Encompassing a entire city block in North Philadelphia’s gridded urban layout, Greensgrow Farm is situated on the former site of a galvanized steel plant which is designated as a brownfield site by the United States Environmental Protect Agency. The farm overcomes the obvious challenges of the site’s contaminated soil by growing in raised beds, greenhouses, hoop houses, and hydroponic gardens. The Greensgrow Farm operates a nursery, a CSA (community-supported agriculture) and market (distributing produce and products grown both on site and regionally), and the Kensington Community Kitchen, a institutional kitchen upgraded for commercial food preparation by the farm and available to rent by other individuals and groups. The farm alleviates the food desert effect by making available fresh produce in an impoverish neighborhood where such food is scarce.
Greensgrow Farm’s wide range of ventures allows it to operate as two separate entities- a business (Greensgrow Farm) and as a non-profit organization (Greensgrow Philadelphia Project). Though it is the same people working toward the same broad goals, projects like the nursery and CSA are belong to the business model, while Kensington Community Kitchen and educational programming belong to the non-profit model. Greensgrow Farm contributes to urban quality by increasing food security, sustainably reusing contaminated land, adding aesthetic and educational value in the neighborhood, and creating a new community meeting place.
Ferme urbaine
Indépendant
Lucratif
Surface urbaine cultivée