Starting at the Land
The morning opened with an optional site tour. Standing on the parcels themselves, growers and potential partners heard from Brownfields experts at the Office of Environmental Programs about the investment made to clean the site, and from Parks and Recreation staff about the water infrastructure being connected to serve future growing.
Grounding the Work
Back at the Bret Tarver Learning Center, the group gathered over cafe de olla and jamaica from Zaguan Cafe and blue corn scones from Scone-On.
Councilwoman Pastor shared how the vision for the community farm began years ago with a visit to Spaces of Opportunity, where she saw what collaborative projects can offer when they are built in partnership with neighbors.
Robert Stone, former Lieutenant Governor of the Gila River Indian Community, Native Seeds/SEARCH board member, and traditional farmer, grounded the group in the lineage of the traditional peoples of this land, sharing a traditional Akimel O'otham song and reminding everyone of the relationship we enter when we put our hands in the soil.
Maddie Mercer of the Office of Environmental Programs connected the site to the City Council's recently adopted 2030 Food Plan, which names this project as a key opportunity. She also shared findings from resident engagement conducted earlier in the year by Unlimited Potential, including neighbors' priority to see a park integrated into the project.
Learning from Neighbors to the South
Flowers & Bullets and the University of Arizona School Garden Workshop, both based in Tucson, shared lessons from more than a decade of work in similar neighborhoods: the value of door-to-door canvassing, of creating safe space for people in re-entry, and of offering alternative-to-suspension opportunities for young people.
What Participants Contributed
Participants came from organizations across the Valley, including Local First Arizona, Heart of Isaac, Rumbo, The Orchard Garden, St. Vincent de Paul, Sprouts Foundation, the University of Arizona, Wesley Community and Health Center, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Valley, among others.
Working over maps of the site and the wider urban agriculture landscape, participants placed their organizations on the map, named their expertise, and described how they want to contribute to the 11 acres.
Several themes emerged:
- Youth at the center. Access and programming for kids at the nearby Boys and Girls Club branch, teen internships, and active design elements like a walking path doubling as a fitness course.
- Designing for heat and health. Shade for crops and people, solar-shaded parking, rainwater harvesting, no new asphalt, and a buffer of plantings against roadway pollution.
- Honest reckoning with the land. Continued attention to soil remediation and the environmental injustices this neighborhood has carried.
- A cultural and economic hub. Space and power for community events, farmers markets paired with health fairs, seed libraries, and celebrations that belong to the neighborhood.
- Community leadership. Canvassing with neighbors and leading with community champions, not just for them.
The asset mapping surfaced a rich ecosystem already at work, from the Phoenix Urban Food Forest's 350 fruit trees to Tonatierra’s Xinachtli Seed Library to the IRC’s New Roots aquaponics and bee programs.
Breaking Bread
The day closed with a community meal from Grow Space, sourced entirely from local produce, alongside seed swaps and resource sharing. Parks and Recreation staff outlined the next steps toward redevelopment of the site.
The vision is still taking shape, and that is the point. This farm will grow from the knowledge already rooted in this community.