Urban agriculture takes root on Richmond’s Southside #rva

Urban agriculture takes root on Richmond’s Southside

By Duron Chavis

Do you have a green thumb? Planning is currently underway for the development of 3300 McDonough Street into a full fledge community garden! As the buzz around locally grown edible landscapes takes root throughout the country, organizers of McDonough Community Garden are revving up plans for raised beds, compost bins and a summer youth program teaching urban agriculture and social entrepreneurship. Now has never been a better time to go green!

There are so many benefits for having a community garden. Let’s take neighborhood improvement for instance. Community gardens have the capacity to increase property values of surrounding buildings and homes. Communities can grow closer via working in the gardens and associated farmers markets that may accompany them. Green spaces increase feelings of safety and build ties within the community. Community gardens provide excellent learning environments for children and young adults allowing for intergenerational and cross cultural dialogue.

In addition to improving neighborhoods, community gardens have to power to evoke social change by reducing health and economic disparities for low income communities through the food grown at them. People are able to learn job skills and build careers in urban agriculture by learning how to grow food to take to market for sale to restaurants, at farmers markets and other retailers. Also herbs and flowers grown community gardens can turn into natural health care products like soaps, teas and skin & hair care products.

Community gardens can provide a focus point for community activity like a children’s day or simple informal meetings, fostering greater social interaction from communities where neighbors may have limited interaction otherwise. The development and maintenance of the site with input and collaboration from the community it is located can build long-lasting nurturing relationships for everybody. All at the same time we are helping the planet and reducing our reliance on hazardous large scale industrial agriculture and reconnecting with the Earth in a sustainable way.

If you are interested in getting involved in the McDonough Street Community Garden project, contact organizer Duron Chavis at duronchavis@gmail.com or 804-397-1465

Sponsor A Raised Bed for McDonough Garden: Paypal Link