Locals grow on shared farm

West Philadelphia residents who are accustomed to hearing the “buy local” mantra are increasingly offered opportunities to “grow local” as well.

The Walnut Hill Community Farm, a plot of land at 46th and Market streets, provides a place for residents to grow their own produce, either for profit or personal use.

In March, SEPTA loaned out a plot of land to the Enterprise Center, a social entrepreneurship organization. In partnership with the Enterprise Center, Erica Smith and Nic Esposito began working on ideas for ways to use the 30- by 100-foot property.

Smith and Esposito, members of the nonprofit group Philly Rooted, envision the farm as a forum for agricultural dialogue and demonstrations.

People looking to grow their own produce can utilize one of the 12 plots of land reserved for the farm’s immediate neighbors and members of the Walnut Hill community. Currently, residents are growing vegetables and fruits on 10 of the plots, Smith said.

She added that there are plans to develop a park on the north side of the farm. The Enterprise Center and Community Design Collaborative are finalizing project plans, and Smith hoped the park will be completed within a year.

For four Philadelphia teens, the third section of land offers entrepreneurial opportunities. Smith explained that a group of four employees is using the farm to grow their own produce and selling their goods.

Produce grown at the farm is sold at Clark Park farmers’ markets and the Milk and Honey Market, at 45th Street and Baltimore Avenue.

“These boys are learning to apply skills … and run a small business,” Smith said. “They do all the growing, selling and record keeping.”

Smith, who has an academic background in biology and horticulture, has an interest in education and hopes to develop the farm into a teaching space for the community.

She explained that many local youth “learn about agriculture in school, but then there’s nowhere to go afterward to apply those skills.”

The emphasis on agriculture is growing in Philadelphia schools. Deb Bentzel, the program manager of Fair Food’s Farm to School program, believes there is “excitement in the schools” over the program’s proposals.

West Philadelphia schools such as University City High School and the Penn Alexander School are part of the 25 Philadelphia schools purchasing fresh, locally grown produce for use in lunch meals, Bentzel said.

The Farm to School program for the 2010-11 school year is an expansion of the previous year’s pilot program, which involved five schools. Bentzel said the program has done well in the first weeks of this school year, adding that she hopes it will continue to grow and “get kids talking about good nutrition, fitness and eating local food.”

Smith said the four Walnut Hill Community Farm growers are examples of individuals who got excited about agriculture in school — an interest which Smith believes the farm can help further in practical ways.

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