Farm Philly, established in 2014, is the urban agriculture program of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation. Through diverse programming, Farm Philly connects Philadelphians to the natural world and physical activity while supporting the self-determination and sovereignty of communities to grow and produce their own food. The program supports more than 60 urban agriculture projects on parkland and is actively involved in food policy and advocacy within the city.
This mobile workshop will showcase Farm Philly’s education and production farm at the Carousel House Recreation Center, discussing the different programs Farm Philly runs and supports on parkland all over the city. The next stop will be the Fairmount Park Horticulture Center, where Farm Philly runs the Community Propagation Program out of the City-owned greenhouses. Here we explore the Master Gardeners demonstration garden, located on the ground outside of the Center. The last stop will be the Fairmount Park Recycling Center, where the Parks & Recreation Department makes compost, woodchips, and mulch from trees and leaves in the park system. These resources are available for free to any Philadelphia resident and are an important resource for food production in the city.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Understand the breadth of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation’s urban agriculture programming —from community garden support to community propagation access to youth gardening programs
- Explore a demonstration garden and a farm on park land that teaches about food growing techniques and provides spaces for community programming and chemical free food for surrounding communities
- Learn about Philadelphia Parks & Recreation’s current investment in urban agriculture programs and explore onsite examples of potential improvements and resource expansion, based on reports from the city’s first Urban Agriculture Plan
