprofits,
Grassroots Organizations

BudgetParks & Rec,
Medium-Term
Nonprofits,
Grassroots Organizations

Partnership

Parks & Rec,
Medium-Term
Nonprofits,
Grassroots Organizations

Operations

Parks & Rec, School
Medium-Term
District,
Nonprofits,
Grassroots Organizations

Operations

Parks & Rec, School
District, Nonprofits,
Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

Partnership

Parks & Rec, School
District, Dept of Public
Property, Nonprofits,
Grassroots
Organizations,
PA Dept of Agriculture,
USDA

Medium-Term

The Urban Food Forest at Browns Mill is a 7.1acre formerly abandoned family farm that has
been refreshed and repaired by local residents,
community organizations, City agencies, and
The Conservation Fund to become the nation’slargest public food-producing forest. The site
is based around the concept of agroforestry,
which is “the intentional integration of trees
and shrubs into crop and animal farming
systems to create environmental, economic,
and social benefits,” according to the USDA,
and the project also has a partnership with
Greening Youth Foundation to support
workforce development to build parts of theforest and gardens. Other benefits of the
Urban Food Forest include increased accessto healthy, local food; healthier wildlife, tree
canopy, and wildlife; educational programming;and recreational opportunities like walking andbirdwatching.

Photo courtesy of Shannon Lee / The
Conservation Fund

CONSUMPTION

137

Goal: Be accountable to existing zero-waste
commitments and create new ones.

FOOD WASTE

Food Waste management can mean reducing, recycling, or
repurposing the by-products of food production, preparation,
distribution, and consumption.

138

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

5. FOOD WASTE
FOOD WASTE

139

FOOD WASTEOVERVIEW
There are many types of food waste. These include uneaten prepared
food; spoiled food; food that is not edible; peels, rinds, and other kitchen
trimmings typically considered inedible; and food by-products, such as
eggshells and coffee grounds. About 43 percent of food waste comes fromhomes; 40 percent from restaurants, grocery stores, and food service
companies; 16 percent from farms; and two percent from manufacturers,
according to Food Waste in America 2022, a study released by thecompany RTS.79
Depending on the local food system and general public practices, wasted
food can be a valuable resource. It can generate nutrient-rich soil when
it is composted, or be repurposed as animal feed, processed into foodingredients such as spices, converted into fertilizer, or anaerobicallydigested to create energy. Alternatively, it can be thrown away as garbage,
feeding landfills and incinerators, where it releases methane, a harmful
greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere.
Excess food at risk of being wasted can also be recovered and donatedto feed people. Like food waste, the extent to which excess food retains
its value depends on policies, practices, and relationships within the local
food system. Recovery and donation of excess food does not prevent thecreation of food waste, though it will reduce the amount of food that isthrown away, while also reducing hunger among Philadelphia residents.
This chapter of Growing from the Root focuses on preventing and reducing
food waste within the city’s food system.

WHAT IS COMPOST?

FOOD WASTE

Compost is decayed organic material such as food waste and plantmatter. It can be used to add nutrients to soil, which can thenbe used to fertilize plants. Compost may also be used for otherpurposes, such as making clothing dye.

140

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

WHY PHILADELPHIA NEEDS TO REDUCE
AND RECOVER FOOD WASTE
People generate food waste on a daily basis, at home, in restaurants, atgrocery stores, as well as at farms and food manufacturing facilities.
Residential properties in Philadelphia throw out about 335,000 tonsof organic waste each year, including food scraps and yard waste,according to the Philadelphia Office of Sustainability. Of that, about
one-third—117,000 tons—is food waste.80 Efforts to reduce, rescue, andrepurpose food waste are essential because:> 20% of edible food is thrown out in Philadelphia each day,81
while one in five Philadelphians experience hunger every
day.82> Food and yard waste fills 55 trash trucks in Philadelphia
every day, or roughly 37 percent of the municipal solid waste
stream, according to the Streets Department.
> At $65 per ton in landfill fees,83 disposing of an estimated335,000 tons of food and yard waste costs the city roughly$21 million per year.
> Wasted food sent to the landfill creates greenhouse gasses
that contribute to climate change.
Investing in sustainable food waste management policies and initiatives isa priority for residents, according to public meeting participants. Ninety
percent of participants favor City-provided curbside compost pick-up,
but they are realistic about the challenges. Concerns include people
putting contaminants in with their compostable food scraps; complaints
about pests and smells if food scraps and composting sites are not wellmanaged; and skepticism given the City’s limited resources and historic
struggles with litter, waste management, and recycling practices.
Participants say they are confident experienced local companies canpartner with the City to make progress toward zero waste; 71 percent
said public-private partnerships are critical to sustainable food waste
management processes in Philadelphia, along with buy-in from City
agencies. Residents also emphasize that public education is key tosuccess.

FOOD WASTE

141

HOW PHILADELPHIA APPROACHES FOOD WASTE
REDUCTION AND RECOVERY
Today the City of Philadelphia works with residents,
community organizations, nonprofits, businesses,
and institutions to reduce and recover food waste.
In 2017, Philadelphia adopted a Zero Waste goal andpublished the Zero Waste Action Plan, which aims tomove the city toward a waste- and litter-free future.
The plan calls for a complete phase out of landfills
by 2035. However, in 2020 amid COVID-19 pandemic
budget cuts, the City disbanded its Zero Waste andLitter Cabinet, which Mayor Kenney created in 2016 tocoordinate citywide efforts to reduce litter and waste.

To tackle food waste in Philadelphia, OOS joined the
Natural Resources Defense Council’s Food Matters
Regional Initiative in 2020 to pursue new strategies toreduce food waste in the Mid-Atlantic region. Throughthis initiative, OOS is developing an educational
campaign for residents that is informed by community
focus groups, and aims to increase public awareness of
the impacts of food waste and how Philadelphians cantake action to prevent it. The campaign launched on
Earth Day in 2022, and will be promoted across the city
at bus stops, in grocery stores, and on social media.

The Philadelphia Office of Sustainability (OOS) sets theCity’s agenda for a more sustainable future. Throughits Greenworks plan, OOS helps other City agencies
work toward goals that include:

OOS is also piloting a Food Waste Business Challenge,
which encourages local businesses to work one-onone with the OOS to implement a food waste action
plan and test waste-reducing strategies. Throughout
the process, businesses can provide feedback to theCity that will inform policy and programs for foodbusinesses in the future.

> Increasing access to healthy, affordable,
sustainable food
> Reducing carbon pollution> Eliminating waste> Supporting training, employment, andbusiness opportunities focused onsustainability

CASE STUDYHOW CAN FOOD WASTE BE
REUSED?

FOOD WASTE

The US Environmental Protection
Agency defines priority areas for foodrecovery with its Food Recovery Hierarchy,
which outlines strategies from the mostenvironmentally preferred to the least
preferred.84 These are: source reduction (mostpreferred), feeding hungry people, feeding animals,
industrial uses, composting, and incineration or
landfill (least preferred). In Philadelphia, the second
most preferred strategy (feeding hungry people) often
involves redirecting food to organizations that need it,such as Food Connect and Grocers Against Hunger /Philabundance, and Sharing Excess.

142

The EPA’s Food Recovery Hierarchy
Image courtesy of the EPA

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

Currently, the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD)
provides the City’s largest-scale solution for divertingfood waste from the municipal waste stream: in-sinkgarbage disposals allow residents to put food scraps
down the kitchen sink, and that waste is processedwith sewage at PWD’s facilities and converted into
organic fertilizer and renewable energy (e.g., gasses
from waste that create electric power). In 2012,
PWD entered a 20-year contract for a public-private
partnership with Synagro, a company that operates thePhiladelphia Renewable Bio-Fuels Facility. The facility
converts sewage and food waste from in-sink garbage
disposals processed at PWD’s wastewater treatment
plant into more than 50,000 tons of fertilizer pellets
each year, which can be used to fertilize food crops foranimal or human consumption throughout the East
Coast. The partnership not only recovers and recycles
food and human waste, but also reduces the costsof and greenhouse gas emissions caused by trucking
waste away from homes and businesses and disposingof it in landfills.85

In 2018, the Philadelphia Streets Department publishedthe Philadelphia Organics Diversion Feasibility Study86
to explore ways to divert organic materials, including
food waste, from the municipal waste stream. The
study explored what it would take to develop a largescale regional composting operation in the City, andlooked at the feasibility of City collection of leaves
and yard waste, food waste, and compostable paper;commercial business and institutional composting
requirements to reduce waste; community-based and-led composting programs; and in-sink food garbage
disposals as a solution to residential food waste. The
study concluded that successfully reducing organic
waste in Philadelphia will require a combination of allof these actions, as well as new strategies, working
together into the future.

The reduction and management offood waste can result in direct environmental
and economic benefits for farmers, distributors,
businesses and organizations.

FOOD WASTE

143

The study also explored municipal curbside compost
pickup, which has become popular in cities across thecountry, but found that it is too costly in Philadelphia
today. While municipal curbside compost collection
remains a long-term option, the Streets Department
lacks the budget for more drivers, waste management
staff, and a new fleet of trucks to collect separated
food and yard waste from Philadelphia homes andbusinesses. In addition, the City would need facilities
large enough to process the amount of organic waste
generated in Philadelphia. Partnering City agencies
are exploring strategies to overcome these challenges,
including public-private partnerships and decentralized
and community-led approaches to offering composting
services to residents.

HELPFUL GUIDES ON FOOD WASTE FOR
FOOD BUSINESSES

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (Parks & Rec) has
found three successful ways to increase resident andrecreation center composting activities, tackling bothyard waste and food scraps.

Photo source: City of Philadelphia
In summer 2021, the Philadelphia Office ofSustainability (OOS) published a number ofeducational materials for food businesses,
including a guide on Food Waste Management
for Commercial Properties and a Zero Waste
Guide for Food Service Establishments.
On Earth Day 2022, OOS launched a new
campaign, Eat Away at Food Waste, withresources for households and businesses.

FOOD WASTE> Parks & Rec operates the Fairmount Park
Organic Recycling Center, which has received
and processed yard waste for over 50 years.
Businesses can pay a tipping fee to drop off leaves,grass clippings, brush, herbivore manure, andwood chips. Residents can drop off bagged leaves
and yard waste on designated days at the Streets
Department’s sanitation convenience centers orplace them out for curbside pickup by City trucks
on special collection days each fall. City residents
and growers can get up to 30 gallons of freeorganic materials including screened leaf compost,
shredded wood mulch, herbivore manure, woodchips, and firewood. These materials are available
for purchase by businesses.

> In 2019, Parks & Rec launched the Community> In 2021, Parks & Rec launched a pilot program in
Compost Network, which currently supports
partnership with the private company Bennett
composting at 13 sites across Philadelphia. Parks &Compost to collect and compost food scraps
Rec aims to grow the program to 25 sites citywide,from meals served at 25 City recreation centers.
inviting the community to compost their foodTo make this program possible, Parks & Rec worked
and yard waste at their neighborhood site. Parks
with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental& Rec provides a full range of support for theseProtection (PADEP) to modify the State’s existing
community-led and resident-powered projects, from
On-Farm Composting permit to include farms orin-person and virtual training, educational materials,
urban sites as small as 0.7 acres, which will reduce
every basic tool to compost start-to-finish andhauling distances and emissions for organic waste.
composting bins, as well as scales and binders for
Bennett established a composting facility on ameasuring and recording organic waste collected.
former Parks & Rec maintenance yard, where they
Parks & Rec has also developed its Community
process the food scraps collected from rec centers
Compost Manual, a blueprint for any group
along with those from Bennett’s 5,000 residential
interested in developing a plan and infrastructure
and commercial customers. Parks & Rec plans tofor grassroots community-led compost collection.
grow the program, adding 25 to 30 sites per year
This manual will be published online and in print as
until all recreation centers (with senior, after-school,a resource for residents and municipalities acrossand summer camp programs) are composting.
the country, as it also details how Philadelphia
established its network.

144

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

Similarly, programs within the School District ofPhiladelphia are finding ways to keep organic waste
out of landfills and educate students in the process.87
At Henry Got Crops, located at W. B. Saul High Schoolof Agricultural Sciences, the composting program
processes manure from the school’s livestock andPhiladelphia Zoo animals, as well as food scraps fromthree local composting companies, three Weavers’
Way Co-op stores, coffee grounds from High Point
Coffee, and grain from six area breweries, which is also
fed to Saul’s dairy cows. Students at Penn Alexander
Elementary School, like Saul students, separate out
food waste from trash during school meals. A new
partnership among Parks & Rec’s Fox Chase Farm,
Reading Terminal Market, and Urban Worm Company
is teaching students about vermicompost while
launching a composting operation at Reading Terminal
Market run by urban agriculture students from
Philadelphia public schools.88

CASE STUDYLA COMPOST

Photo source: L.A. Compost
LA Compost is a community-based nonprofit
that shows one way community-led efforts
can play a role in reducing food waste. The
organization is a POC-owned compost projectworking across Los Angeles County to educate
residents and provide resources related tofood waste. LA Compost “supports a healthytransition where food is never wasted, but
returned to the soil for the next cycle of life.” Itprovides jobs, education, and resources, as wellas access to community compost hubs. “Thehealthy soil that is created by a community
compost hub stays in the community
and is used locally to enrich the soil in theneighborhood in which it was created.”

FOOD WASTE

145

Philadelphia Department of Prisons runs aclosed-loop composting system, taking food waste
generated from all six correctional facilities in theCity’s prison system (approximately 900 tons peryear)89 and converting it to compost for use within thedepartment’s agricultural program. The department
built its composting facility at the former Holmesburg
Prison with funding from the Philadelphia Office ofSustainability’s Greenworks Sustainability Fund. The
inmate-run composting operation provides vocational
training to help formerly incarcerated residents find
jobs.

146

Pigs eat a meal of scrap produce sourced fromBaltimore City’s Office of Sustainability, whichcollects food scraps from residents every
weekend at farmers markets for animal feed
Source: Kenneth K. Lam for The Baltimore Sun
Did you know that as recently as 1995 many
Philadelphia residents had the option to
direct their food waste to hog farmers in
New Jersey who would feed the table scraps
to their livestock?90
Between 1920 and 1995, the City’s Sanitation
or Streets Department paid pig farmers insouthern New Jersey to collect table scraps
from galvanized buckets placed curbside by
Philadelphia residents twice a week. The optin program covered roughly three-quartersof the city, and resulted in the collection ofover 24,000 tons of food waste each year
from roughly 2,000 households in the mid90s,91 costing the City less than half of what
it would have cost to send the scraps to alandfill. According to a Streets Department
supervisor in the 1990s, Philadelphia was the
only remaining city in the country with such a
program, then called “Waste-for-Pigs.”
At its peak—before home garbage disposals,increased reliance on packaged and processed
foods, and composting—the program sent over
100,000 tons of food waste per year to hog
farms in New Jersey, but the program dwindled
as suburban development drove pig farmers
from the area and consumer habits changed.

“

When I put our garbage out forthe pig farmer I feel good, knowing
I’m saving the city taxpayers money
and also recycling food waste.
- Former City Council Member,
Happy Fernandez

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION“FOOD WASTE

Aside from the City’s efforts to advance compostingand other food waste reduction and recovery
initiatives, private compost companies are
growing, offering curbside food waste pick-up forhouseholds who can afford to pay for the service.
Many restaurants are also aware of the importance of
reducing their food waste, and they try to incorporate
as much of each food product into their meals as
possible (e.g., using vegetable scraps to make broth).
Individual gardens and farms also play a large role
in reducing food waste by maintaining their own
composting operations.

THE GRAVY TRUCKS OF PHILADELPHIAPOTENTIAL FOR CHANGE
To accomplish Philadelphia’s Zero Waste Action Plan
goal of completely phasing out landfills by 2035,
reducing the amount of organic food waste generated
in the city is critical, with the potential to lessen themunicipal waste stream by up to 37 percent. Waste
reduction at this scale will require citywide initiatives
as well as small-scale efforts from businesses,
neighborhoods, and individual households to divert
organic materials (e.g., food scraps, yard waste,
and manure) away from landfills and turn them into
compost or other useful products.
Local government’s role in managing waste andexploring internal policies can help divert food wastefrom landfills to productive public uses and savemoney. Additional, educating the public on their role inthis process can shift public habits helping to reduce
the largest single source of food waste: residential
households.

Photo source: L.A. Compost

Philadelphia Parks and Recreation and Bennett Compost Facility on Rising Sun
FOOD WASTE

147

FOOD WASTE RECOMMENDATIONS
The recommendations in this chapter focus on reducing food waste from different sources and diverting it fromthe municipal waste stream. They encourage the City to uphold existing zero waste commitments, propose
expanding the range of policies and programs for sustainable waste reduction and recovery practices at different
scales, encourage economic development in agriculture and related sectors, and reduce the amount of foodwasted in Philadelphia. There are four categories of Food Waste reduction recommendations, which work
together to:> Improve and expand City operations to recover food waste> Increase resident, business, and institutional participation in food waste reduction> Invest in sustainable food waste management technologies and systems> Prevent food waste by increasing food rescue and donations

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
Improve and expand City operations to reduce food waste.
5.1

Continue to seek sustainable waste management solutions within Streets
Department and Water Department operations.
Explore options to extract organics from the municipal solid waste stream to separate organics before they
enter the waste stream. Specifically, work with large producers of organic waste (e.g., groceries, farms,
farmers markets, restaurants, large public events, zoo, stadiums, etc.).
Investigate additional funds (e.g., staff, fleet, and processing) to pilot a curbside compost pick up program in
select neighborhoods.
Invest in necessary capital upgrades (e.g., digester mixing and sludge screening) to improve PWD’s anaerobic
digesters and promote a more robust digestion process, making the concept of food waste co-digestion morefeasible.

X

Investigate the establishment of a public private partnership with business entities to haul and processintercepted food waste into usable food slurry that can be safely introduced into PWD’s anaerobic digestionor another merchant digestion facility. Continue to increase bio-gas yields and fertilizer through advanced
digestion processes.

5.2

Attract additional resources to expand operations at Parks & Rec’s Fairmount Park
Organic Recycling Center to support home gardens, community gardens, and farms,
as well as other agriculture projects within the city.
Allocate more staff and invest in necessary capital upgrades (e.g., additional equipment) at the Center toadequately expand the operations of the facility.
Establish a leaf bank to store fall leaves for residents who are engaging in composting or mulching and needbrown materials.

FOOD WASTE

Develop a potting soil mix for residents, City agencies, and businesses.

148

Remain committed to exploring operational costs and resources to increase the center's ability to pick-up anddeliver organic material (e.g., compost, soil, mulch) to new and existing gardens and farms. Develop a newurban agriculture operations crew to increase services to community gardens and farms in the city, including
delivery of organic materials.
Create a local wood lumber yard for residential and private business from downed trees in the park system,and offer growers free lumber and wood chips for farms and gardens.

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

CASE STUDYCOMMERCIAL ORGANICSREGULATIONS, NEW YORK

Operations

Streets Dept,
PWD, Office ofSustainability

Long-Term

Operations,
Partnership

Streets Dept, Officeof Sustainability,
Institutions, Businesses

Medium-Term

BudgetStreets Department,
Finance, City Council,
Office of Sustainability

Long-Term

Budget,Partnership

PWD, Finance, City
CouncilLong-Term

Budget,Partnership

PWD, Finance, City
Council, Area Businesses

Long-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec, Finance, City Short-Term
Council

BudgetParks & Rec, Finance, City Medium-Term
Council

Operations

Parks & Rec

Short-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec

Short-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec, Finance, City Medium-Term
Council

Operations

Parks & Rec, Finance, City Medium-Term
Council, Funders

Photo courtesy of RTS
New York City and New York State’s commercialorganics regulations demonstrate how policy
targeting businesses and institutions cancurb food waste effectively. The regulations
mandate that food scraps–generating
businesses and institutions over certain sizes
must separate and recycle their organic wastefrom other trash and recycling. This includes
colleges and universities, restaurants, foodstores, correctional facilities, malls, sports
venues, hotels and motels, and more. This
helps reduce organic waste in landfills emitting
methane gas, and keeps food scraps frombeing liquefied and drained into the sewer
system.

FOOD WASTE

149

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
5.2
Partner with local research institutions to explore the use of recycled materials (e.g., glass) as growing
cont’d mediums for plants for other agricultural uses.

5.3

Encourage all City operations to adopt composting practices to divert organic wastefrom the waste stream and lessen municipal landfill costs.

Develop comprehensive educational materials and guidelines to structure municipal composting efforts within
City government, and cultivate support and buy-in across agency leadership. Clarify how recycling and foodwaste regulations apply to building operators of major meal providers (e.g., School District, Parks & Rec).
Explore funding opportunities to create a compost training program for formerly incarcerated individuals.
Scale up Parks & Rec’s public private partnerships for composting food waste from recreation center programs
to include additional sites within Parks & Rec’s system.
Expand municipal composting of food waste to other City agencies and entities engaged in meal provision andfood service.

X

Work with the Philadelphia International Airport to develop a closed-loop food waste composting andrecyclables operation.

5.4

Find opportunities to work with the School District of Philadelphia and other City
meal providers (e.g., prisons) to integrate food waste reduction and recovery
measures.
Consider joint development of operational and educational guidance across youth programming agencies(e.g., School District, Parks & Rec, Libraries) for standard operating procedures around recycling andcomposting, perhaps with Saul Agricultural High School as a pilot.
Support source-separating programs within individual schools, and connect the district with area businesses
and sites poised to receive properly sorted food waste for compost creation. Work with Food Services to get
buy-in internally within the district.
Undertake a waste audit in school cafeterias throughout the district as well as prison cafeterias to better
understand dietary preferences and common sources of food waste. Collaborate on data collection strategy,
goals, and metrics, and design the process together with food services.

5.5

Identify sites where composting can occur in or near Philadelphia to close the loop
within the city’s food system.

FOOD WASTE

Develop educational materials about well-managed composting sites and successes from Parks & Rec’s
Organic Recycling Center and partnership with Bennett Compost to address public concerns about nuisanceissues and demonstrate feasibility.

150

Work with the City’s land holding agencies, Commerce Department, and PIDC to find a selection ofgeographically distributed, suitable, small- to mid-sized sites (e.g., Sanitation Convenience Centers) for
commercial composting facilities in Philadelphia.
Partner with nonprofits and skilled trades organizations (e.g., PowerCorpsPHL) who maintain facilities andworkforces well-positioned to support, sustain, and encourage use of local composting operations (e.g., PHS’s
Green Resource Centers). Partner with local environmentally focused skilled trades organizations (e.g., Energy
Coordinating Agency), to expand their technical training programs to include sustainable construction (e.g.,
solar and waste systems) for urban agriculture.

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGE
Partnership

LEAD AGENCY &PARTNERS
Parks & Rec,Area Universities,
Nonprofits, Area
Businesses

TIMELINE
Medium-Term

Administrative Mayor's Office, Office ofSustainability, Parks &Rec, Office of Children& Families, Office ofHomeless Services,
Prisons, Streets

Long-Term

Administrative Sustainability, Streets,
Parks & Rec, Mayor’s
Office, School District

Medium-Term

Operations,
BudgetPrisons, Streets

Medium-Term

Partnership

Parks & Rec

Medium-Term

Operations

Children & Families,
Homeless Services, Parks& Rec, Streets

Long-Term

Operations

Office of Sustainability,
AirportLong-Term

Operations

School District, Prisons,
Office of Sustainability,
Parks & Rec

Medium-Term

Partnership

School District, Officeof Sustainability, Parks& Rec

Medium-Term

Partnership

School District, Officeof Sustainability, Area
Businesses

Short-Term

Operations

School District, Prisons,
Office of Sustainability

Medium-Term

Operations

Planning & Development,
PIDC, Commerce Dept,
Parks & Rec, Streets,
Office of Sustainability

Short-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec, Area
Businesses

Short-Term

Operations

Planning & Development,
PIDC, Commerce, Streets,
Parks & Rec, Sustainability

Medium-Term

Partnership

Nonprofits, Office ofSustainability

Medium-Term

FOOD WASTE

151

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
Increase residential, business, and institutional participation in keeping food waste
out of the trash.
5.6

Support at-home solutions to help residents reduce food waste.
Invest in expanding the newly launched Phila.gov/FoodWaste website to develop a comprehensive Food
Waste Resource Hub online, and share more accessible information about public composting sites (Parks &Rec Community Compost Network) and private compost companies available for hire by households who canafford it.
Consider developing a City program to provide in-sink garbage disposals for interested households (e.g.,
PWD’s Rain Check Program, which provides free rain barrels for residents to capture stormwater), requiring
education and communication about best practices for usage. Increase educational and promotional
campaigns for proper usage of garbage disposals and what types of food waste can be grinded to prevent
issues caused by misuse.
Bring back the program offered by the Streets Recycling Office that provides free compost tumblers forinterested households who attend a training (e.g., Parks & Rec’s Tree Philly free yard tree program).

X

Fundraise and partner with area businesses for composting scholarships for households who cannot afford
private compost pick-up services but would like to participate, and provide free compost tumblers or bins forinterested residents, as with the City's blue recycling bins offered at no cost to residents.

5.7

Launch an educational campaign about how and what to compost, targeting a rangeof audiences, including residents, businesses, and institutions.
Expand the Office of Sustainability’s newly launched Eat Away at Food Waste educational campaign, created inpartnership with the Natural Resources Defense Council, to include education for the public about the benefitsof composting, what materials can be composted safely, how to compost and vermipost, and where to do so.
Provide more education about existing yard-waste composting services offered at the Fairmount Park Organic
Recycling Center.
Involve organizations, businesses, and residents who keep animals and participants in the local compost
network in food waste reduction conversations to integrate animal waste in composting operations and directfood scraps for animal consumption.
Continue the Office of Sustainability’s community conversation series with residents to understand theneighborhood-level interests in and barriers to food waste reduction and composting resources.

X

Collaborate with the School District’s GreenFutures program in the planning, development, and roll-out ofoutreach campaigns to explore ways to engage students, families, and education experts.

5.8

Expand opportunities for community-scale composting.
Designate additional sites for community-scale composting through Parks & Rec’s Community Compost
Network, where residents can drop off food scraps and other organic waste at no cost to neighborhood
community gardens, farms, schools, and other public spaces.

FOOD WASTE

Explore the feasibility of collaborating with local nonprofits, area businesses, and community organizations todevelop a residential food scrap drop-off program within Farmers Markets in the City.

152

Provide food waste pick-ups to community and nonprofit organizations hosting large public events that will
generate a significant amount of food waste.

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Operations

Office of Sustainability

Medium-Term

Operations

Office of Sustainability

Short-Term

Operations

PWD, Office ofSustainability

Medium-Term

Operations

Office of Sustainability,
Streets

Medium-Term

BudgetOffice of Sustainability,
Long-Term
Area Businesses, Funders

Operations

Office of Sustainability

Short-Term

Operations

Office of Sustainability,
Parks & Rec

Short-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec

Short-Term

Partnership

Nonprofits, Grassroots
Orgs, Local Growers,
Area Businesses

Short-Term

Administrative Office of Sustainability,
Parks & Rec

Short-Term

Partnership

Office of Sustainability,
School District

Short-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec

Medium-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec

Medium-Term

Operations,
Partnership

Parks & Rec, Dept of
Public Health, EHS,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Orgs, Area Businesses

Medium-Term

Operations

Streets Dept, Grassroots
Orgs, Nonprofits

Medium-Term

CASE STUDY

CLEAN KITCHEN, GREEN COMMUNITY
In 2013, the Philadelphia Water Department
participated in a five-city pilot project
funded by InSinkErator, a garbage disposal
manufacturer, studying The Food Waste
Disposer as Municipal Tool for Waste Diversion.
InSinkErator installed 173 garbage disposals in
the kitchen sinks of participating residents in
Philadelphia’s Point Breeze and West Oak Laneneighborhoods and encouraged residents to
put grindable food waste down the drain. The
project reported a 30 percent reduction intrash volume over three years,92 demonstrating
one example of a simple strategy for reducing
food waste--and a public-private partnership to
explore its impact.

FOOD WASTE

153

PRIORITYX

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
5.9

Invest in the local economy to provide sustainable waste management solutions in
Philadelphia, while investing in and creating local businesses and jobs.

Explore ways to offer discounted lease rates or public/private partnerships to local businesses qualified tooperate local composting sites on City land. Prioritize BIPOC, women, LGBTQIA, disabled, and/or immigrantowned enterprises.
Invest in and support local food waste and food recovery businesses, and diversify business operators offering
competitive and consistent revenue streams to emerging businesses. Prioritize businesses that are BIPOC,
women, LGBTQIA, disabled, and/or immigrant owned.

Invest in composting as a business enterprise by partnering with community-based organizations, nonprofits,
and skilled trades organizations to develop a training program focused on cultivating skills for food waste
processing and distribution. Specifically, create a diverse learning experience and curriculum by including
modules focused on youth and individuals with disabilities.

X

Assess the Streets Department’s Organics Diversion Feasibility Study and work with local area businesses
and nonprofits to identify business opportunities and gaps in the local economy and market, assessing foodwaste from haulers to processors, and producers of new products made with recovered waste or recyclable
materials.

5.10

Incentivize major institutions and businesses (e.g., the City, hospitals, universities,
major employers, and food businesses) to comply with existing food waste diversion
policies/mandates and to adopt complete organic waste recycling.

Clarify and disseminate guidance about existing Commercial Organics diversion rules that require businesses
and institutions generating food waste to divert grindable food waste away from the landfill.
Explore ways to increase enforcement and oversight of existing Commercial Organics diversion rules.
Pass legislation to adopt Commercial Organics rules that require businesses and institutions to sourceseparate their organic waste for compost, aerobic or anaerobic digestion, or other approved processing
methods, either to be outsourced to a private processor or processed on-site. Begin with large facilities over
25,000 square feet, and phase in all food scrap-generating institutions and businesses over multiple years.

FOOD WASTE

Connect institutions and businesses with existing composting businesses in the private sector to encourage
procurement of composting services, and with resources and education to prevent food waste.

154

Provide education and support for institutions with large footprints (e.g., universities, museums, the Navy
Yard, stadiums, etc.) that could implement closed-loop waste systems and conduct composting on site withfewer permitting issues/barriers.

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Partnership

Streets Dept, Commerce
Dept, Office ofSustainability, Office of
Economic Opportunity,
Office of Children &Families, Parks & Rec,
School District, Office ofHomeless Services, Area
Businesses

Medium-Term

Administrative Mayor’s Office, Parks& Rec, Streets, PIDC,
Philadelphia Land Bank

Medium-Term

Administrative Office of Economic
Opportunity, Streets,
Parks & Rec, Office ofHomeless Services,
Office of Children &Families, School District

Medium-Term

Operations

Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Office of
Economic Opportunity,
Mayor’s Office of YouthEngagement, Mayor’s
Office for People with
Disabilities

Medium-Term

Operations

Streets, PWD, Parks &Rec, Commerce Dept,Area Businesses

Medium-Term

Partnership

Office of Sustainability,
City Council, Planning& Development,
Nonprofits, Institutions,
Area Businesses, Area
Universities

Medium-Term

Operations

Office of Sustainability

Short-Term

Operations

Office of Sustainability,
Planning & Development

Short-Term

Legislative

City Council, Office ofSustainability

Long-Term

Partnership

Office of Sustainability,
Area Businesses,
Institutions

Medium-Term

Operations

Office of Sustainability

Medium-Term

FOOD WASTE

155

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
Prevent food waste by increasing food rescue and donations.

X

5.11

Create a food waste resource hub with information for institutions and businesses.
Compile existing guides and rules (e.g., health code) around food donation as well as resources to inform
other preventive measures in one easily accessible place online.
Work with the Office of Sustainability, Health Department (e.g., Environmental Health Services Unit), andCommerce Department to evaluate the impacts of existing City Health Codes as they relate to wasted foodprevention and management. Communicate regulations and best practices for food waste management toimpacted businesses and institutions (e.g., restaurants, caterers, grocers, distributors, universities, museums,etc.).

5.12

Increase options for private and public food donation citywide to support food relief
efforts and prevent food waste.
Develop systems for existing organizations (nonprofits and business enterprises) that collect excess anddonated food and redistribute it to food distribution and meal sites (e.g., senior centers, shelters, community
centers, schools). Integrate these organizations and efforts into all printed and online City resources to ensure
residents and anti-hunger organizations are aware of these resources.

FOOD WASTE

Provide training and start-up support to community-based organizations and nonprofits wanting to provide
these services, with input from the Health Department.

156

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE
CASE STUDY

Operations

Office of Sustainability

Short-Term

Operations

Office of Sustainability,
EHS, Dept of Public
HealthShort-Term

Operations

Office of Sustainability,
EHS, Dept of Public
Health, Commerce
Dept, Area Businesses,
Institutions

Medium-Term

Partnership

Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations

Short-Term

Partnership

Office of Sustainability,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Area
Businesses

Short-Term

Operations

Office of Sustainability,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Dept of
Public Health, EHS

Short-Term

FOOD CONNECT
Founded in 2014, Food Connect is a
Philadelphia-based nonprofit dedicated tobridging the gap between surplus food andhunger. The organization rescues excess
food from area restaurants and food retailers
and redirects the food to local community
organizations that provide hunger relief
including homeless shelters, senior centers,
family resource centers, veteran facilities, andsoup kitchens. Food Connect’s technology
makes it easy to request a pick-up of food tobe donated or to sign up to receive food. Food
Connect’s model fills critical gaps in our foodsystem so that procurement, distribution, andfeedback loops can happen seamlessly at scale
while leveraging hyper-local networks. They
also work with organizations to streamline
their food programs so that more people
can gain access to healthy, nourishing food
while also eliminating food waste within those
programs and tapping into local businesses
to provide culturally appropriate food. Food
Connect’s circular economy solution allows
for all segments of the food system to work
more cohesively and sustainably together toultimately build healthier, more sustainablecommunities.

Food Connect picking up excess food.
(Photo courtesy of Food Connect)
Visit https://www.foodconnectgroup.org for more
information.

FOOD WASTE

157

PEOPLE158

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

Goal: Recognize the role urban agriculture canplay in the lives and livelihoods of people andcommunities.
People and labor are the power that runs each part of.
Philadelphia’s food system.

6. PEOPLEPEOPLE

159

PEOPLEOVERVIEWThis chapter of Growing from the Root focuses on the many waysthat people engage with and practice urban agriculture as a part ofPhiladelphia’s food system. If land is the root of the local agricultural
system, then people are the stem from which all other stalks grow. Acrossthe city, people grow plants for food, beauty, commerce, and medicine; theyraise animals such as bees, goats, and fish; and they do so to educate andfeed themselves and their communities, repair the environment, or makea living. People carry the skills, traditions, ideas, and ambitions that havedefined urban agriculture in the past and present—and that can define itin years to come. This chapter focuses on the resources and support thatpeople who participate in urban agriculture need to continue and growurban agriculture in Philadelphia.

WHY PHILADELPHIA NEEDS STRATEGIESTO SUPPORT PEOPLE IN THE URBAN
AGRICULTURE COMMUNITY
The people who practice urban agriculture in Philadelphia are diverse.
They include young people looking to learn about farming and elders
with knowledge and experience to share. They are formerly incarcerated
residents in need of work and new community connections. They are
Indigenous people whose ancestors first inhabited and stewarded thisland. They are Black and Brown residents, be they lifelong Philadelphiansor relative newcomers, immigrants and refugees from Asia, Africa, SouthAmerica, and elsewhere. For many, agriculture is a cultural and spiritual
practice, a connection to home and family, and an act of self-reliance andself-determination. It is necessary for this plan to consider how to support
people, so they can continue to define and grow the urban agriculturalcommunity.

PEOPLE

Throughout the community engagement process for this plan, residents
have emphasized that growing, foraging, and seed saving are important
for learning about and holding onto their cultural traditions. They haveexpressed the importance of connecting with different methods andtechniques their ancestors used to grow food. The relationship between
urban agriculture and community building is strong and clear. Participants
reported that they value urban agriculture because:> “It promotes community building, healing, and pushes us to think
about our position as environmental stewards, and lastly our social
responsibility to one another.”

160

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

> “It connects us to the land and the food that sustains us, andbecause of the immense opportunities for community building andempowerment that it provides.”> “It is healing—a way for me and my family to connect to our culture,
grow our own food and medicine, a way to connect to other people
and my community, and beautify our space.”> “Growing your own food . . . can be a radical way that resists ourcurrent system of oppression and control by connecting you withyour community, ancestors, and God.”
Additionally, public meeting participants indicated a desire for moreagricultural education and training for adults, for young people, and forbroader education campaigns about the benefits of urban agriculture
across the city. For people of all ages, the benefits of learning about
urban agriculture extend far beyond skills for growing food and raising
animals. It relates to everything from science to self-reliance, fromcrop planning to construction, from biology to business skills andoffers many health benefits. Parents, elders, educators, and students
want to see more agriculture curriculum in schools as well as more
funding specifically for agricultural Career and Technical Education(CTE) programs, such as those at W. B. Saul High School of Agricultural
Sciences, the U School, Fox Chase High School, and Lankenau HighSchool.
Interest in education is not limited to in-school learning for schoolaged students. Public meeting participants expressed a desire to learna wide range of skills related to urban agriculture: how to grow fruits
and vegetables; how to build raised beds, compost bins, and benches;and how to raise animals. Residents said that growing, foraging, andseed saving are important for learning about and holding onto manyof their cultural traditions. Many also expressed an interest in learning
more specialized skills, such as building solar panels and plumbing
systems, undertaking other larger
construction projects,
ing“We need education combin
accounting and managementral
esthistorical and anc
or administrative skills,
science of growing andand digital skills such as
foraging to instill in Blackks
and Native and Brown fol e
website and social media
lud
Inc
y!
and youth especiall
management.
political education, skills
building, and encourage
honoring and reverence forthe land and ancestors.”—Public meeting participant
PEOPLE

161

People who make their livelihood in urban agriculture (or who
would like to) have expressed a desire for a stronger foundationfrom which to build their careers. Public meeting participants
who have worked in urban agriculture told stories about difficult
working conditions, poor wages, and a lack of job security andopportunities to advance. Others described how difficult it canbe to break into the field and learn skills while still making aliving.

PEOPLEFor new business ventures, it was apparent from public meeting
participants that it can be very challenging to enter into urban
agriculture as a private enterprise. It becomes more difficult
when competing with larger businesses, typically owned bywhite people or people not from Philadelphia. These businesses
often have more access to financial resources and capital.

162“I found a wonderful job
farm
working at a wonderful
s its
doe
m
far
is
Th
y.
cit
in theers
offbest in terms of pay and
and
k
sic
,
health insurance
butvacation days, and so forth, e
on
er
aft
it
qu
to
had
I stillt
year because the pay is jus …
ily
fam
my
for
not sustainable
It was devastating for metopersonally because I wantm.”continue to far—Public meeting participant

Lack of
Local Job
Opportunities

Lack of Job
Training

Lack of
Educational
Opportunity

Lack of
Experience

Lack ofConnections

Lack ofProfessional
Development

Low Wages /SalarySuspected
Discrimination

Lack of StartUp Capital

Lack of Land
Security

Difficulty
Hiring &Retaining
Staff

Lack ofGovernment
SupportLack of
Networks

Lack of
Awarenessabout
Resources

Lack ofCustomerConnections

Lack ofDistribution

Survey input from the second public meeting
PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONHOW PHILADELPHIA APPROACHES THESE TOPICS
The City of Philadelphia, the School District ofPhiladelphia, and the network of grassroots community
organizations and nonprofits that work in gardens,
farms, food forests, and other urban agriculture-related
initiatives offer a range of programs and services
for and with people engaged in urban agriculture orinterested in learning more about it. The Overview
of the Planning Process (pages 43-44) provides asnapshot of City agencies and selected nonprofit
partners whose work intersects with urban agriculture.
Carousel House Farm, featured below, focuses on
ensuring that urban agriculture in Philadelphia is
inclusive and accessible to all who care to participate.
Similarly, the School District of Philadelphia has arange of programs and opportunities to integrate
growing spaces and agriculture-based learning,
though currently, resources are lacking to expand andsustain these initiatives district-wide. The District’s
Greenscapes Resources Guide is a policy reference forschools that want to undertake greening projects intheir school yards, including raised beds and orchards.
Such improvements could make agriculture-basedlearning accessible to more students, but seed moneyis needed for capital improvements and operating
resources to keep the programs running over time. In
practice, these projects require a champion—often ateacher—to envision, advocate, and take action, andwithout more institutional support within the district
and curriculum, the projects can wane or collapse
when a teacher moves on or cannot find resources
to continue. Partnerships with local growers andcommunity organizations could help add capacity
and teaching knowledge in the schools, provided that
resources are made available.

Photo courtesy of Fairmount Park Conservancy / FarmPhilly

LOCAL PROFILECAROUSEL HOUSE FARM
Located on almost an acre of land at Carousel House Recreation Center, the Farm currently grows
up to 4,000 pounds of food (vegetables, fruit, and herbs) per season, as well as flowers. The Farm is
Philadelphia’s only publicly-run production and education farm, open to residents and growers across thecity. Farm Philly delivers educational opportunities, job training programs and peer-to-peer exchanges
for youth and adults who want to learn hands-on farming, composting, harvesting and food production
skills. The farm also serves as a work and educational site for partner PowerCorps PHL. Residents canpurchase vegetables, herbs, and flowers through a Farm Share (i.e., Community Supported Agriculture),
while Farm Philly also ensures that a portion of the food produced is redirected to food pantry partners.93

PEOPLE

163

Saul High School, The U School, Lankenau HighSchool, and Fox Chase High School have more robust
agricultural CTE programs, including partnerships
with the National Society of Minorities in Agriculture,
Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS).
MANRRS supports professional development, whichis critical. For CTE programs to be approved, thedistrict must be able to match each classroom seatwith relevant jobs that pay $15/hour. This requires
both a pipeline to local businesses and nonprofits thatare accessible by transit and supportive training as
students enter the workforce.
For both young people and adults interested inlearning agricultural skills and finding work in thefield, one of the biggest barriers is finding living wage
jobs with benefits. The City has taken some steps
towards supporting people whose livelihoods are tied
to urban agriculture. In 2018, Mayor Kenney signed
the Philadelphia Minimum Wage Bill, which raised theminimum wage to $13.25 an hour as of July 2018 andincludes gradual increases until the minimum reaches$15 an hour by July 2022. The ordinance applies toCity employees and companies or nonprofits doing
business with the City, including recipients of leases,
City concessions, or direct financial assistance of morethan $100,000.

Complementing these efforts are many communitybuilding agriculture programs that have historically
been led by various organizations. Public meeting
participants expressed the importance of creating andstrengthening more formalized networks of growers
who support this work.
> Currently, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society(PHS) hosts a Community Gardens Program that
supports gardeners with educational workshops,
access to gardening supplies, seedlings, tools
and technical assistance, as well as infrastructure
improvements. PHS offers volunteer opportunities
where growers meet and get involved in service
projects such as Garden Tenders, Green City
Teachers, and the City Harvest Program, whichfacilitates the collection and distribution of local
produce donations to area food pantries.
> Community organizations have historically led andcarried out the work of organizing people who growfood in Philadelphia. For years, Soil Generation has
hosted opportunities for growers to connect, learn
from, and build community with each other. North
Philly Peace Park also hosts dozens of events andworkshops for their neighbors, as does Sankofa
Community Farm.

LOCAL PROFILEPEOPLE

W. B. SAUL HIGH SCHOOL OF
AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES

164

W.B. Saul High School of Agricultural Sciences,located in the Roxborough neighborhood of
Philadelphia, is the City’s only farm-focusedhigh school. Students learn about agriculturaland environmental challenges in a hands-on
way, including taking care of livestock, crops,
food production, and more. The four “majors”
students can choose from are animal sciences,
food sciences, horticulture, and natural resource
management,94 with a focus on career and college
pathways. All programs have a foundation of
biology and chemistry, and students take part inreal-world projects.95 The high school also partners
with Weavers Way Co-op to run Henry Got Crops,
through which community members can buy CSA
shares.

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

Photo courtesy of Art Petrosemolo for Lancaster
Farming.

POTENTIAL FOR CHANGE

For many, urban agriculture
feeds not just the mouth, but
the mind, body, and soul.
> Online, there are several mailing lists, newsletters,
and Facebook groups where farmers and gardeners
share information and resources. Philadelphia
Urban Farm Network (PUFN) and one managed
by Soil Generation for growers of color are virtual
gathering spaces where growers can ask questions,exchange information, and share materials andjob postings. Philadelphia Backyard Chickens is
one example of a topic-specific interest group on
Facebook.
> Grounded in Philly is a project by the Public Interest
Law Center’s Garden Justice Legal Initiative. This
website provides a front door for growers with acomprehensive online hub with resources and legal
support related to growing food in Philadelphia.
> Outside of school, there are numerous community
farms and farming projects in almost every
area of the city that work with young people—
employing them and teaching about food andenvironmental justice. Some examples are Urban
Tree Connection, Sankofa Community Farm, Food
Moxie, Fishadelphia, PhillyEarth, Norris Square
Neighborhood Project, VietLead, 8th and Poplar
Farm, and Urban Creators. In these programs,
young people learn about nutrition, composting,cooking and growing practices, and social issues,
among other things. These programs help makeyoung people more civically engaged, more
knowledgeable about food ways, and moreinterested in healthy environments. However, after
high school there are significant barriers that keep
young people from staying in these fields.

There is an opportunity to nurture community building
through strengthened urban agricultural programs andpolicies. To sustain the practice of growing food, adults
and the next generation of growers who want to build
their urban agriculture skills need direct programs andresources aimed at cultural preservation, informationexchange, training, and accessibility. For people of allages, urban agriculture provides benefits far beyond
the skills for growing food and raising animals. It relates
to everything from science to self-reliance, from crop
planning to construction, and from biology to businessskills. Connecting Philadelphians with this knowledge will
require a set of coordinated strategies.
For people who make their career in urban agriculture
and food-related businesses (or would like to), there
is an opportunity to establish fair working conditions,
including livable wages, and benefits such as healthcare,paid sick leave, and year-round job security instead ofseasonal positions; however, implementing such changes
will require commitment from local nonprofits andfarms. In addition, for people and organizations, there isa need for assistance procuring appropriate equipment(e.g., tools, boots, gloves, cold weather gear, protective
and safety gear, and sun hats), which can make a big
difference in efficiency and off-set costs for marginalized
staff.
And expanding hiring at organizations that do food andfarming work can reduce the burden of current staff
with unsustainable work hours and expectations of theirlabor. This would require more job training, especiallyfor managerial positions, which could include subsidized
apprenticeships. Prioritizing BIPOC communities forthese trainings can help close racial and economic
equity gaps in management of agricultural and foodorganizations.
It is also important to consider people who have (orwould like to start) urban agriculture and food-related
businesses. Agricultural businesses and individuals
owned or run by people from disinvested communities
should be able to qualify for public land ownershipat discounted pricing, thereby increasing economic
security. For-profit gardens should also benefit fromgarden preservation initiatives for land security, since
their interests are in serving their communities.
Addressing economic barriers by introducing tax
reductions and insurance breaks or subsidies for
agriculture-related businesses owned or led by BIPOC
residents can also address historic economic injustice,and establish a more equitable local food system.
PEOPLE165

PEOPLE RECOMMENDATIONS
The following recommendations aim to support people throughout the food system. They focus on ensuring thatgardens are inclusive spaces, solidifying gardens’ roles as locations for stronger neighborhoods and communities,
expanding educational opportunities for youth and adults, and increasing opportunities for people to make acareer in the agricultural field. Because people are the driving force that keeps our collective food system moving,
it is important to meet the needs outlined in this chapter in order to sustain this force in all other chapters. It
is difficult to silo the needs of people into a single chapter, so inevitably the opportunities and needs listed here
overlap with all other chapters. There are four categories of People recommendations, which work together to:> Affirm and solidify community gardens and inclusive spaces for cultural preservation and community healing> Offer educational opportunities and programs for young people to deepen their relationships to land, water,
food, and each other> Provide agricultural education and programs for adults> Create pathways toward economic justice through agricultural jobs and business opportunities

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
Affirm and solidify community gardens as inclusive spaces for cultural preservationand community healing.
6.1

Ensure that programming (e.g., training, education, cultural events) for urban
agriculture is culturally appropriate, centering BIPOC, low-income/working-class,disability, and immigrant experiences and communities.
Develop guidelines for the design of City-sponsored agricultural programming to ensure that all programs
contribute to racial and economic justice efforts through their content, collaborators, and accessibility tohistorically underserved communities.
Offer ongoing programs in partnership with Philadelphia's wide range of agricultural communities that affirm
their cultural traditions.

Collaborate with experts from BIPOC, low-income, working-class, disability, and/or immigrant communities todesign training and curriculum to ensure that gardens are safe and inclusive spaces for all people.

X

6.2

Encourage and support inclusivity in urban agriculture growing spaces by celebrating
diversity in race, culture, age, ability, language, gender, and economic differences.

PEOPLE

Ensure that all programs and materials in urban agriculture spaces are accessible to the language and ability
needs of the public by funding interpretation and other accessibility services. Seek resources and plan tobudget for translation and accommodations in programs and materials to ensure that they are accessible.

166

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERS

Administrative Parks & Rec,
Free Library. Dept of
Public Health, Office ofSustainability, FPACTIMELINE

Short-Term

Administrative,
BudgetParks & Rec, Free Library,
Dept of Public Health,
Office of Sustainability,
FPAC

Short-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec,
Free Library, Dept of
Public Health, Officeof Sustainability, FPAC,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations,
Institutions, Area
Universities, Funders

Medium-Term

Administrative Parks & Rec,
Free Library, Dept of
Public Health, Office ofSustainability, FPAC,

Medium-Term

Partnership,
BudgetParks & Rec

Short-Term

Partnership,
BudgetParks & Rec, Free Library,
Office of Sustainability,
Office of ImmigrantAffairs, FPAC, Nonprofits,
Funders

Short-Term

PEOPLE167

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
6.2
Ensure gender-inclusive language in all programs and materials.
cont’dPartner with the City’s Office of LGBT Affairs and LGBTQIA+ organizations (e.g., William Way Community
Center, GALAEI, Morris Home, The Attic Youth Center) to offer resources to growers on building genderinclusive spaces, including gender neutral bathrooms, and welcome members of LGBTQIA+ community to
growing spaces. Collaborate with centers and organizations to offer support for the creation of new growing
spaces at or near their facilities.

Partner with the Office of Immigrant Affairs and immigrant and refugee organizations in Philadelphia (e.g.,
Juntos, African Cultural Alliance of North America, Coalition of African Communities, Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture,
Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Association Coalition, VietLead, New Sanctuary Movement, and Asian
Americans United to welcome and integrate new Philadelphians into the urban agriculture community andgarden spaces across the city. Explore how to fund the creation of multilingual signage at urban agriculture
spaces.

Sponsor programs and events that build relationships between elder gardeners and younger growers andbetween diverse groups of growers, to share knowledge and to support the maintenance & transitioning ofgarden spaces over time.

Offer support to community gardens and farms to nominate culturally significant garden sites to thePennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission’s Historical Marker Program. See Land recommendation 1.10
for more information.

6.3

Build relationships with Lenni Lenape communities in Pennsylvania and Delaware,
the Ramapough Lenape Nation in New Jersey, the Delaware Tribe in Oklahoma, andthe Delaware Tribes of the diaspora in Wisconsin and Canada to promote Native/
Indigenous food sovereignty and traditional food ways and agriculture practices
within the city.
Raise awareness of Indigenous perspectives about food and agriculture as part of building equitable foodsystems and programming in the city.

PEOPLE

Continue to support local initiatives and organizations, including Indigenous Peoples’ Day Philly, Inc. (IPD Philly)
and assess ways to incorporate Indigenous self-determination into local agriculture programs and policies.

168

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Partnership

Parks & Rec, Free
Library, Dept of Public
Health, Office ofSustainability, FPAC,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations,
Institutions, Area
Universities

Short-Term

Partnership

Office of LGBT Affairs,
Parks & Rec, Free
Library, Dept of Public
Health, Office ofSustainability, FPAC,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations,
Institutions

Short-Term

Partnership

Office of ImmigrantAffairs, Parks & Rec,
Free Library, Dept of
Public Health, Officeof Sustainability, FPAC,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations,
Institutions

Short-Term

Partnership,
BudgetParks & Rec, Free Library,
Dept of Public Health,
Office of Sustainability,
FPAC, Grassroots Orgs,
Nonprofits, Institutions

Short-Term

Operations

Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations,Philadelphia HistoricCommission, PA
Historical and Museum
Commission

Medium-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec, Free Library,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec, Free Library,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec, Free Library,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

PEOPLE169

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
6.4

Sponsor training on interpersonal challenges and governance issues that arise ingardens for community garden leaders and members.
Offer resources and trainings to community gardens and farms on topics such as: conflict resolution, racialbias, sexual harassment, ageism, gender-based oppression, homophobia, and trauma-informed care.

Support community gardens and farms in developing sustainable leadership and decision-making processes byoffering trainings and resources on cooperative economics, collective ownership, democratic decision-making
and other collective models.
Provide opportunities for community garden leaders to participate and be recognized within City leadershipprograms (e.g., Citizens Planning Institute, Participatory Budgeting).

X

6.5

Create opportunities for community gardens and farms to serve as access points fora wide range of public services.

Establish partnerships between public service providers (e.g., BenePhilly mobile Benefits Access Unit, Philly 311,
PA Department of Human Services), farmers markets and community gardens and farms, to connect residents
to programs related to healthcare, housing, utility assistance and other public services.

6.6

Explore the creation of a Food Policy Cabinet within the City of Philadelphia toconnect urban agriculture to all citywide food-related policies and decisions.
Formalize the work of the staff collaborating on food-specific initiatives (e.g., City Food Policy Steering
Committee) by codifying a Food Policy Cabinet to develop values around food policy decisions and guideprogrammatic and funding decisions. Ensure diversity (e.g., race, class, gender, ability) among City staff
serving on the Food Policy Cabinet.
Preserve the institutional knowledge convened and developed through the Food Policy Advisory Council (FPAC)
by appointing ex officios from within City government to serve on the cabinet.
Work with the FPAC to integrate community oversight and input into the work of the food policy cabinet.

PEOPLE

Integrate more community garden and farm experiences and representation within the FPAC membership toensure that the most impacted communities serve as experts and have a role in holding the City accountablefor plan implementation.

170

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Operations

Parks & Rec, FPAC,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers, Funders

Short-Term

Partnership,
BudgetParks & Rec, FPAC,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers, Funders

Short-Term

Operations

Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers, Parks & Rec,
FPAC, Funders

Short-Term

Operations

Planning & Development,
Finance. Office ofSustainability, PWD,
Parks & Rec

Short-Term

Operations

Office of Community
Empowerment &Opportunity, Office ofChildren & Families,
Office of Sustainability

Medium-Term

Operations

Office of Community
Empowerment &Opportunity, Office ofChildren & Families, PHA,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations

Medium-Term

Administrative Mayor's OfficeMedium-Term

Administrative Mayor's Office, FPAC

Medium-Term

Administrative Mayor's Office, FPAC

Medium-Term

Administrative FPAC, Mayor's Office

Short-Term

Administrative FPAC, Mayor's OfficeMedium-Term

CASE STUDYNEIGHBORHOOD FOOD FARM &GREEN WALL STREET MARKET,NORTH PHILLY PEACE PARK
Many neighborhood farms and gardens in
Philadelphia act as access points for residents
to access a range of other services provided by
the same organization behind the garden orfrom other partner organizations. North Philly
Peace Park, for example, is not only a space forcommunity members to farm and distribute
free produce in the community, but also hosts
educational school group visits, free healthand wellness programming, and Green WallStreet — a weekly local entrepreneur market.
Neighborhood Foods Farm, in Haddington,West Philadelphia, and partners Urban Tree
Connection work together to lead workshops
on food justice and how residents can use
farming to grow closer to food sovereignty andtheir cultural roots.

Photo courtesy of PhillyPeacePark.org
featuring product manufactured from theharvest of the garden.

PEOPLE

171

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
Offer educational opportunities and programs for young people across the city to
deepen students’ relationships to land, water, food, and each other.

X

6.7

Partner with the School District of Philadelphia to assess existing gardens on school
property, invest in new and improved gardens and green infrastructure, and increase
garden programming and stewardship through community partnerships.
Conduct a survey and comprehensive map of school lands across the city to catalog existing school gardens
and farms and their stewards (e.g., teachers, students, parents) to assess what those stewards need tomaintain the gardens long-term, as well as locations that could be suitable for future educational, growing,
and sustainability opportunities
Create a streamlined approval process at the School District of Philadelphia for schools that want to host a
new garden on their property. Communicate the approval process to each school in the District through theGreenFutures Greenscapes Committee’s Greenscapes Resource Toolkit.
Secure sustained funding to provide community residents, partners and teachers with budgets, materials,
technical and administrative support. Compensate garden stewards year-round to run after-school andsummer programs about agriculture and nutrition education, which can support student experiential learning(e.g., students building and maintaining a vegetable garden, students making added-value products such as
hot sauce).
Maintain policies allowing after-school programs and in-class snacks to incorporate foods grown by students
in the school garden. Allow garden produce to support both student learning and the local community
through produce distribution, farm stands, and/or culinary programs.
Support partnerships between schools and community residents, organizations, local colleges and universities
or technical schools to allow volunteers to work in school gardens throughout the year, particularly in thesummer, and to provide educational activities in keeping with the school’s mission.
Work with PWD and other City and philanthropic partners who can invest in infrastructure improvements tostart or improve school gardens, including depaving, green stormwater projects, and garden construction
such as green and food-producing roofs on schools, which reduce dangerous and excessive heat and increase
access to green space, especially in low-income and working-class areas with limited access to green space ortrees.

6.8

Support the creation of urban agriculture-specific Career and Technical Education(CTE) programs, and develop links between the School District of Philadelphia andorganizations that offer job opportunities for young people.
Host "open house" days at CTE programs to raise awareness about existing offerings and expose younger
students to new opportunities.
Work with Pennsylvania Association of Sustainable Agriculture, Philadelphia Youth Network, and othernonprofits and for-profit entities to develop relationships between CTE programs and existing urban
agriculture businesses, organizations, and programs to place CTE students in living-wage positions during
summers or after school.

PEOPLE

Add new majors at Saul High School to cover key topics in the field, including, but not limited to, foodjustice; social justice in food; hash, flower, and vegetable production; financial management and nonprofit
development training, and management skills.

172

Develop college and vocational career pathways that are agriculture-specific, to allow students to continue
into agricultural fields. Support schools in developing career planning for students, including internships andjob placement opportunities.

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Operations

School District,
Parks & Rec, PWD,
Office of Sustainability,
Nonprofits, Funders

Medium-Term

Operations

School District, Parks
Medium-Term& Rec, Office ofSustainability, Nonprofits

Administrative School District

Short-Term

BudgetMedium-Term

School District, Officeof Sustainability,
Nonprofits, PA Dept ofAg, Funders

Urban agriculture offers a range of learning topics.

Administrative School District

Short-Term

Administrative School District,
Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers, Nonprofits

Short-Term

Partnership,
Budget,Operations

School District, PWD,
Office of Sustainability,
Parks & Rec, Funders

Medium-Term

Operations

School District,
Nonprofits, Area
Universities, Area
Businesses

Medium-Term

Operations

School District

Short-Term

Partnership

School District,
Nonprofits, Area
Businesses

Medium-Term

Operations

School District

Long-Term

Partnership

School District, PA Deptof Ag, Area Universities,
Area Businesses

Long-Term

CASE STUDYFOX CHASE FARM, NORTHEAST
PHILADELPHIAThe Fox Chase Farm is a 112-acre educational
pastoral and livestock farm in Northeast
Philadelphia. Located on public park land,
the farm is a campus managed by the
School District of Philadelphia, serving all
Philadelphia school students, plus students
from surrounding counties, and hosting morethan 30,000 visitors each year. Teachers fromall Philadelphia district schools utilize thefarm to provide hands-on opportunities fortheir students. In addition, the farm is open
to the public once a month for special events
including maple sugaring, sheep shearing, farmto table day, and Applefest. A 4-H Club operates
at the farm, in partnership with Friends of Fox
Chase Farm (FFCF), raising pigs, sheep, goats,
and beef cattle. The farm participates in amini-farm show and the Pennsylvania FarmShow in Harrisburg.

PEOPLE173

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
6.8
Partner with the nonprofit organization Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences, tocont’d invest in existing and develop new collegiate and junior chapters within the city and region. Invest in existing
chapters (e.g., WB Saul High School, Lankenau High School, Penn State University) to continue promoting
academic and professional advancement for youth and young adults in agricultural fields.
Make educational connections to urban agriculture within the Culinary CTE program by providing support tostart herb and medicinal gardens, etc. that students can use when they are cooking.
Create School District CTE Urban Agriculture Programs in other public schools, covering topics such as Food
Processing Science, Horticulture, Natural Resource Management, and Animal Sciences. Work with the School
District’s GreenFutures program and Fox Chase Farm to identify additional program opportunities and funding
sources.

X

Align lesson plans for agriculture and horticulture with Pennsylvania Department of Education-approved
curricula, including the National Wildlife Foundation’s Eco-Schools Program, National Science Foundation’s
GLOBE Program and other highly rated urban agriculture educational programs.

6.9

Partner with the School District of Philadelphia to invest in existing and new out-ofschool-time (OST) agricultural programs and create a justice-centered agricultural
curriculum.
Secure transportation for youth between Recreation Centers participating in after-school programs andsummer camps with Environmental Education Centers and Recreation Centers (e.g., Cobbs Creek, Schuylkill,
Wissahickon, Pennypack) and utilize those centers for community agriculture programming.
Integrate traditional Indigenous agriculture and wildlife care into the environmental science curriculum.
Hire garden educators who can help integrate garden lessons into many classrooms, as well as students andgraduates from agricultural CTE programs seeking work in afterschool and summer programs.
Contract local urban agriculture organizations to formulate culturally relevant curriculum recommendations
to integrate agriculture and related topics—such as food and climate justice, environmental justice, and otherculturally appropriate content—into OST teaching.
Develop OST partnerships between local schools and agricultural businesses and organizations to provide
young people with entrepreneurial business skills while compensating them for growing and maintaining
gardens, running fresh food markets, and developing value-added products.
Expand Farm Philly’s programs by creating a public farm school for youth, teens, and adults to reconnect toland, learn how to care for and be cared for by plants, and understand traditional growing methods to produce
food.
Recruit youth to agriculture programs with outreach at schools, churches, community centers, and elsewhere.
Coordinate outreach efforts between schools, community organizations, recreation centers, and OST
programs.
Integrate agricultural and food-related content into teacher in-service days.

Partner long-term to integrate agricultural content into formal science curriculum, working to align scope andsequence, to help sustain school gardens and broaden access and involvement by all students.

PEOPLE

Support community organizations to secure funding, resources, staff, and training to develop a variety ofculturally relevant and developmental agriculture programs for youth in their neighborhoods. Encourage
accessible and inclusive programming, with consideration to varied language, learning, and physical needs.

174

Secure funding for year-round paid apprenticeships and internships for youth at local community farming
organizations or with other partners (including Parks & Rec and Philadelphia Youth Network) who can offer
experience in agriculture, food systems, food waste reduction, and food security work.

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Partnership

School District,
Nonprofits

Medium-Term

Operations

School District

Medium-Term

Operations

School District

Long-Term

Administrative School District

Medium-Term

Operations,
School District, Parks
Medium-Term
Administrative & Rec, Nonprofits,
Grassroots Organizations
Operations

Parks & Rec

Short-Term

Operations,
Partnership

School District, Parks &Rec, Native & Indigenous
Partners

Medium-Term

Partnership

School District,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations

Medium-Term

Partnership

Parks & Rec, Nonprofits,
Area Businesses

Medium-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec, Nonprofits,
PA Dept of Ag, Funders

Long-Term

Operations

School District, Parks
Medium-Term& Rec, Nonprofits,
Grassroots Organizations

LOCAL PROFILEFISHADELPHIA
Fishadelphia is a community seafood
program which brings “fresh, local seafood
to Philadelphia’s diverse communities.”
Fishadelphia offers sliding scale monthly andannual seafood memberships, with pickups
at 15+ sites across the Philadelphia region.
Fishadelphia works with middle and highschool students at Mastery Charter ThomasCampus in South Philadelphia and Simon Gratz
Mastery Charter in North Philadelphia, wherestudents support day-to-day operations of
the program. The organization strives to pay
its staff appropriately, while keeping young
people central to the work, and providing andeducating customers about the delicious,
affordable and sustainable regional seafoodthat they sell. Fishadelphia is working on
scaling up, and will be looking for part-time
operational and storage space as part of thatprocess.

Administrative School District, Parks
Short-Term& Rec, Nonprofits,
Grassroots Organizations
Partnership

School District, Parks &RecLong-Term

Partnership,
BudgetNonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, PA Deptof Ag, Funders

Medium-Term

Partnership,
BudgetSchool District,
Nonprofits, Area
Businesses

Medium-Term

Mastery Charter School Gratz fish stand in fall
Photo courtesy of Fishadelphia
Visit https://fishadelphia.com for more information.

PEOPLE175

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
Provide agricultural education and programs for adults.
6.10

Support culturally specific and relevant community-based agriculture and forestry
educational opportunities at recreation centers and Free Library branches.
Provide accessible and comprehensive training for Recreation Center leaders, staff, and after-school teachers
on culturally informed agriculture and wildlife habitat curricula and training. Prioritize recreation centers inareas that have low to no access to fresh food or green space. Partner with the School District of Philadelphia
to offer garden and farm locations as sites for student field trips.
Use programs at recreation centers and Free Library branches as opportunities to provide free or reducedcost materials to residents interested in starting to grow food and other plants. Utilize partnerships with
community-based organizations to increase outreach and programming.
Provide inclusive programming that supports growing for differently abled people, elders, and people withvaried access to land, including small container growing and raised bed growing, among other methods.

6.11

Develop partnerships between the City, local universities, and adjacent communities
to encourage institutions of higher learning to support the health, safety, andadvancement of growing practices citywide as well as economic opportunity insurrounding neighborhoods.
Advocate for the preservation and expansion of growing spaces on institutional land (e.g., Penn Park Farm,
Temple Community Garden).

Encourage continued technical assistance for community gardens and farms (e.g., garden databasemanagement, horticulture skills, legal clinics, business clinics) and research on the qualitative and quantitative
benefits of urban agriculture.
Establish partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) that have agricultural
programs and land grant institutions (e.g., Lincoln University, Cheyney University) to share and build
knowledge and develop joint programming with local growers. .

Work with Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) to find ways to integrate urban agriculture into its
courses, programs, and curriculum. Support CCP peer exchange and learning from other local and regional
universities that have agriculture and horticulture programs.

PEOPLE

Establish relationships with local and regional university labs (e.g., Penn State, Drexel, LaSalle, Penn, St.
Joseph’s, Temple University) to provide free resources (e.g., soil and water testing, animal care, plant
propagation, high tunnel support) to community gardens and farms and surrounding neighborhoods.

176

Integrate Penn State Extension Master Gardeners as a volunteer resource into City and communityled programs to gain support in capacity building (e.g., garden and farm maintenance, school garden
maintenance, animal keeping and curriculum development). Promote the Master Gardeners program among
the city agriculture community to receive technical training and education in agriculture and horticulture.

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Partnership,
Operations

Free Library, Parks & Rec,
School District

Short-Term

Administrative Parks & Rec, School
District

Short-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec, Free Library,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations

Short-Term

Operations

Parks & Rec, Free Library, Short-Term
Office for People with
Disabilities, Nonprofits,
Grassroots Organizations

PartnershipArea Universities

PartnershipArea Universities,
Long-Term
Nonprofits, Office ofSustainability, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Partnership

Parks & Rec, Area
Universities

Medium-Term

PartnershipArea Universities,
Parks & Rec, Office ofSustainability, FPAC,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

PartnershipArea Universities, Parks & Medium-Term
Rec, Nonprofits

PartnershipArea Universities,
Parks & Rec, Officeof Sustainability,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

PartnershipArea Universities,
Parks & Rec, Officeof Sustainability,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Orgs, Local Growers

Short-Term

Long-Term

LOCAL PROFILELAND-BASED JAWNS
Land-Based Jawns (LBJ) is a spiritually rooted
organization offering education and training
to Black people on agriculture, land-based
living, safety, and carpentry that works to help
Philly communities become collectively selfsufficient, self-reliant, and self-determined. The
group supports healing from the impacts ofracism, healing in relationships with each other,and healing in relationships with the land.
Through the Earthseed Skillshare, a four-montheducation series, LBJ brings together Black
women and femme folk as a cohort that learns
and grows together. During these workshops,
LBJ highlights many of the themes and skillspresent in Octavia Butler’s Parable of theSower and Parable of the Talents. Participantslearn natural agricultural methods; land-based
living skills such as shelter making, fire starting,identifying wild edible plants; carpentry skills
such as building raised garden beds, tables,and shelves: safety skills such as self-defense; aswell as self and community healing techniquestaught by a somatic therapist.

PEOPLE177

PRIORITY

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
6.11
Encourage the adoption of policies that ensure gardeners, farmers, and movement organizations are fairly
cont’d compensated for the value they bring to collaborations with nonprofit and higher education institutions
through stipends for collaboration, partnerships, and engagement.

Create pathways toward economic justice through agricultural jobs and business
opportunities.
6.12

Promote sustainable and equitable working conditions for agricultural workers.
Partner with local worker-led organizations such as the Philadelphia Coalition for Restaurant Safety and Health,
Restaurant Opportunities Center, and others to develop materials, and offer policy resources and guidance on
healthy and equitable working conditions for agricultural and food businesses. Extend this resource to local
universities, hospitals, museums, and other institutions that have large workforces or contract with large,
multi-national companies (e.g., Aramark or Sodexo).

X

Institute training and resources for all food and food waste-related public-private partnerships and holders ofurban agriculture leases with the Department of Parks and Recreation on fair food standards and equitableworking conditions.

6.13

Create opportunities for people to develop skills and find employment in agriculture.

Secure sustained funding and positions for youth summer and year-round employment through thePhiladelphia Youth Network and other organizations.
Support the sustainability and cultural continuity of community gardens and farms by funding growers tooffer their own programming on agricultural practices. Connect them with spaces to teach, including inperson classes, live online classes, pre-recorded online classes, and at-home learning options, while ensuringliving wages.

Partner with the Philadelphia Housing Authority and Philadelphia PowerCorpsPHL to engage local communities
in building new and supporting existing gardens at public housing sites. Provide outreach to gauge residents’interest in applying to the PowerCorpsPHL program (i.e., AmeriCorps workforce development initiative
administered by Education Works).
Support and expand job and work-ready programs for formerly incarcerated residents, focused on land care,green jobs, and agriculture.

PEOPLE

Share existing job training resources that have succeeded in helping workers in agriculture, and help to grownew job training resources based on successful models.

178

Work with Pennsylvania Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) to bring apprenticeship programs into Philadelphia
to provide a guided pathway for beginner farmers to start and manage their own vegetable farms. Explore
opportunities to broaden PASA’s apprenticeship program to other crops suitable for urban agriculture (e.g.,
hemp, cannabis, flowers, etc.). Center and prioritize beginner BIPOC, low-income, working-class, disabled, and/or immigrant growers as the recipients of the apprenticeships and BIPOC/immigrant-led farms as the hosts.

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Partnership

Nonprofits, Area
Universities, Grassroots
Organizations, Local
Growers

Medium-Term

Administrative Mayor's Policy Officeof Sustainability, FPAC,
Parks & Rec

Long-Term

Administrative Mayor’s Office, Officeof Sustainability, FPAC,
Parks & Rec, Nonprofits,
Universities, Institutions,
Area Businesses

Long-Term

Administrative Parks & Rec, Nonprofits,
Area Businesses

Long-Term

Operations,
Partnership

School District, Parks& Rec, Free Library,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Area
Businesses, Area
Universities, Funders

Medium-Term

BudgetFinance, Funders

Short-Term

Partnership,
BudgetParks & Rec, Free Library,
Dept of Public Health,
Office of Sustainability,
Nonprofits, Institutions,
Area Universities,
Nonprofits

Long-Term

Operations

PowerCorpsPHL, PHA,
Medium-Term
Grassroots Organizations

Operations

Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations, Area
Universities, Funders

Medium-Term

Operations

School District/CTE
programs, Parks & Rec,
Nonprofits, Grassroots
Organizations

Medium-Term

Partnership

Nonprofits, School
District, PA Dept of Ag,
Area Businesses

Medium-Term

CASE STUDYGREEN CITY FORCE FARMS,NEW YORK CITY
Green City Force demonstrates the potentialof a collaborative workforce development
program focused on urban agriculture. In
partnership with the New York City Housing
Authority and neighborhood organizations,Green City Force supports six farms at six
different housing developments that provide
work experience and green career pathways
through AmeriCorps to young public housing
residents (ages 18 to 24). In addition, all
NYCHA residents can pick up produce, drop offcompost, volunteer, and attend public events
like cooking demonstrations at the farms.96

Photos courtesy of NYCHA Journal

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PRIORITYX

RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
6.13
Build a relationship between PASA and agriculture programs within the School District of Philadelphia tocont’d connect graduates with potential training or placement options at host farms in the city and region.

6.14

Help entrepreneurs establish and grow agricultural businesses.
Build awareness among growers and food entrepreneurs about business resources (e.g., Department of Public
Health’s Good Food Accelerator Program), and expand opportunities for local growers and food entrepreneurs
to access these services as clients.

Provide educational resources to help new businesses access land, soil, and water, and navigate Philadelphia
business licensing and funding opportunities.
Support incubator programs that train and support new businesses and agricultural businesses.

Support community-based models for shared business support including legal resources, insurance,technology, and skills training.

Create opportunities for agricultural entrepreneurs to access start-up capital and grants - especially BIPOC
and/or immigrant-owned businesses.
Provide funding for training and certifications in emerging food and cottage industry businesses (e.g.,
certifications and technical assistance in food safety, licensing, marketing, financing).
Ensure investment in diverse models of agriculture, not just aquaponic, hydroponic and vertical but also largerscale, soil building farms, and support businesses to provide living wages.

PEOPLE

Continue to support and invest in programs that directly invest in culturally relevant food businesses andorganizations (e.g., Philadelphia Food Justice Initiative).

180

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONTYPE OFCHANGELEAD AGENCY &PARTNERSTIMELINE

Partnership

School District,
Nonprofits

Medium-Term

Operations

Commerce, Office of
Economic Opportunity

Long-Term

CASE STUDY

Operations

Dept of Public Health,Area Universities, Parks& Rec, Nonprofits,
Grassroots Orgs, Local
Growers

Short-Term

GARDENING FOR GREENBACKS,
CLEVELAND

Operations

Commerce, Office of
Economic Opportunity

Medium-Term

PartnershipCommerce, Office of
Economic Opportunity,
Nonprofits, Area
Universities

Short-Term

PartnershipCommerce, Office of
Economic Opportunity,
Nonprofits, Area
Universities

Medium-Term

BudgetCommerce, Office of
Economic Opportunity,
Nonprofits

Medium-Term

Budget,Operations

Commerce, Office of
Economic Opportunity

Medium-Term

Budget,Operations

Commerce, Office of
Economic Opportunity

Long-Term

Partnership

City Council, Finance,
Dept of Public HealthCommerce, Grassroots
Orgs, Nonprofits

Long-Term

This program provides an example of how
City departments can provide financial
support to for-profit agriculture operations.
“The Cleveland Department of Economic
Development, through its Gardening forGreenbacks program, awards grants of up to$5,000 to for-profit urban farms. The programaims to help reduce the overhead cost of urban
farming, and grants may be used to purchasetools, hoop houses, irrigation systems, rain
barrels, fencing, and soil, among otherthings.”97

LOCAL PROFILEPHILADELPHIA FOOD JUSTICE
INITIATIVEThe Philadelphia Department of Public Health,in partnership with the Reinvestment Fund andWells Fargo, launched the Philadelphia Food
Justice Initiative in 2019, which makes funds
available to creative community-led projects
that increase access to healthier food andcommunity well-being. The program, which“prioritizes projects led by Black, Indigenous,
and People of Color, immigrants, and people
living with disabilities, and those with lived
experience with health injustice,”98 is a valuable
example of a City initiative providing funds to
BIPOC community-led projects.

PEOPLE

181

IMPLEMENTATION
182

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONIMPLEMENTATION
IMPLEMENTATION

183

IV. IMPLEMENTATIONOVERVIEW
Though Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (Parks & Rec) managed andcoordinated this planning effort, the food system sections make clear thaturban agriculture intersects with the work of multiple branches of City
government and a range of external partners. As such, implementationof this plan will require sustained commitment and effort from acrossCity government including City Council and numerous City agencies anddepartments, as well as nonprofit and community-based organizations,major institutions, philanthropic partners, and individual growers. As theconvening agency for this plan, this plan includes recommendations toresource Parks & Rec to act in a coordinating capacity, working with elected
officials and other departments and agencies to advocate for proactive
action, encourage mutually supportive policies and programs, and marshal
resources for different recommendations within City government.

IMPLEMENTATION

But much like Philadelphia’s urban agriculture movement, much of this work
will come—and indeed must come—from the ground up, led by grassroots
organizations and communities deeply engaged in growing food and othercrops, raising animals, and working toward a more just and sustainable local
food system.

184

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONA FRAMEWORK FOR EFFECTING CHANGE
Each of the recommendations in the food system sections of the plan has aseries of supporting action steps, categorized by type, lead agency, phasing,and priority, informed by the following definitions:
TYPES OF CHANGE The plan organizes recommendations and action steps
in five categories.
> Legislative recommendations suggest changes to City law,regulations, and codes, which must be led by City Council> Budget recommendations suggest added resources to support
new City-sponsored programs, projects, and staff to carry out new
initiatives; recommendations that are currently unfunded will need togo through the standard budget process to receive City funds> Administrative recommendations suggest changes in departmental
policies and structure that can be implemented by City agencies
themselves> Operations recommendations suggest changes in the way City
agencies undertake their day-to-day work
> Partnerships recommendations suggest outside leadership,
expertise, and resources and which City agencies can support aspartners
LEAD AGENCIES & PARTNERS The plan identifies a lead agency or City
entity for each action step, followed by a list of supporting partners that
may be within or outside of City government. As the convening agency forthis plan, Parks & Rec will take the lead on some recommendations. Other
initiatives could be led by City Council, the Philadelphia Land Bank, theDepartment of Public Health, the Office of Sustainability, the Philadelphia
Water Department, or other partnering City departments. Some
recommendations present opportunities for institutional, nonprofit, andcommunity partners.

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185

PRIORITY RECOMMENDATIONS For each set of recommendations, the plan highlights several as top priorities,
based on public input that conveyed need and strong support, as well as available resources and momentum forchange. Some of the priority recommendations include early action strategies that will produce quick wins forthe urban agriculture community on the heels of this planning process. Others contain critical first steps thatshould unfold in the short-term though implementation of the full recommendation will take longer.

Growing from the Root contains a total of 87 recommendations to achieve the plan’s vision. These 40 are thepriority recommendations.

LAND
1.1

IMPLEMENTATION

Develop strategies to reduce the number ofcommunity gardens and farms on private landsold at sheriff sale.
1.3 Seek improvements to how Philadelphia Housing
Development Corporation (PHDC) and thePhiladelphia Land Bank educate and inform thepublic about equitably selling, transferring, andleasing public land for community gardens andfarms, agriculture projects, community-managed
open spaces or other productive land uses.
1.4 Increase the number of City-owned parcels
preserved annually.
1.7 Amend the City’s acquisition and disposition
policies to increase opportunities to preserve
community gardens and farms on formerly vacantland.
1.8 Explore the feasibility of allocating the funding
necessary to purchase liens on community
gardens and farms and side yards to allow theLand Bank to acquire the land.
1.9 Continue to provide guidance to individual
applicants who are interested in licensing, leasing,or owning land to increase land security.
1.19 Increase availability of funding for growers andnonprofits to acquire land through philanthropic,
state, and federal funding sources.
1.22 Support existing land trusts and the creationof new community-led land trusts and landcooperatives in the city to secure land and holdownership/leases for community gardens andother shared open spaces.

186

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONPRODUCTION
2.1 Establish an Office of Urban Agriculture within
the Department of Parks & Recreation to provide
centralized support for growers, and coordinate
with City agencies and partners to implement theplan and track progress.
2.4 Support orchard planting and care across the city,and prioritize neighborhoods with low to no tree
canopy and those that have experienced extreme
heat and decades of disinvestment.
2.6 Support and promote local seed saving practices
with partnerships between the City and localorganizations.
2.7 Advocate to update the City code and Land Bank
disposition policies to allow urban agriculture
accessory structures by right.
2.9 Develop resources (e.g., guides, tools, andfunding) to support community gardens andfarms incorporating universal design techniques
to ensure that they are inclusive and accessible topeople of all abilities.
2.11 Increase awareness of existing city and state
programs and explore new programs to
support gardeners and farmers with accessto free or reduced cost resources for physicalimprovements.
2.12 Explore the feasibility of establishing a staffedagriculture and horticulture hub in West
Fairmount Park as essential infrastructure
for local food production and environmental
stewardship.
2.14 Develop a long-term road map to explore safe
and appropriate animal keeping within thecity, prioritizing animals that are already in theCity’s code (e.g., bees, goats, horses, and fish/
aquaponics).

PREPARATION & DISTRIBUTION

FOOD WASTE REDUCTION & RECOVERY

3.1 Assess and catalog the ways in which existing
community-oriented kitchens are being used andhow accessible they are to determine whether they
can be used for affordable culinary community
programming such as food preservation,
fermentation, food safety, and medicine making
workshops.
3.3 Establish and connect gardeners and farmers
to shared resources for critical aspects of foodprocessing such as weighing, washing, and storage.
3.7 Advance nonprofit efforts to facilitate and support
partnerships with community gardens and farms
and local food distributors, such as food banks, foodpantries, and food cupboards.
3.8 Provide enhanced education and information about
City regulations and requirements for safe foodvending.

5.2 Attract additional resources to expand
operations at Parks & Rec’s Fairmount Park
Organic Recycling Center to support homegardens, community gardens, and farms, aswell as other agriculture projects within thecity.
5.4 Find opportunities to work with the School
District of Philadelphia and other City meal
providers (e.g., prisons) to integrate foodwaste reduction and recovery measures.
5.7 Launch an educational campaign about how
and what to compost, targeting a range ofaudiences, including residents, businesses, andinstitutions.
5.8 Expand opportunities for community-scale
composting.
5.9 Invest in the local economy to provide
sustainable waste management solutions in
Philadelphia, while investing in and creating
local businesses and jobs.
5.10 Incentivize major institutions and businesses(e.g., the City, hospitals, universities, major
employers, and food businesses) to comply
with existing food waste diversion policies/
mandates and to adopt complete organic
waste recycling.
5.11 Create a food waste resource hub withinformation for institutions and businesses.

CONSUMPTION
4.1 Work to develop a Good Food Procurement andFair Food program for all City meal programs that
includes worker protections and assurances on amunicipal level.
4.2 Strengthen policies guiding the composition of
publicly funded meals provided by the City tobroaden the focus to include serving foods that
nourish communities beyond adhering to federal
Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
4.3 Work with the School District of Philadelphia’s
Division of Food Services to expand meal offerings
to accommodate more diet and allergy-related
restrictions (e.g., celiac disease, lactose intolerance,
nuts, eggs, soy) and consider the cultural relevance(e.g., halal, kosher) of food in addition to nutritional
value.
4.4 Investigate adopting policies and establishingpartnerships throughout City government andthe School District that result in the purchase andprovision of more locally grown and prepared foods.
4.5 Create a Farm to Public meal program that increases
access to locally grown farm products in public
meals.
4.8 Support safe and fair farmers market and foodstand operations throughout the city, and prioritize
expanded food access and food security in areas
with no to low access to grocery stores and limitedaccess to fresh, high-quality, and nutrient-rich fruits
and vegetables.
4.12 Develop opportunities for new City-run andcommunity-led food forests on public land, at theedges of City-owned forests, and in school yards
to increase access to wild food, trees, and wildlife
habitat in the city.

PEOPLE
6.2 Encourage and support inclusivity in urban
agriculture growing spaces by celebrating
diversity in race, culture, age, ability, language,
gender, and economic differences.
6.5 Create opportunities for community gardens
and farms to serve as access points for a wide
range of public services.
6.7 Partner with the School District of Philadelphia
to assess existing gardens on school property,
invest in new and improved gardens andgreen infrastructure, and increase garden
programming and stewardship throughcommunity partnerships.
6.9 Partner with the School District of Philadelphia
to invest in existing and new out-of-schooltime (OST) agricultural programs and create ajustice-centered agricultural curriculum.
6.13 Create opportunities for people to develop
skills and find employment in agriculture.
6.14 Help entrepreneurs establish and growagricultural businesses.

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187

WATERING THIS WORK: RESOURCES FOR URBAN AGRICULTURE
PHASING The plan assigns a general timeline
to each recommendation, identifying priority
recommendations that can and should move forwardin the coming year, at least in part, as well as short-,
medium-, and long-term strategies, which can beaccomplished in one to two years, three to five years,
and six to ten years, respectively.
While many of the recommendations can move
forward with existing staff and resources, the plan’s
recommendations also call for new work and additional
resources to explore new policies, programs, andinitiatives requiring added City government staff
capacity and support.

IMPLEMENTATION

Resources to fund investments in urban agriculture
also exist at the federal and state level. In March 2022,
the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) held the firstpublic meeting of its new Office of Urban Agriculture
and Innovative Production (OUAIP), first authorized
in 2018. The OUAIP signals a new commitment by
the USDA to direct agricultural funds into cities andsuburbs, in addition to rural areas. In its first two years,
the Office of Urban Agriculture awarded $10 million

188

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

in competitive grants for projects that address fresh
food access and food waste reduction, and funding is
expected to increase going forward. At the state level,
the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PA DA)
has an Urban Agriculture Infrastructure (UAI) Grant
Program.
Because Growing from the Root adopts a broad
definition of urban agriculture -- one that emphasizes
the relationships between urban agriculture andclimate adaptation, community and economic
development, and environmental stewardship, there
may be opportunities to access additional federal andstate dollars. As implementation efforts commence,
opportunities to explore potential funding exist with
the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), theUS Department of Housing and Urban Development(HUD), and the National Association of Conservation
Districts at the federal level and with state agencies
such as the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation
and Natural Resources (DCNR) and Departmentof Community & Economic Development (DCED).
Additional grant opportunities with mission-aligned
foundations and philanthropic partners exist as well.

NATIONAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITIESThe United States Department of Agriculture has open grant opportunities including:> USDA Urban Agriculture and Innovation Production (UAIP) is a competitive grant program that
supports the development of urban agriculture and innovative production activities by funding two
types of projects, Planning Projects (PP) and Implementation Projects (IP). These projects can be led
by nonprofit organizations, local or Tribal governments, and schools that serve any of the grades K-12.
These grants can expand efforts of farmers, gardeners, residents, government officials, schools, andother stakeholders in urban areas and suburbs. Projects may target areas of food access; education;business and start-up costs for new farmers; as well as development of policies related to zoning andother needs of urban production.
https://www.usda.gov/topics/urban/grants> USDA Farm to School Grant is a competitive grant program that supports planning, developing, andimplementing farm to school programs. These competitive grants are designed to improve access tolocal foods in eligible schools by funding activities such as training, operations, planning, equipment,
developing partnerships, and implementing farm to school programs. This funding supports schooland education communities ability to initiate, expand, and institutionalize farm to school efforts.
https://www.fns.usda.gov/f2s/farm-school-grant-program> USDA Team Nutrition Training Grants for School Nutrition Professional Readiness andRetention is a competitive grant program that supports states’ strong school nutrition workforces
by funding up to $1,000,000 per state agency in nutritious meals that meet the National School
Lunch and Breakfast Program meal pattern requirements and weekly dietary specifications. There arethree categories of grants, including (1) Coaching and Mentoring for School Nutrition Professionals,(2) Incentivized Training for School Nutrition Professionals, and (3) Nutrition Education for School
Nutrition Professionals, Students, and Families.
https://www.fns.usda.gov/grant/fy-2022-team-nutrition-training-grants-school-nutrition-professionalreadiness-and-retention> USDA Composting and Food Waste Reduction (CFWR) is a competitive grant program in the form ofcooperative agreements that assist local and municipal governments with local compost, food waste
reduction or food waste diversion projects. This program allows local governments to pilot or testout effective and scalable strategies for planning and implementing municipal compost/food waste
reduction projects and plans. The benefit of this grant program is that it has the potential to supply
and increase access to compost for agricultural producers, as well as offer a program for producers
to contribute farm surplus and waste, divert food waste from landfills and improve soil quality.
https://www.usda.gov/topics/urban/coop-agreements> USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) offers an assortment of research awards
and funding through a combination of competitive grants and funds allocated to states. One example
of a popular grant program is the Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program (CFPCGP),
which provides funding (e.g. $10,000–$400,000) for community food projects that combat foodinsecurity and promote the self-sufficiency of low-income communities by increasing their accessto fresher, more nutritious food supplies. Projects preferred by this grant promote comprehensive
responses to local food, farm, and nutrition issues, create innovative marketing activities that mutually
benefit agricultural producers and low-income consumers, support entrepreneurial projects, andassist in long-term dialogues between communities, food policy councils and municipal agencies toaddress food and agricultural issues.
https://www.nifa.usda.gov/grants

IMPLEMENTATION

189

> USDA Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) offers grants and loans to grocery stores, healthy
corner stores, farmers markets and other retailers of nutritious food in low- and moderate-income
and under-resourced communities to increase and support the availability of fresh foods in thesecommunities.
https://www.rd.usda.gov/about-rd/initiatives/healthy-food-financing-initiative
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has open grant opportunities that support urban
agriculture including:> FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) is a non-disaster grant for the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that supports local communities through capability- and capacitybuilding, encouraging and enabling innovation, promoting partnerships which reduce risk from future
hazard events, and reliance on federal funding in future disasters. The BRIC program is an annuallyfunded nationwide competitive grant program, where a federal disaster declaration is not required.
The Philadelphia Health Department has collaborated with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation on
projects related to urban agriculture with the support of this grant.
https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/building-resilient-infrastructure-communities
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has open grant opportunities that support soil health within
urban agriculture including:> EPA Brownfields Assessment grants assist entities with soil testing on vacant parcels. These grants
provide funding to inventory, characterize, assess, conduct a range of planning activities, develop sitespecific cleanup plans, and conduct community engagement related to brownfield sites. Essentially,
through this program there are several possible avenues for funding work on soil sampling, testing,and remediation. Grants can be utilized through a Community-wide Assessment or Site-specific
Assessment.
https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-assessment-grants and for general information on the
EPA Brownfields Program: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Land Reuse Program provides funds tohealth departments, universities, nonprofit groups, or vendors to conduct activities, sponsor meetingsor provide needed services which support ATSDR’s mission. These funds support communities ability
to conduct health pilot activities at brownfield and land reuse sites. The Land Reuse Health Program
works to promote a well-rounded approach to redevelopment, include health as an important part ofredevelopment, and restore and revitalize communities in a way that is fair to all community groups.
https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/brownfields/index.html
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) is an organization that offers competitive
grants to fund research and education projects that advance sustainable agricultural practices. The
organization seeks to instill the principles of sustainable agriculture into practice on farms and ranches
across the country.
https://www.sare.org/

IMPLEMENTATIONSTATE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

190

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Grants is an electronic
grants system that provides one-stop shopping to the grantee community for all DCNR grants. DCNR
Grants standardizes the application process and provides an environmentally friendly way to submit a
grant application to DCNR through a secure internet connection.
apps.dcnr.pa.gov/grants/> DCNR Community Conservation Partnerships Program, Land Acquisition grants allow eligible
land trusts, local governments and recreation and conservation organizations to apply for funds

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

for the planning, acquisition, and development of public parks, recreation areas, motorized andnon-motorized trails, river conservation and access, and the conservation of open space. This could
include the conservation of community gardens and farms.
Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) has open grant
opportunities including:> Greenways, Trails, and Recreation Program is a grant program derived from Act 13 of 2012, which
is a law that affects Oil and Gas Operations in the state, including the collection of impact fees on
all unconventional wells drilled in the state. The law establishes the Marcellus Legacy Fund andallocates funds to the Commonwealth Financing Authority (the “Authority”) for planning, acquisition,
development, rehabilitation and repair of greenways, recreational trails, open space, parks andbeautification projects using the Greenways, Trails, and Recreation Program (GTRP). The grant may
be used for projects which involve development, rehabilitation and improvements to public parks,
recreation areas, greenways, trails, and river conservation.
https://dced.pa.gov/programs/greenways-trails-and-recreation-program-gtrp/> Local Share Account Program is a Philadelphia program to distribute a portion of slot machinelicense operation fees from casino facilities operating within the City of Philadelphia. Funds areavailable for economic development, neighborhood revitalization, community improvement, andother projects in the public interest within the City of Philadelphia.
https://dced.pa.gov/programs/local-share-account-lsa-philadelphia/> Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) provides federal funds to enablecommunities to effectively address local economic development needs. The fund seeks to develop
viable communities through the provision of modest housing and a suitable living environment. Funds
can also be used to expand economic opportunities geared to low-and moderate-income individuals
and to improve infrastructure critical to community health and welfare. Many cities in the country
have used CDBG’s to develop urban agriculture projects and initiatives.
https://dced.pa.gov/housing-and-development/community-development-block-grant/> Neighborhood Assistance Program is a tax credit program to encourage businesses to invest in
projects which improve distressed areas. Projects within this program must serve distressed areasor support neighborhood conservation. Projects must fall under one of the following categories:
affordable housing programs, community services, crime prevention, education, job training orneighborhood assistance. One of the several components offered is the Charitable Food Program(CFP), which is focused on improving food security in Pennsylvania. CFP assists charitable programs
that provide food to low income populations in distressed areas. Land acquisition is an eligible
expense within the Neighborhood Assistance Program.
https://dced.pa.gov/programs/neighborhood-assistance-program-nap/
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has open grant opportunities including:> Urban Agriculture Infrastructure Grant Program is a Pennsylvania Farm Bill Program thatprovides funding in the form of a reimbursement grant to eligible applicants seeking to improveurban agriculture infrastructure in Pennsylvania. The grant supports improving urban agriculture by
investing in the local projects, filling gaps where resources are needed, encouraging entities to work
together, expanding operations that want to grow, addressing food apartheid, supporting social
entrepreneurs and community development, and promoting the sharing of resources among urban
agricultural entities. The grant includes two categories: “Microgrants” available for one-time projects
or a single entity applicant and “Collaboration” grants available to projects that support cooperativeand regional efforts to share resources by partnering agricultural products and producers.
https://www.agriculture.pa.gov/Funding/Farmbill/Pages/default.aspx> Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative (PA FFFI) is a public-private financing programadministered by The Food Trust that helps business owners open or expand healthy grocery outlets

IMPLEMENTATION

191

throughout the state. The program offers one-time grants and loans to nonprofit, for-profit, andcooperative food businesses working to increase access to fresh, nutrient-rich, and affordable foods inunderserved urban and rural communities and create economic opportunities for low- to moderateincome residents. The state added a new complementary program for PA FFFI retailers impacted by
COVID-19. In recognition of the disproportionate impacts of both COVID-19 and food apartheid on
communities made up of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), prioritization will be given tobusinesses that are owned by and serve low-income BIPOC communities.
https://www.agriculture.pa.gov/Food_Security/Pages/Fresh-Food-Financing-Initiative-COVID-19.aspx
https://thefoodtrust.org/what-we-do/hffi/pa/

LOCAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES FROM PHILANTHROPIC PARTNERS> Merck Family Fund is a nonprofit organization based in Massachusetts that contributes to taxexempt organizations in the United States. The Fund has two primary goals, which is to restore
and protect the natural environment and ensure a healthy planet for generations to come and tostrengthen the social fabric and the physical landscape of the urban community.
https://www.merckff.org/> Leo and Peggy Pierce Family Foundation is a nonprofit organization that seeks to prevent andend hunger and food insecurity through direct service programs and/or advocacy efforts in thefive-county Philadelphia region and Indian River County, FL through grants and investments. The
foundation offers program and project, as well as general operating support.
https://piercefamilyfdn.org/> William Penn Foundation is nonprofit organization whose mission is to “help improve education forchildren from low-income families, ensure a sustainable environment, foster creative communities
that enhance civic life and advance philanthropy in the Greater Philadelphia region.” The foundation
has three primary focus areas, including Creative Communities (i.e., ensuring people benefit from
inclusive, diverse, and high-quality public spaces and arts and culture experiences), Great Learning(i.e. ensuring all children have access to high-quality education that prepares them to succeed inlife), and Watershed Protection (i.e. working to protect and restore clean water in the Delaware River
watershed).
https://williampennfoundation.org/> Thomas Scattergood Foundation’s Community Fund for Immigrant Wellness is a fund that
supports community-based, immigrant-serving organizations working to remove barriers and provide
opportunities for individuals to live with dignity and joy, and improve behavioral health as a dynamic
state of well-being. This fund provides financial support and capacity building to these service
organizations and is meant to directly support the well-being of immigrant and refugee communities
in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
https://www.scattergoodfoundation.org/support/community-fund-for-wellness/

IMPLEMENTATION> Patricia Kind Family Foundation is a private, family managed, not-for-profit philanthropic
organization. The mission of the foundation is to “financially support Philadelphia organizations that
help those struggling daily with the effects of poverty. This includes helping individuals and families
obtain physical and mental health care and related human services, such as food, shelter, clothing andeducation. The Foundation is interested in encouraging practical and caring solutions to community
problems by supporting preventive and direct service efforts.”
https://pkindfamilyfoundation.org/

192> Claneil Foundation is a private foundation that seeks to improve the health of families andcommunities through advancements in health and human services, sustainable food systems,
education and the protection of the environment. The foundation provides general operating grants
and funds to emerging projects and organizations that have the potential for significant impact in the
New England and Mid-Atlantic regions.
https://claneil.org/
PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONSOWING SUCCESS
Growing from the Root’s recommendations provide aroad map for change, and resources exist to continue
current programs and take on new initiatives that build
toward a more just local food system, but only swift
action and accountability in implementing the plan will
begin to build public trust. Equally important will be
the continued involvement, advocacy, and leadershipof Philadelphia’s urban agriculture community (i.e.
residents, gardeners and farmers, grassroots andnonprofit organizations, etc.) to ensure ongoingprogress toward realizing the plan’s vision andimplementing its recommendations.

Together we will know we’re making progress toward
implementing a more just local food system as we see
evidence of our shared vision taking root:

In the years to come, Parks & Rec and partner agencies
throughout City government will need to continue toengage Philadelphia’s dedicated and passionate urban
agriculture community, maintaining a dialogue andseeking feedback about the plan’s progress. Indeed,evaluating progress – both in plan implementation andin the outcomes of the policies and programs thatstem from this plan - will be critical. City agency staff
and leadership, together with community input willneed to determine a framework and metrics against
which to measure success and shortfalls, and this data
should be translated into a publicly accessible, easily
digestible annual report on investments, impacts,
and outcomes in each segment of Philadelphia’s foodsystem: Land, Production, Preparation & Distribution,
Consumption, Food Waste Reduction, and People.

> The City and all communities recognize thepractices of Production - of seed keeping, growing
food or other crops, and raising animals - asnecessary functions within the city. These acts
are given space to thrive and supported by local
regulations and policies for the many economic,
environmental, health, and community benefits they
offer.

> All People have access to nutritious, safe, locallygrown food that they want to eat, when they wantor need it.
> All communities have access to Land on which togarden and grow food, land security so that they
may remain on that land, invest in their growing
spaces, and have a shared commitment to care forthe land in gratitude for all that it provides.

> The City and communities support local
Preparation and Distribution of food, incubating
an urban agriculture economy that drives
community-based business and job growth, job
training and living wages for workers in the farmindustry, food service, and nonprofit sectors,
and new public resources for processing andtransporting agricultural goods within the city andregion.
> All neighborhoods offer residents agency in the
foods they choose to Consume, whether they are
growing their own food, foraging for edible plants
and fungi within the city’s landscape, or buying foodfrom nearby farms, farmers’ markets and stores.
> All residents can deepen their connection to
the Earth, to their food, and to each other with
opportunities to Reduce Food Waste by preventing
or repurposing food waste and by participating in afood system that is more efficient and sustainable.
> All People can engage in the food system, with
opportunities to learn, practice, and teachagricultural skills in their own communities,
make a livelihood in agriculture or related fields,preserve and honor their cultures, and heal andbuild community by reconnecting to the land andpracticing self-determination.

IMPLEMENTATION

193

APPENDICES
194

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

V. APPENDICESAPPENDICES

195

APPENDIX A: RESOURCES FOR GROWERS
This resource list was adapted from Philadelphia Parks and Recreation’s Farm Philly program resource
document.
Pathways to Land
> Public Interest Law Center, Garden Justice Legal Initiative is an organization that represents
growers in need of pro bono counsel, and provides key policy research and analysis on urban
agriculture, garden, and open space policy in Philadelphia.
https://www.pubintlaw.org/cases-and-projects/garden-justice-legal-initiative-gjli/> The Center has produced several resources for agriculture communities, including:> Grounded in Philly is a hub for growers that provides access to data on vacant landthroughout Philadelphia and offers resources for residents interested in starting orpreserving community-led vacant land projects
https://pubintlaw.org/cases-and-projects/grounded-in-philly/> Vacant Land 215 Toolkit is a comprehensive self-guide for gardeners looking to maintain or
create community spaces on vacant land. The guide was produced in 2016, therefore some of
the resources might be out of date.
https://www.pubintlaw.org/cases-and-projects/garden-justice-legal-initiative-releases-vacantland-215-toolkit/> Philadelphia Land Bank is an entity created from a decision in 2013, when the Philadelphia City
Council passed a law to create the Philadelphia Land Bank. The role of the Land Bank is to put city
owned vacant land back into productive use, including as gardens and farms. The Land Bank also
has the power to buy property at sheriff’s sale for the same purpose. This entity is housed within
the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation (PHDC) and is a resource to learn more aboutacquiring a publicly owned property or obtaining an urban garden agreement.
https://phdcphila.org/land/buy-land/community-gardens-and-open-space/> Farm Philly is the urban agriculture program of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation. Farm Philly connects
Philadelphians to the natural world and provides opportunities for accessible physical activities while
supporting the self-determination and sovereignty of communities to grow their own food. The
program supports gardeners, farmers, and residents’ ability to grow in spaces that nourish and heal
their own communities. The program supports over 60 urban agriculture projects (e.g., community
gardens, production farms and orchards) on park land and is actively involved in food policy andadvocacy within the City. The program administers the process for residents to gain access (e.g.
long-term leases) to park land for gardening, farming, or other agriculture projects. Additionally, Farm
Philly provides growers with program support, supplies, outreach materials, workshops and training
technical support.
https://www.phila.gov/programs/farmphilly/

APPENDICES> Neighborhood Gardens Trust (NGT) is a Philadelphia-based land trust dedicated to preserving andsupporting community gardens and other shared open spaces across the city. To prevent the threatof development taking place on gardens, NGT works with self-organized gardeners, community
organizations, property owners, and the City of Philadelphia to secure ownership or long-term leases
for community-managed open spaces.
www.ngtrust.org

196

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

> Pennsylvania Farm Link (PFL) is a nonprofit organization working to “Link Farmers to the Future.”
PFL works closely with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, other agricultural organizations
and businesses across the Commonwealth to support farmers located in the state. Amongst many
resources, the organization has a land-linking database which allows those interested in farming toconnect with those who have access to land. This function supports the potential for land insecure
farmers to work directly together with existing farms through lease or purchase options. It alsoenables farms to think about and implement succession planning.
https://pafarmlink.org/
Free Compost, Mulch, Wood Chips> Fairmount Park Organic Recycling Center offers free and affordable compost, mulch, and woodchips. This facility is managed and operated by Philadelphia Parks and Recreation.
https://www.phila.gov/services/trees-parks-the-environment/get-organic-materials/
Water Access and Water Testing Support> Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) produced a guide in 2023 (Guide for Urban Gardens &Farms: Getting Water Access) to support growers in gaining access to water resources (e.g. fire
hydrants permits, new water lines).
https://water.phila.gov/pool/files/urban-garden-guide.pdf> Pennsylvania State Cooperative Extension offers many resources to support food production andsafety. One of those resources is water testing. Testing water is important for diagnosing problems
that may be related to water quality as well as for assessing water nutrient content. Penn State’s
Agricultural Analytical Services lab offers water testing for interested growers.
https://agsci.psu.edu/aasl/water-testing
Fruit Trees, Yard Trees, and Street Trees> Philadelphia Orchard Project (POP) is a nonprofit that supports community-based groups andvolunteers to plan and plant fruit and nut orchards.
https://www.phillyorchards.org/> TreePhilly is a program of Philadelphia Parks and Recreation and the Fairmount Park Conservancy
that supports city residents in planting and caring for trees, and increasing tree canopy coverage inevery Philadelphia neighborhood. The program also hosts free yard tree giveaway events.
https://treephilly.org/yard-trees-2/> For a resource about how to get street trees and yard trees planted in the city, please see:https://treephilly.org/street-trees/> Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) Tree Tenders is a free education program for residents
to learn the basics of tree biology, identification, planting, and care.
https://phsonline.org/programs/tree-programs
Public Greenhouse Space> Community Propagation Program is a program of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation that provides
rentable table space for residents to start seedlings for the season in a City-operated greenhouse
located at the Fairmount Park Horticulture Center.
https://www.phila.gov/programs/farmphilly/propagation/

APPENDICES

197

Farmers Markets> Operate a Farmers Market is a City of Philadelphia guide for residents or business owners who want
to register and operate a farmers markets to sell food directly to customers.
https://www.phila.gov/services/permits-violations-licenses/get-a-license/business-licenses-permitsand-approvals/food-businesses/operate-a-farmers-market/> The Food Trust is a nonprofit that operates a network of farmers markets in Philadelphia.
Community organizations and residents can partner with the Food Trust to start new farmers
markets in their neighborhoods.
http://thefoodtrust.org/farmers-markets> Farm to City is a local business that operates many farmers markets and aids community-supported
agriculture (CSA) farms to find members and serve local communities and markets year-round withlocally grown food.
https://www.farmtocitymarkets.com/
Soil Testing and Safety> Pennsylvania State Cooperative Extension offers many resources to support food production andsafety. One of those resources is soil and compost testing services and reports to inform growers
what’s in their soil.
https://agsci.psu.edu/aasl/soil-testing/fertility> For more background on the soil testing, please see:https://extension.psu.edu/soil-testing> For compost testing, please see:https://agsci.psu.edu/aasl/compost-testing> Soil Safety and Urban Gardening in Philadelphia Guide was released in 2017 by the Philadelphia
Food Policy Advisory Council (FPAC). FPAC’s Vacant Land Subcommittee (now known as the Urban
Agriculture Subcommittee) convened the Philadelphia Soil Safety Working Group in summer 2014.
The committee generated this report that seeks to guide readers through the process of creating
the Philadelphia Soil Safety Working Group, the policy research, process conclusions and policy
recommendations given to the City of Philadelphia for soil testing and evaluation for urban agriculture
projects. The document also informs growers of soil health and safety, and provides resources toresearch land where food production is taking place.
https://www.phila.gov/documents/soil-safety-and-urban-gardening-report/
Gardening Resources> Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) Community Gardens Program is a resource programfor new and existing community gardens in the city that offers resources, workshops, supplies,
technical assistance, and educational support for growers.
https://phsonline.org/programs/community-gardens

APPENDICES> Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) Garden Tenders is an education program for residents
to learn all the basics of starting a community garden.
https://phsonline.org/events/garden-tenders-spring-2022

198> Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) Green City Teachers is an education program for anyone
working with young people or youth educators inspiring the next generation of gardeners. The
program covers topics including basic horticulture, light gardening (i.e. indoor growing), container
gardening, worm bins, and much more.
https://phsonline.org/events/green-city-teachers-2022

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

Gardening Resources, Cont’d> Penn State Extension Master Gardener Program is a program that offers in-depth workshop
and training series on gardening and horticulture. Master Gardener volunteers support Penn State
Extension’s educational programs and support the extension in better serving the home gardening
public by answering community questions, speaking to community groups, writing gardening articles,
working with youth, gardening in the demonstration gardens located across the city, participating in
the Penn State pollinator research program, and in many other ways. Candidates must be 18 years old
or older.
https://extension.psu.edu/programs/master-gardener
Connect with Other Growers> Philadelphia Food Policy Advisory Council A food policy advocacy organization made up of
members from across the City who advise the mayor, city agencies, and City Council on the foodsystem that seeks to create a more economically and racially just local food system.
https://phillyfpac.org/> Soil Generation is a Black- and Brown-led coalition of growers in Philadelphia, building a grassroots
movement through relationship building, honoring culture, community education, organizing,
activism, and advocacy.
https://soilgeneration.org> Philadelphia Urban Farm Network (PUFN) is a Google group where Philadelphia growers shareresources, agriculture- and horticulture-related questions, job opportunities, and engage each otherwith mutual aid support.
groups.google.com/g/pufn> Cesar Andreú Iglesias Community Garden is multi-racial, multi-generational community ofgrowers and activists that aims to preserve community gardens and community-led spaces throughgrassroots organizing and to provide multi-generational activities for the local community, create
harmony and balance with local ecosystems, and grow edible fruits and vegetables and plant
medicine. The garden is currently engaged in a campaign to stop the City of Philadelphia’s Sheriff Saleand solve the US Bank Liens challenges to protect community land.
https://iglesiasgardens.com/> PASA Sustainable Agriculture is a statewide network of farmers, food system professionals andchange-makers focused on farmer-to-farmer based education. The organization runs citizen sciencebased benchmark studies to facilitate research with the farmers on their land alongside cohort
meetings to address the challenges different farmers are facing across the state. This compiled onfarm research helps farmers navigate decision making on financial viability and soil health practices
over time. These reports are available for free on the organization’s website and opportunities to join
the on-farm research cohorts are expanding. PASA offers scholarships to our annual sustainability
conference in Lancaster, PA which facilitates farmer connections through speakers, networking
events and a trade show that features business organizations with funding opportunities and tools forfarmers.
https://pasafarming.org/

APPENDICES199

APPENDIX B: LIST OF ACRONYMS
ACCT

NGT

Neighborhood Gardens Trust

NRCS

CACFP

Child and Adult Care Food Program

CDBG

Community Development Block Grant

NSNP(US) Natural Resources Conservation
Service
Norris Square Neighborhood Project

CDCs

Community Development Corporations

OOS

Office of Sustainability

CLIP

Community Life Improvement Program

OST

Out-of-school time

CRSH

OUAIP

CSA

(Philadelphia) Coalition for Restaurant
Safety and HealthCommunity Supported Agriculture

CTE

Career and Technical Education

DCED

EBT

(Pennsylvania) Department ofCommunity and Economic Development(Pennsylvania) Department ofConservation and Natural Resources(Philadelphia) Division of Housing andCommunity Development
Delaware Valley Regional Planning
Commission
Electronic Benefits Transfer(USDA) Office of Urban Agriculture andInnovative Production
Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable
Agriculture
Persistent bioaccumulative toxins

ECA

Energy Coordinating Agency

EHS
EPA

Environmental Health Services (within
Philadelphia Department of Public
Health)(US) Environmental Protection Agency

FMNP

Farmers' Market Nutrition Program

FPAC

Food Policy Advisory Council

GJLI

Garden Justice Legal Initiative

GMOs

Genetically modified organisms

GSI

Green Stormwater Infrastructure

HBCU

HFGS

Historically Black colleges anduniversities
Homeowner's Emergency Loan
Program
Healthy Foods Green Spaces

L&I(Department of) Licenses & Inspections

LAMA

Land Management

LAMS

Land Administration and Management
SystemMinorities in Agriculture, Natural
Resources, and Related Sciences
Minority Business Enterprise

DHCD
DVRPC

HELP

APPENDICES

Memorandum of understanding

BIPOC

DCNR

200

MOU

(Philadelphia) Animal Care & Control
Team
Black, Indigenous, and people of color

MANNRSMBE
MDO(Philadelphia) Managing Director’s
OfficePHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

PASA
PBTs
PCAC
PECO

Philadelphia Coalition for Affordable
Communities
Philadelphia Electric Company

PGDC

Philadelphia Garden Data Collaborative

PHA

Philadelphia Housing Authority

PHDC

Philadelphia Housing and Development
Corporation
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society

PHS
PIDC
PILCOPPOP
PPR
PWD
Rebuild

Philadelphia Industrial Development
Corporation
Public Interest Law Center ofPhiladelphia
Philadelphia Orchard Project
Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (Parks& Rec)
Philadelphia Water Department

RCAP

City of Philadelphia Rebuilding
Community Infrastructure Program
Racially Concentrated Areas of Poverty

RFP

Request for Proposals

ROC

Restaurant Opportunities Center

SEAMAAC

UAC

Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance
Association Coalition
Southeastern Pennsylvania
Transportation Authority
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
ProgramTemporary Assistance for Needy
Families
Urban Agriculture Conservation

USDA(US) Department of Agriculture

WIC

Women, Infants, and Children

SEPTA
SNAP
TANF

APPENDIX C: GLOSSARY
Accessory Structure

Agroecology

Aquaponics
Community Kitchen

Cooperative
Culturally Relevant

Food Apartheid

Food Desert

Food Sovereignty

Food System

A structure on the same parcel of property as a principal or main structure, andwhose use is related to that of the principal structure (i.e., a residential structure
may have a detached garage or a farm may have a storage shed for garden
tools).
An integrated approach to agriculture that applies ecological and social concepts
and principles to the design and management of food and agricultural systems,
seeking to optimize the interactions between plants, animals, humans, and theenvironment while also taking into consideration the social aspects that must
addressed for a sustainable and fair food system.
Circular system of growing food that combines “aquaculture” (raising fish intanks) with “hydroponics” (cultivating plants in water). In these systems, fish
waste fertilizes the plants, and plants remove toxins from the water.
A shared kitchen available for communal cooking in a social atmosphere.
Community kitchens can be health and safety certified and can provide free orrentable space for food preservation and preparation activities. Community
kitchens are often part of a community center or other social facility.
Cooperatives are people-centered enterprises owned, controlled, and run by andfor members working together toward common economic, social, and culturalneeds and goals.
Foods that reflect the preferences and cultural contexts of a particular thecommunity. Food literacy around culturally relevant and appropriate foods
recognizes that the connections people have to food go beyond nutrition, with
important connections to our families, histories, cultures, and environments.
Referencing the man-made political and economic systems that perpetuateddiscrimination and segregation in South Africa based on race, the term ‘Food
Apartheid” speaks to the geographic distribution of increased barriers to foodaccess that can be explained by the continued legacy of racially discriminatory
economic and political structures.
Generally defined as low-income areas with little access to nutritional foods
and large grocery stores. This term has been used by many organizations,academic institutions, and government entities, including the USDA and foodmovements. However, the term “desert,” may give the impression that thesefood landscapes are naturally occurring, when in fact they are a result ofcompounding systemic injustices and racism. See Food Apartheid, above.
As defined by the Declaration of Nyéléni, the first global forum on foodsovereignty, in 2007, “food sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy andculturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable
methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems. It puts
the aspirations and needs of those who produce, distribute and consume foodat the heart of food systems and policies rather than the demands of markets
and corporations.” In other words, food sovereignty is the ability to choose what
nourishes you and your community.
The network of mechanisms that produce, prepare, distribute, consume, anddispose of food. Even in the most basic of understandings, food systems arecomplex and interrelated, shaped by land, climate, policy, and people, and directly
impacting the health and wellness of communities, the local economy, andregional ecosystems.

APPENDICES

201

Food Ways
Foodshed
Foraging
Land AccessLand Bank

Land Security

Land Trust
Middle Passage

Monoculture
Racialized Land-Based
Oppression
Rematriation
Seed Saving
Seed Keeping

Ugly Produce
Universal Design

APPENDICES

Whole Community
Approach

202

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

The food traditions and customs of a group of people, including growing
methods, nutritional and culinary practices, what people eat and why they eat it,
and the social practices related to foods.
The geographical area between where food is produced and where the food isconsumed; how far food travels from production to plate.
The act of searching for wild food or acquiring food by hunting, fishing, orgathering plant matter from the natural world.
The legal ability to use land for a purpose, such as agriculture, provided through alease, license, other arrangement, or permanent ownership.
Quasi-governmental entities created by counties or municipalities to effectively
manage and repurpose an inventory of underused, abandoned, or foreclosed
property. They are often created by enabling legislation to have powers that allow
them to accomplish these goals in ways that existing government agencies cannot.
A state of potential permanence enjoyed by a land use such as a garden when
all of its parcels are owned by the gardeners or a trusted organization or entitythat will protect the garden over time. The opposite of Land Insecurity, which isa situation that exists when one or more of a garden’s parcels are owned by anindividual or entity that does not intend to preserve the garden over time.
Nonprofit corporations that own and manage land for the purpose of stewarding
the land, preserving the uses on the land, or conserving the natural resources on
the land.
The forced voyage of enslaved Africans from their homeland across the Atlantic
Ocean. The term refers to the middle leg of the triangular trade route that tookmaterial goods (such as weapons, tools, and fabrics) from Europe to Africa,
enslaved Africans to the Americas and West Indies, and raw materials, producedon the plantations (sugar, rice, tobacco, indigo, rum, and cotton) back to Europe.
A commercial or industrial practice of cultivating of a single crop on a farm orin a particular region to increase yields and profits, often stripping the soil ofnutrients and relying on synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides.
Methods of discrimination based on race and connected to land, land access, andland security.
The process of returning land, seeds, or foods back to Indigenous communities.
The practice of saving seeds from harvested plants for replanting in the near
future or exchanging for other desired seeds.
The practice of preserving seeds in secure locations such as libraries or archives
along with their identification information, place of origin, and documented
stories. Seed keeping can also benefit from cultural and scientific knowledge of
growing methods and plant maintenance.
Fresh, edible, produce deemed imperfect and not fit to sell due to its size, shape,or slight bruising or damage.
Architectural designs that make places (buildings, public space like sidewalks, oroutdoors spaces) accessible to all people, including disabled, differently abled,
seniors, and small children.
A framework for addressing health and education adopted by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The model focuses on schools and therelationships between health and academic achievement and identifies nutrition
environment and services as one of ten key components critical for a child’s
cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development.

APPENDIX D: NOTESINTRODUCTION

Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, Greater Philadelphia Food System, 2010, 162, https://www.dvrpc.org/
reports/09066a.pdf
2. See the historic timeline on page 28 for more detail on the cycle of land-based oppression.
3. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, “Agroecology Knowledge Hub,” https://www.fao.org/agroecology/home/en/.
4. Map created utilizing available data from the Philadelphia Garden Data Collaborative, along with information fromthe planning team and participants in public engagement. All garden locations are approximate. Points have beenshifted to improve legibility.
5. All statistics are estimates based on the total number of known, active urban agricultural spaces, utilizing available
data from the Philadelphia Garden Data Collaborative and the Philadelphia Office of Property Assessment, alongwith information from the planning team and participants in public engagement.
6. Vernon Clark “Keystone Gardens, Deep-Rooted Sources of Food, Pride,” Philadelphia Inquirer, June 15, 2010, https://www.inquirer.com/philly/health/environment/20100615_Keystone_Gardens__Deep-rooted_sources_of_food__pride.
html.
7. VietLead, “Who We Are,” https://www.vietlead.org/about.
8. “Ratio of Income in 2020 to Poverty Level,” US Census American Community Survey 5-year Estimates, Philadelphia,
PA, accessed with Social Explorer.
9. Philadelphia Department of Public Health, “Neighborhood Food Retail in Philadelphia,” September 2019, https://www.
phila.gov/media/20190923114738/GHP_FoodAccessRpt_Final_wDate.pdf.
10. Libby Goldstein. “Urban Agriculture in Philadelphia.” http://www.cityfarmer.org/Phillyurbag9.html
11. Domenic Vitiello and Michael Nairn, “Community Gardening in Philadelphia: 2008 Harvest Report,” Penn Planningand Urban Studies, University of Pennsylvania, October 2009, https://www.farmlandinfo.org/wp-content/uploads/
sites/2/2019/09/Philadelphia_Harvest_1.pdf
12. Alfred Lubrano, “Report: Hunger in Philadelphia Increases 22 Percent,” Philadelphia Inquirer, November 12, 2018,https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/hunger-free-america-philadelphia-poverty-rate-food-insecurity-median-income-20181112.html.
13. Domenic Vitiello and Michael Nairn, “Community Gardening in Philadelphia: 2008 Harvest Report,” Penn Planning and Urban Studies, University of Pennsylvania, October 2009, https://s30428.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/
sites/2/2019/09/Philadelphia_Harvest_1.pdf. Note: Today there are over 400 known active community gardens andfarms in Philadelphia, according to the Philadelphia Garden Data Collaborative’s database.
14. Greater Philadelphia Food System, 157.
15. Ibid.
16. Greater Philadelphia Food System, 173.
17. Public Interest Law Center, “About Us,” https://www.pubintlaw.org/about-us/.
18. Public Interest Law Center, “Garden Justice Legal Initiative,” https://www.pubintlaw.org/cases-and-projects/garden-justice-legal-initiative-gjli/.
19. Bill No. 130156-A added a new chapter to the Philadelphia Code, Chapter 16-700, the Philadelphia Land Bank.
20. 2015 Philadelphia Land Bank Strategic Plan, 40.
21. Transcript of Philadelphia City Council’s Committee on the Environment public hearing, September 21, 2016.
22. Philadelphia’s Food Policy Advisory Council can only make recommendations on food policy; it cannot create andimplement policy, like some FPACs across the country.
1.

APPENDICES

203

LAND

23. These estimates are based on 2019 data from the Philadelphia Garden Data Collaborative and 2020 data from theCity’s Office of Property Assessment
24. National Park Service, “The Dawes Act,” https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/dawes-act.htm
25. Jennifer Fahy, “How Heirs’ Property Fueled the 90 Percent Decline in Black-Owned Farmland,” Farm Aid, February 28,
2022, https://www.farmaid.org/blog/heirs-property-90-percent-decline-black-owned-farmland
26. Philadelphia Land Bank Strategic Plan, 2019, i, https://secureservercdn.net/104.238.71.140/k05.f3c.myftpupload.com/
wp-content/uploads/2019/07/2019_StrategicPlan_DRAFTREPORT_PublicRelease_060519_PRINT-6.5.19-REDUCED.pdf
27. Philadelphia Land Bank Strategic Plan, 2019, 46.
28. PHDC’s 2018-2020 Report, published in April 2021, reported 103 garden license agreements signed in fiscal year 2019and fiscal year 2020, compared to 11 dispositions of garden parcels as of June 2020 according to the Philadelphia
Coalition for Affordable Communities’ Put Vacant Land in Community Hands report, published in January 2021.
29. Public Interest Law Center, “Grounded in Philly,” https://www.pubintlaw.org/cases-and-projects/grounded-in-philly
30. Soil Generation, “About Us,” https://soilgeneration.org
31. Philadelphia Coalition for Affordable Communities, http://phillyaffordablecommunities.org
32. Neighborhood Gardens Trust, “History,” https://www.ngtrust.org/history
33. Penn State, “Soil and Water Testing Information,” https://extension.psu.edu/programs/master-gardener/counties/
philadelphia/hotline/soil-annd-water-testing-information
34. https://sogoreate-landtrust.org
35. Dudley Grows, “Dudley Grows History,” https://thefoodproject.org/dudley-grows
36. Dudley Neighbors Incorporated, “Dudley Greenhouse,” https://www.dudleyneighbors.org/dudley-greenhouse.html.

PRODUCTION

APPENDICES

37. https://www.nfu.ca/campaigns/agroecology
38. Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, “​Urban Agriculture Infrastructure Grant Program,” https://www.agriculture.
pa.gov/Funding/Farmbill/Pages/default.aspx
39. Anna Brones, “Karen Washington: It’s Not a Food Desert, It’s Food Apartheid,” Guernica Magazine, May 7, 2018,https://www.guernicamag.com/karen-washington-its-not-a-food-desert-its-food-apartheid
40. “Philadelphia Food Justice Initiative Announces New Grant Awards to Increase Health Food Access in Philadelphia,”
Department of Public Health, January 27, 2022, https://www.phila.gov/2022-01-27-philadelphia-food-justice-initiativeannounces-new-grant-awards-to-increase-health-food-access-in-philadelphia
41. Philadelphia Land Bank disposition policies, 8, https://secureservercdn.net/104.238.71.140/k05.f3c.myftpupload.com/
wp-content/uploads/Resources/Philadelphia-Land-Bank-Disposition-Policies-2020.pdf
42. Philadelphia Code § 10-101, https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/philadelphia/latest/philadelphia_pa/0-0-0-198369
43. Philadelphia Code § 10-112, https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/philadelphia/latest/philadelphia_pa/0-0-0198613#JD_10-112
44. Aaron Kase, “How Refugees Are Growing Food from Their Homelands in Inner-City Philadelphia,” Vice, August 12,
2016, https://www.vice.com/en/article/ype5kj/how-refugees-are-growing-food-from-their-homelands-in-inner-cityphiladelphia
45. Neighborhood Gardens Trust, “Growing Home Garden, a Place to Put Down New Roots,” March 21, 2019, https://www.
ngtrust.org/growing-home-garden
46. GridPhilly, “Finding Your Roots,” March 2020, https://gridphilly.com/blog-home/2020/3/4/finding-your-roots
47. Truelove Seeds, “About,” https://trueloveseeds.com/pages/about
48. Cleveland Ohio Code of Ordinances § 336.01
49. Seattle City Council Ordinance 123378
50. New York City Parks & Recreation, “GreenThumb,” https://greenthumb.nycgovparks.org/about.html
51. City of Boston, “Grassroots and Open Space Development,” https://www.boston.gov/housing/grassroots-and-open-space-development

204

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONPREPARATION & DISTRIBUTION

52. https://www.philabundance.org/pck
53. https://www.theenterprisecenter.com/our-centers/dorrance-h-hamilton-center-culinary-enterprises-commercial-kitchen
54. https://www.peopleskitchenphilly.com
55. Drexel Food Lab
56. Matthew Korfhage, “A Collective That Is Owned By Immigrants and Has South Philly Ties Provides Corn for Tortillas,”Philadelphia Inquirer, December 29, 2021, https://www.inquirer.com/food/masa-cooperativa-south-philly-corn-tortillas-20211229.html
57. Reading Terminal Market, “History,” https://readingterminalmarket.org/about-us/history
58. 9th Street Italian Market Philadelphia, “About,” https://www.italianmarketphilly.org/about.html
59. Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market, “Our Story,” https://phillyfreshproduce.com/our-story/
60. Emily Nonko, “Families Are Taking Charge of Their Own Food Security,” June 15, 2021, https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/philly-families-are-taking-charge-of-their-own-food-security
61. https://www.thecommonmarket.org
62. Share Food Program, “About Us,” https://www.sharefoodprogram.org/about-us
63. Philabundance, “About Us,” https://www.philabundance.org/about
64. Analysis from the Philadelphia Department of Public Heath and Philadelphia Procurement Department, Molly Riordan, 2021

CONSUMPTION

65. Feeding America, “Food Insecurity in Philadelphia County,” https://map.feedingamerica.org/county/2019/overall/pennsylvania/county/philadelphia
66. Philadelphia Department of Public Health, “Neighborhood Food Retail in Philadelphia,” September 2019, https://www.
phila.gov/media/20190923114738/GHP_FoodAccessRpt_Final_wDate.pdf
67. https://www.phila.gov/media/20220223112343/Nutrition-Standards-2022_Revision_Final.pdf
68. https://www.phila.gov/media/20181009160845/Philadelphia_Nutrition_Standards.pdf
69. City Interview (notes from Laura Crandall) https://www.education.pa.gov/Teachers%20-%20Administrators/
Food-Nutrition/programs/Pages/National-School-Lunch-Program.aspx
70. US Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, “Community Eligibility Provision,” https://www.fns.usda.
gov/cn/community-eligibility-provision.
71. https://www.philasd.org/schoolboard/wp-content/uploads/sites/884/2017/06/145_Student-Wellness_Policy_Aug-1.pdf
72. US Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, “Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion,” https://www.
fns.usda.gov/cnpp.
73. Philadelphia Land Bank Disposition Policies, pg 8
74. Paul Jablow, “School’s Harvest Feeds Students and Families,” Chalkbeat, January 26, 2016, https://philadelphia.chalkbeat.org/2016/1/26/22181608/from-school-cafeterias-to-family-tables
75. https://www.fns.usda.gov/fmnp/wic-farmers-market-nutrition-program
76. https://www.fns.usda.gov/sfmnp/senior-farmers-market-nutrition-program
77. https://www.aboutfresh.org/fresh-truck
78. Center for Good Food Purchasing, “The Good Food Purchasing Program,” https://goodfoodpurchasing.org

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FOOD WASTE

79. “Food Waste in America 2022,” Recycle Track Systems (RTS), 2021, www.rts.com/guides/food-waste-america
80. Philadelphia Office of Sustainability, 2020
81. City of Philadelphia, “Food Waste Management for Commercial Properties,” https://www.phila.gov/media/20210811115122/Sustainability-food-waste-management-commercial-2-pager.pdf
82. Emily Taylor, “One in Five Philadelphians Suffers from Food Insecurity,” Generocity, December 13, 2017, https://generocity.org/philly/2017/12/13/food-security-philadelphia-pennsylvania-snapshot-one-step-away
83. Catalina Jaramillo, “Waste Not: Philadelphia’s Route to Better Recycling,” WHYY, March 2, 2017, https://whyy.org/articles/waste-not-philadelphia-s-route-to-better-recycling
84. See the EPA’s Food Recovery Hierarchy at www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/food-recovery-hierarchy
85. Philadelphia Water Department, “Biosolids Recycling Center,” https://water.phila.gov/pool/files/biosolids.pdf
86. https://www.philadelphiastreets.com/images/uploads/documents/Philadelphia_Organics_Feasibility_Study_final_
draft_11.29.18.pdf
87. “Fertile Grounds: Two Philadelphia public schools demonstrate how to get food waste out of landfills and educate
the next generation at the same time,” GridPhilly, May 29 2019, https://gridphilly.com
88. Fox Chase Farm, “Partners,” https://www.philasd.org/foxchasefarm/test
89. Philadelphia Street Department, “Philadelphia Organics Feasibility Study,” 2018.
90. UPI, “Jersey Pigs Feast on Takeout from Philly,” May 9, 1991, https://www.upi.com/Archives/1991/05/09/Jersey-pigsfeast-on-takeout-from-Philly/3316673761600
91. Associated Press, Pigs Dig in to Help Recycle Trash,”New York Times, February 20, 1994, https://www.nytimes.
com/1994/02/20/nyregion/pigs-dig-in-to-help-recycle-trash.html
91. “The Food Waste Disposer as Municipal Tool for Waste Diversion,” InSinkErator, 2016, https://www.aham.org/ahamdocs/main%20site/insinkerator.pdf

PEOPLE

APPENDICES

93. Farm Philly
94. School District of Philadelphia, “Saul at a Glance,” https://saul.philasd.org/about-us/saul-at-a-glance/.
95. Jason Wilson, “Generation Urban Farmers,” Philadelphia Citizen, September 18, 2019, https://thephiladelphiacitizen.
org/wb-saul-high-school-urban-farmers/.
96. NYCHA Journal, “A Fruitful Endeavor,” January 12, 2022, https://nychajournal.nyc/a-fruitful-endeavor-farms-at-nycha/?fbclid=IwAR0pm1Q4T9Rja7CMfuQYjtq97METlhZ6rJOHo09PN5xYAnL3hqP2R41GPVY
97. Urban Agriculture Policy Report, Harvard University
98. https://www.phila.gov/2022-01-27-philadelphia-food-justice-initiative-announces-new-grant-awards-to-increasehealth-food-access-in-philadelphia/

206

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATIONAPPENDIX E: SOURCES FOR HISTORIC TIMELINE
PRE-1600s https://collaborativehistory.gse.upenn.edu/stories/original-people-and-their-land-lenape-pre-history-18thcentury and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenape Image credit: Chris McHenry Glenn, The Three Sisters via https://threesisterspermaculture.com/the-three-sisters/
1630
https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/time-periods/colonial-philadelphia/ Image source: https://web.pdx.edu/~caskeym/iroquois_web/html/colonialman.htm

1681-82 https://billypenn.com/2019/10/27/william-penn-375-years-philadelphia-model-city-street-grid/ and https://hiddencityphila.org/2014/05/respectfully-remembering-the-affable-one/ Image sources: https://www.americanyawp.com/
text/04-colonial-society/ and https://etc.usf.edu/clipart/57700/57731/57731_penn_landing.htm
1684
https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/history-of-slavery/transatlantic-slave-trade andhttps://whyy.org/articles/slavery-and-philly-since-arrival-of-first-enslaved-africans-deep-scars-exists-here-across-commonwealth/ and https://billypenn.com/2020/08/17/william-penn-owned-enslaved-people-these-are-some-of-theirnames-e/ Image source: https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Slavery_London-Coffee-House-e1354626430171.jpg
1680s

https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-11/documents/libertylandspass.pdf

1680s-1860s https://slaveryandremembrance.org/articles/article/?id=A0002 Image source: Middleton Place via https://www.scseagrant.org/african-roots-carolina-gold/

1784
https://hiddencityphila.org/2013/10/a-multi-use-history-sown-from-maules-seeds/ Image source: https://library.
si.edu/image-gallery/99395
1785
https://pspaonline.com/history/overview Image source: https://www.library.upenn.edu/detail/collection/philadelphia-society-promoting-agriculture-pspa
1827
https://hsp.org/history-online/media-library/videos/stories-from-the-archives-free-produce-movement Image
source: same1865
https://www.history.com/news/black-codes-reconstruction-slavery and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_African_Americans_in_Philadelphia Image source: Smithsonian Institute via https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/
tdih/13th-amendment-ratified/1865
https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/the-truth-behind-40-acres-and-amule/ Image source: https://www.hubcityspokes.com/opinion-columns/forty-acres-and-mule-was-there-promise-andhas-it-been-broken

LATE 1860s https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/sharecropping Image source: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/
americanexperience/features/emmett-sharecropping-mississippi/
1875
https://www.inquirer.com/real-estate/inga-saffron/farmers-market-hotel-architecture-north-philadelphia-renovation-20190325.html Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ridge_Avenue_Farmers%27_Market_Philadelphia_1973.jpg
1876
https://lcpimages.org/centennial/ Image source: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/18/74/6b/18746b8079d2ed9112447fc40f1773c3.jpg

1877
https://hiddencityphila.org/2013/10/a-multi-use-history-sown-from-maules-seeds/ Image source: https://www.
nal.usda.gov/exhibits/speccoll/exhibits/show/nursery-and-seed-trade-catalog/item/10541877

https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/dawes-act

1870s https://hsp.org/blogs/educators-blog/philadelphia-late-1800s-international-industrial-leader-%E2%80%93-then-and-now
1892 https://www.cityfarmer.org/Phillyhistory10.html

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207

1900 https://www.creativephl.org/public-art/bethel-burying-ground/ and https://bethelburyinggroundproject.com/
category/neighborhood/ Image source: same1916
https://greatmigrationphl.org/node/24 Image source: https://www.phillytrib.com/special_sections/they-followed-the-railroad-tracks/article_e4cf6460-30bd-5527-a3e7-56282898ab31.html
1914-1930 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_land_loss_in_the_United_States

1910s-1940s https://www.cityfarmer.org/victgarA57.html Image source: https://collaborativehistory.gse.upenn.edu/media/passon-field-victory-gardens-1943
1920s https://www.upi.com/Archives/1991/05/09/Jersey-pigs-feast-on-takeout-from-Philly/3316673761600/ Image
sources: https://whyy.org/articles/philly-restriction-collecting-garbage-feed-pigs-may-go-way-buggy/ and https://www.
phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive1950s

https://whyy.org/segments/slums-sleek-towers-philly-became-cleaner-safer-unequal/

1940s Soil Generation via Nic Lopez. Image source: PHS Digital Archives: Norris Square Mural, 1991 via https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/papd/islandora/object/papd%3A217672

1960s Soil Generation via Lan Dinh.
1960s https://theblackbottom.wordpress.com/communities/blackbottom/community-displacement/ and https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/urban-renewal-projects-maps-united-states Image source: https://collaborativehistory.gse.upenn.edu/media/university-redevelopment-unit-3

1969
https://www.history.com/news/free-school-breakfast-black-panther-party Image source: same and https://rep.
club/products/panthers-free-food-program-patch
1970s Various community sources. Image source: PHS Digital Archives: Philadelphia Green Gardenmobile, 1975 via
https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/papd/islandora/object/papd%3A63451
1974
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_Green Image source: PHS Digital Archives: 2600 North 28th Street,
1980-1988 via https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/papd/islandora/object/papd%3A246484 and 16th & Glenwood,
1992 via https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/papd/islandora/object/papd%3A77847
https://www.cityfarmer.org/Phillyurbag9.html

APPENDICES

1977

208

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION

1986

https://www.ngtrust.org/history/

1992
https://thefoodtrust.org/who-we-are/mission/ Image source: PHS Digital Archives: Point Breeze Vegetable Garden,
1983 via https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/papd/islandora/object/papd%3A63496

1996
Domenic Vitiello and Michael Nairn, “Community Gardening in Philadelphia: 2008 Harvest Report,” Penn Planning and Urban Studies, University of Pennsylvania, October 2009, https://www.farmlandinfo.org/wp-content/uploads/
sites/2/2019/09/Philadelphia_Harvest_1.pdf
LATE 1990s-EARLY 2000s Various community sources.

2008 “Urban Agriculture in Philadelphia.” http://www.cityfarmer.org/Phillyurbag9.html and Domenic Vitiello and Michael Nairn, “Community Gardening in Philadelphia: 2008 Harvest Report,” Penn Planning and Urban Studies, University ofPennsylvania, October 2009, https://www.farmlandinfo.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/09/Philadelphia_Harvest_1.
pdf
2013

https://groundedinphilly.org/ Image source: same

2016
https://whyy.org/articles/urban-agriculture-leaders-ask-for-citywide-commitments-to-garden-preservation-and-creation/ Image source: same (Catalina Jaramillo for Plan Philly)
2017

https://phillyfpac.org/

2019
https://www.phila.gov/2019-10-22-city-of-philadelphia-kicks-off-first-urban-agriculture-planning-process/ Image
source: Philadelphia Parks & Recreation2022

https://www.usda.gov/topics/urban

APPENDICES209

APPENDICES
210

PHILADELPHIA PARKS & RECREATION