Progress 09/01/16 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:For this project, we targeted and engaged community members living around the demonstration site in the 93706 community, primarily focusing on residents of the Fresno Housing Authority. We specifically focused on the 93706 community due to the community's vast health disparities, exposure to environmental pollutants and inequities. Stats: According to CalEnviroscreen 4.0 (census tract 6019000800), the community around the garden has a CalEnviro score of 98, ranking 88 in burden of pollution. In the Distressed Community Index, the zip code ranks at 87.6 in the distressed zip codes in California (poverty rate being at 44.6%, median household income at $30.4k, 39.9% not having a high school diploma). Our target audience is also widely diverse, 67.32% of community members identifying as Hispanic, 12.7% identify as black, 10.27% identify as white, 7.86% identifying as Asian (ZCTA5 93706, U.S. Census Bureau, 2019). Specific Audiences Reached: Fresno Housing Authority Residents: Our most engaged residents were from the Yosemite Village Apartment Complex, located directly across from the demonstration garden. This is our primary target audience who we have engaged since the beginning of the project on the design of the site, planting and growing methods, and land management. The site is a low income family housing unit with 69 units. Another complex with high engagement was the Mariposa Commons Apartment Complex located adjacent to the demonstration garden. Most residents living at this complex only speak Spanish. We regularly engaged with residents to build local resident buy-in to the project and teach them how to cultivate food using regenerative techniques. The site was constructed for farm labor worker housing and has 40 units. Residents of the Sierra Pointe were also highly engaged in cultivation of food, workshops and during outreach efforts. Sierra Pointe consists of 53 low income single family homes. The Legacy Commons Apartment Complex is another complex located half a mile away from the site where residents were engaged during our initial programming outreach and a Cooking Matters class series that was held on site. The site is a low income family housing unit with 128 units. Schools -We engaged 2 schools that are less than a mile away from the site. We were able to significantly engage students from Edison High School due to our partner Youth Leadership Institute and the proximity of the garden from the school. We recruited a group of youth from Edison to train on the local food system, food insecurity, permaculture and community engagement. The youth group conducted focus groups on campus, presentations on permaculture and the garden, and conducted outreach on the greater community. Two Edison clubs utilized 5 garden plots at the demonstration garden to learn how to grow food, raise awareness about food insecurity and give away the harvest at their school to their peers. Students also participated in the planting of trees and native habitat at the demonstration site. We were able to engage the Gaston Middle School administration and other project partners on coming together to support families and students experiencing food insecurity. We conducted presentations to two classrooms on regenerative farming and permaculture. One of the classrooms incorporated community gardens into their learning and service projects. 93706 area residents Throughout the project we had several different methods of engaging the 93706 community. We conducted focus groups, hosted experiential learning opportunities and conducted various outreach efforts and presentations. 93706 residents were invited to attend workshops, sign up for a garden plot, tour the garden, volunteer on the development of the site, and sign up for the farm training program. Changes/Problems:We experienced several large barriers to executing this project as we had originally intended. As a result of these barriers, we had to limit the project to one site, extend the project timeline by a year, and modify our community engagement and outreach strategies to ensure we reached our target audiences. Soil Contamination at Renaissance at Santa Clara Community Garden Site For the Renaissance at Santa Clara site, we began the technical planning of the site to ensure the site would be safe to utilize for growing food, ensure water access was available and gather all of the logistics of using the site. During this phase, a soil analysis was conducted and the site was deemed a brownfield site. The soil was found to have elevated levels of lead, motor oil residue, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. After much consideration we were unable to continue to utilize the site as a demonstration garden due to the costly remediation that would need to be performed to continue with this site. We instead focused our efforts to create a larger demonstration garden project behind the Yosemite Village complex and engage community members from several Fresno Housing Authority sites at this central hub. Delayed Site Plan Approval Process for the Yosemite Village Community Garden Site Due to the scale of the 7.5 acre Yosemite Village site, the Planning Department of the City of Fresno placed similar conditions as if it were a housing or business park development. We had to work closely with the different City departments to educate them on the project and waive requirements like parking lots and street improvements. We had previously estimated this process to take 6 months max but ended up taking almost 2 years, severely pushing back the project initiation and compromising the engagement of residents that helped design the project site due to lost hope in the project. Once the project was approved and the City of Fresno understood the scope of our project, we worked hard to re-engage community members, requested a one year no-cost extension and developed the site in a timely manner. COVID-19 Outbreak The spread of the COVID-19 virus put a huge setback to our community engagement efforts, site development, project outreach and programming for the site. During the initial spread of COVID in February and March of 2019, we had large volunteer events planned to complete the garden plots and set up the drip irrigation system. To prevent the spread of the virus, we cancelled all planned workshops, events, and large volunteer events. We limited the amount of volunteers allowed on site and placed protocols to prevent the spread among participants including mask mandates, social distancing and regularly sanitizing shared tools. Not being able to meet in person made building community connections, healing, and skill sharing more difficult since meetings, training, and outreach strategies were changed to virtual or over the phone. Many participants also had difficulties navigating virtual platforms, making it difficult for them to engage. Engaging new residents virtually is also more challenging. Residents respond less to over the phone methods of conducting outreach. Original Outreach & Engagement Strategies Canvassing Tabling Events Group Presentations Focus Groups & Input Sessions Social Media Trainings, Workshops and Events Monthly Garden Leadership Team Meetings Monthly Group Volunteer Days Weekly Volunteer Days COVID-19 Modified Outreach & Engagement Strategies Phone Banking Distribute and Mail Flyers Virtual Presentations Virtual Focus Groups & Input Sessions Surveys Social Media Virtual Trainings and Videos Over the phone Garden Leadership Meetings Limited weekly volunteer days (max 3 volunteers) What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Throughout the project, we provided opportunities for farmers, gardeners, and community members to gain skills and training on farming and gardening techniques that will improve their climate resiliency, reduce their costs, reduce pollution resulting from farming practices, and be able to produce large amounts of food in a small space. Opportunities to learn skills for professionals around landscaping, horticulture, permaculture design, carpentry, nursery management, and herbalism were also available throughout the project timeline. On May 2, 2019 five farmers attended a hands-on workshop at Singing Frogs Farm to learn about soil health, managing a farm and utilizing regenerative agriculture techniques. Participants were able to tour the farm and learn how to prepare a bed utilizing no-till methods. We held a Tree Planting training in partnership with the UCCE Master Gardeners on September 28th, 2019 to train lead volunteers on proper techniques of tree planting. Lead volunteers then returned to a large volunteer day with over 200 people to lead groups in tree planting. We held a Drip Irrigation Workshop in partnership with Life Flower on October 15, 2019 to train community members and future gardeners in the use of drip irrigation. Participants learned the benefits of utilizing drip irrigation, how to install emitters and different techniques for connecting drip irrigation to trees. On June 29, 2021 4 members of the YoVille garden leadership team attended a training at the Harvest Fields Organic Farm. Farmers learned about Farm management, accessing local markets, permits needed to sell and the process of obtaining farm land. Participants were then lead through integrating some of the aspects of the workshop into their own business plans. We held a Basil Workshop in partnership with Black Zocalo on August 14, 2021 to teach community members how to utilize basil for cooking and spiritual practices. The workshop was held in Spanish and English. Participants received cutting of basil and were encouraged to plant it, utilize it in cooking and as aromatic destressors at home. We held a Floral Bouquet Making Workshop in partnership with Laurel Botanicals on August 18, 2021 to teach community members how to utilize materials around the garden site to make beautiful bouquets that could be sold or used for special occasions. Participants were gifted vases and got to create their own bouquets as part of the workshop. We held a Potting Table Building Workshop in partnership with Harvest Fields Organics on August 22, 2021 to teach community members how to build a customized potting table for their gardens or farms. Participants were led through the proper use of power tools, building a table, and working with cement. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Successes of the program were disseminated through local news coverage, local podcasts, social media, tabling events, canvassing, phone banking, mailers and informational presentations. News Coverage: In order to disseminate the beginning of construction of the preliminary infrastructure of the site, a GroundBreaking Ceremony was held October 1, 2019. Community members, project partners, and supporters of the project attended, sharing words of encouragement and the importance of having this kind of project in this community. Some of the speakers included our city mayor, a city councilmember,a state representative and local city leaders. It was televised on 5 local news stations and included interviews of us on the project, it's importance, and how we got here. During the interviews, we encouraged viewers to attend a large volunteer day we were hosting on October 5, 2019.? Radio/Podcast coverage: Project leads were invited to talk about their work and the demonstration site on the following podcasts: Fresno's best Podcast - "Chris DeLeon and Amber Donat, Urban Farmers for Fresno" Dr Harris Black Lives Matter - "New Community Garden In Southwest Fresno" Social Media: We created a Facebook and Instagram for the demonstration site. Throughout the project timeline, we posted 88 social media posts and videos. https://www.facebook.com/permaculturefresno/ https://www.instagram.com/permaculturefresno/ Two videos of the project, planting techniques and site were created and posted on the Transform Fresno youtube channel: "Project Update: Yo'Ville Community Garden and Farm" https://youtu.be/-9QGlBOlqRA "Planting Panel: Growing Herbs, Permaculture 101, Urban Management" https://youtu.be/Pgw4vUG4uso Canvassing, Phone Banking and Mailers Information of the project, availability of garden plots, and upcoming events and workshops were shared during canvassing, phone banking and through letters sent in the mail. Through canvassing, flyers were posted at 689 households in the project area. Through phone banking, we relayed the information to 217 residents in the project area. For community members with invalid or expired phone numbers, we sent out flyers in the mail to 520 residences in the project area. Informational Presentations and Tabling Events Presentations were conducted throughout various project partners, organizations, schools and churches. Tabling events were conducted at community events where large amounts of community members attend. 19 presentations and 6 tabling events were conducted throughout the project timeline. Presentations and tabling events helped disseminate the findings of the demonstration site, gather more community members interested in volunteering at the site, and educate on the resources a site like this could provide. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
1. Involve 40 residents in a demonstration garden project During the first year, we engaged 31 residents through community meetings and design workshops. We were unable to continue with the Santa Clara site due to the site being deemed a brownfield site during initial soil testing. Efforts for resident engagement were instead focused on developing the Yosemite Village site as a hub for other FHA sites. At the Yosemite Village site, we developed a 7.5 acre community garden and urban farm demonstration site named the Yosemite Village Community Garden and Urban Farm (Yo'Ville). The site features 94 community garden plots, 3 farm half acre plots, a hoop house, and walking paths surrounded by native plants, fruit trees and edible vines. The site hosts workshops, events, planting spaces, and a farm training program for new and upcoming farmers. After breaking ground, residents were engaged more directly with the site. 48 residents grew food at the site with their families. 11 participated in the YoVille garden leadership team, a team that works to engage more residents, coordinate site workshops and events, and ensures residents are central to the development, maintenance and sustainability of the site. Throughout this period, we also engaged residents in the garden indirectly through focus groups, surveys, canvassing, phone banking, informational presentations and social media. 4 focus groups, engaging 68 residents 2 in-depth assessments, engaging 44 residents 261 residents surveyed through canvassing, phone banking and social media. 19 presentations through various project partners. Social media pages on Instagram and Facebook were created and posted 88 posts. 2. Improve food access, nutrition, health, and well-being of the residents A final evaluation was conducted with gardeners to get an overall sense of improvements to food access, nutrition, health, and well-being. Increased Access to healthy food or access to other food resources: Gardeners typically visit the community garden about 4 days a week 78.2% use harvested food for personal and family consumption and 87% give/gift food to others 30.4% exchange food for other food, goods and services 26.1% sell the food formally or informally to others Most obtain their food from grocery stores, the Yoville garden and farmers markets/swap meets Changes in Eating Behaviors 100% reported eating more vegetables since participating in the garden. 91.3% cook new food dishes 78.3% eat less fast food Increased physical and mental wellbeing of participants 100% reported physical activity increased 100% reported feeling happier or as happy as they were before 75% expressed mental health benefits (less stress, more connected to others) Increase community engagement and self-governance Majority feel more valued as a member of their community & half became more involved in social issues affecting their community 91.3% experienced increased relationships in the garden Increase expression/sharing/teaching of cultural heritage 78.3% cook more traditional ethnic food dishes 87% share farming knowledge with others 2/3rds share their personal life with others Pre and Post Assessment surveys were conducted during the Cooking Matters Class Series. Combined changes in eating behaviors: 50% reported an increase in consumption of fruits and vegetables 75% reported confidence in budgeting and cooking healthy meals 3. Utilize the wholesale produce partnerships to reach self-sufficiency by year four Due to our partnership with California Alliance for Family Farmers (CAFF), we were able to roll out a wholesale produce partnership once our farm trainees reached a capacity to begin selling as a collective. Early on, we trained local small farmers to begin the groundwork of a wholesale produce partnership. Five farmers attended a workshop at Singing Frogs Farm in Sebastopol, CA to learn about soil health, managing a farm and utilizing regenerative agriculture techniques. Once the site was constructed and residents were growing produce, we launched the YoVille Farm Incubator Program, an urban farmer training program for new or upcoming farmers. The project was held on the south side of the demonstration site on 3 half acre plots. 3 farmers were selected who committed to grow produce on site, sell at a farm stand in front of the demonstration garden, obtain their sellers permit, and ultimately transition to a more stable longterm property by year 3. Alongside small farmers, we worked with CAFF to develop a CSA called the Fresno Farm Box and made agreements with YoVille Farmers to purchase their produce for the CSA. Farmers and gardeners were also trained on the following: Urban Farm 101 training on farm management, accessing local markets, permits needed to sell and the process of obtaining farm land. A Basil Workshop on utilizing basil for cooking, value added products and spiritual practices. A Floral Bouquet Making Workshop on making bouquets to be sold or for decoration. A Potting Table Building Workshop on building customized potting tables. By August 31, 2021, We had 3 farmers, 34 gardeners, and a garden leadership team that regularly meets to ensure the sustainability of the site. Site managers, outreach staff, and the continual development of the site have been funded by the Transformative Climate Communities program (TCC). 4. Identify five other Fresno Housing Authority (FHA) sites for this community garden program by year three Three additional sites were identified early on as sites with the potential to host a community garden, especially in Southwest Fresno. Other FHA sites with interested residents were encouraged to join the current demonstration site due to the proximity of the site and lack of spaces in their current facility. FHA residents in Southwest have identified an empty lot located on 851 Klette Ave, Fresno CA 93706. They wish to convert into a long term farmers market with a potential garden space. Santa Clara, one of the original Fresno Housing Authority sites on 540 F Street, Fresno CA 93706 can be developed into a type of community garden with raised beds for edible plants and native nonedible plants in the surrounding areas. As mentioned in the soil report, edible foods would need to be grown high enough to not allow root systems to reach the contaminated soil, which would require a larger budget for the project. A parcel numbered 47704049 is vacant and owned by Better Opportunities Builders (BOB), a nonprofit related to FHA. We have had discussions with FHA and BOB about utilizing this site for future community food projects. A sample design for this property was created and included a food forest, walking and biking trails, picnic spaces, restrooms and a community garden. We conducted a final presentation during the FHA Board of Commissioners Meeting to provide an update on the project, successes, future development and long term sustainability. The presentation also gave site managers a glimpse of the impact that a project like this can have on residents. This demonstration garden will function as a hub for future sites to learn from, bring their residents for future engagement, and connect with. 5. Disseminate program successes through a range of conferences and presentations Successes of the program were disseminated through the local news coverage, podcasts, and informational presentations. A groundbreaking ceremony was held to inform community members and stakeholders of the project. Speakers included our city mayor, a city councilmember, a state representative and local city leaders. It was televised on 5 local news stations. Project leads were invited to talk about the demonstration site on 2 local podcasts. 19 presentations were conducted through various project partners, organizations, schools and churches. Presentations helped disseminate the findings of the site, gather more community interest, and educate on the resources a site like this could provide.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:Residents of the Fresno Housing Authority apartment complexes: Yosemite Village Apartment Complex located directly across from the demonstration garden. This is our primary target audience who we hope to engage the most with this project. Mariposa Meadows Apartment Coplex located adjacent of the demonstration garden. Since they are also at close vacinity to the project, we have regularly engaged this to build local resident buyin to the project. Residents of the larger area around the demonstration garden (residents of the 93706 zip code). We engaged 93706 residents during our resident outreach and engagement strategies. Stakeholders and partners of the 93706 zip code were also engaged during focus groups to gather general information on resident needs, resources, and build stronger connections to residents around the demonstration garden. ? Changes/Problems:Our biggest setback has been the spread of the COVID-19 virus in our community. During the spread of COVID in February and March, we had large volunteer events planned to help us complete the setup of community garden plots, weed management, and drip irrigation set up. The YoVille Garden Leadership Team had to step up and assist with the development of the site individually. The removal of regular volunteers pushed back the amount of plots that were available for residents, the opening of the farm training plots, and the weekly farm stand. We also had events, workshops, and training scheduled to bring community members together. Not being able to meet in person has made providing social connection, healing, and skill sharing more difficult. We have changed our meetings, training, and outreach strategies to virtual or over the phone formats. Original Outreach & Engagement Strategy Canvassing Tabling Events Group Presentations Focus Groups/Input Sessions Social Media Trainings, Workshops and Events Monthly Garden Leadership Team Meetings Monthly Volunteer Days Weekly Volunteer Days COVID-19 Outreach & Engagement Strategy Phone Banking Distribute and Mail Flyers Virtual Presentations Virtual Focus Groups/Input Sessions and Surveys Social Media Virtual Trainings and Videos Over the phone Garden Leadership Meetings Limited weekly volunteer days (max 3 people) Engaging residents virtually has been challenging. Residents respond less to over the phone methods of conducting outreach. Furthermore, not all of our residents have access to attending virtual classes, workshops, or training sessions. We will continue to work alongside our partners, residents, and stakeholders to navigate engaging residents in this kind of project during COVID 19. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? UCCE Master Gardener Collaboration - Tree planting and Plant Identification Training held September 30, 2019 Drip Irrigation Workshop and training held October 15, 2019 Permaculture Training for Youth Leadership Institute Youth Group on January 18, 2020 Zoom Training: Growing Seeds in Containers on April 15, 2020 Video: How to create a simple berry treillis, posted on social media on May 26, 2020 Strength's based leadership training for the YoVille Garden Leadership Team put on June 16, 2020 How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Throughout the official launching of the project, we disseminated program lessons learned and successes through the following presentations: Participated in a Central Valley Roundtable hosted by the Healthy Air Alliance on September 11, 2019 Presented at the Bringing Broken Neighborhoods Back to Life meeting at the SouthWest Fresno Police Sanction on September 17, 2019 The Ground Breaking Ceremony on October 1, 2019 was televised on 5 news stations and included interviews of us on the project, it's importance, and how we got here. Presented to the Fresno Pacific University Change Agent Class on October 8, 2019. Subjects included starting the YoVille Garden, challenges that came up, and future programming and opportunities. Gave a tour and presentation to the Strategic Growth Council (SGC) on October 22, 2019. SGC funded the Transformative Climate Communities initiative in the City of Fresno. Gave a tour and presentation to the Health and Environmental Funders Network in partnership with Community Alliance for Family Farming on November 19, 2019. Talked about the new garden on the Dr. Harris & Black Lives Matter Show on July 29, 2019. We discussed the purpose of our project and how it got started, funding, barriers to starting these kinds of projects, and resources that are available. Conducted focus groups and one-on-ones with Southwest Fresno leaders from August 26th-August 30th to inform stakeholders of the project, gather input on engagement strategies, and build partnerships for future engagement with their networks. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue to encourage residents to grow food on site for themselves and their families. We will continue to conduct outreach to fill the rest of the garden plots, recruit volunteers, share resources, and improve access to fresh produce at the garden. We will continue to conduct virtual or distanced outreach strategies until it is safe to engage residents in person. Now that the garden is up and running, we will begin to provide regular educational workshops on gardening, health, nutrition, community development, and preparing healthy meals. During COVID-19 quarantine orders, workshops will be held virtually. We will directly improve food access by opening a weekly farm stand for residents and community members to purchase fruits and vegetables in front of the garden. developing the three incubator plots with the small farmers that will be registered to take part in the no-till plots. We will develop 3 large growing plots to produce a larger amount of produce: Open applications for 3 teams to grow on large half acre plots. Train on permaculture, business development and the wholesale market. Begin selling at the produce stand on site. Establish other methods to sell produce locally (Farmers market, CSA, etc). We will also begin to compile information on the effects that this project has had on the food access, nutrition, and overall well being of community members. This information will be presented to the Fresno Housing Authority and identify 5 other sites that could implement elements of this project. Once we have identified 5 sites, we will present the project to site leaders of those sites to improve the health and resilience of their residents.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Garden Opened up for Resident Use (September 2019-October 2019) We were able to install thegarden walkways and gravel road which transformed our seemingly vacant lot into a beautiful green space and made the project real for residents. By the end of September, we haddecomposed granite pathways that allowed community members to be able to safely navigate thesite and enjoy the new green space in their communities. The walkwaysoutlined theplanting areas, increasing the excitement to begin planting in the garden. The gravel roadprovided access for vehicles to deliver necessary items like compost, soil, mulch, trees, etc. Wecelebrated a groundbreaking ceremony on October 1, 2019 with local officials including the Mayor of Fresno.On October 5, 2019 we hosted over 200 Fresno residents for a volunteer planting day of 431 hedgerows and native plants, perennials, and trees. This officially opened up our site for the enjoyment ofresidents. To make the official launch of the site a success, we worked closely with some of our project partners: Youth Leadership Institute: Conducted outreach to recruit young volunteers through tabling events in September. Coordinated transportation of highschoolers to the volunteer planting day UC Master Gardeners: Provided assistance with the coordination of the event Co-Hosted a trainingon September 30 to train community members on treeplanting techniques and plant identification. Directed volunteers to ensure they placed plants in the correct locations. Tree Fresno Donated 20 Valley Oak Trees Lead volunteers on tools safety and assisted them in planting trees. Department of Public Health, CalFresh Healthy Living Program Assisted with signing in volunteers, collecting waiver forms and preparing them to assistwith the planting day. Engaging Residents and Volunteers (October 2019-February 2020) After the planting day, we continued to re-engage residents and recruit volunteers to continuepreparing the garden for community planting. We held a drip irrigation workshop on October 15to teach residents how to design and set up drip irrigation and the benefits of utilizing it in ourclimate. We hosted monthly volunteer events for groups and regular work days for residents and other consistent volunteers. Volunteersworked on watering plants, setting up drip irrigation, weeding, mulching, cleaning up pathways, trellising our berries and preparing garden plots. Through the Transformative Climate Communities funding we received to expand ouroutreach, ourproject partner Youth Leadership Institute (YLI) was able to focus on engaging High Schoolaged residents and putting together a youth group to reach out to other highschool aged students. In October 2019, YLI presented to 5 Environmental Studies AP classes and 1 Environmental Awareness club at Edison High School, located 2 blocks down away from the garden. With our assistance, YLI presented the vision of the garden,recent successes and invited students to join the upcoming youth group to get involved. A coregroup of students began meeting weekly and called themselves Permaculture Youth Leaders.Metro and YLI worked closely to train the students on permaculture, public speaking, and being advocates for their community. By February 2020, the youth group started canvassing to invite residents to join the garden and gatherinformation on future programming. Studentspresented at events at their high school and planned onattending other community events. Theyconducted a focus group to getfeedback from their peers on the garden, ways that they would like to be engaged, and workshops that they would like to attend in the future. In December 2019, we identified passionate residents that wereinvested in the project, resulting in the formation of the Yosemite Village Garden LeadershipTeam composed of residents living next to the garden and some of the project partnersmentioned above. We held meetings at least once a month to ensure the garden was maintained and any issues were addressed. The YoVille Garden Leadership Team worked on the following: Created protocals and developed a garden agreement Provided feedback on the development of the site Welcomed and assisted new gardeners Assisted withoutreach Reported any vandalism or issues Maintained and checked out tools The YoVille Garden Leadership Team played an integral role in the garden. Theycreated a sense of community (acting as a neighborhood watch, getting to know their neighbors,and recruiting new gardeners). Thanks to their drive, we finishedenough plots in February and open them up for resident use in March2019. With the expectation to open up the plots in March, we began preparing regular programming, events, and workshops to be held at the garden.Unfortunately due to the spread of COVID-19, we had to discontinueany planned programming. COVID-19, Cultivating Food, and Further Site Improvements (March 2020-August 2020) COVID-19 presented many roadblocks for the development of the site,engagement of residents,programming, and the dissemination of information, but wehave adapted to continue to meet our goals. We open up the site in March 2019 toresidents. As of August 31, 2020, there were 20 families that were growing fresh produce for their families. We set guidelines to be able to utilize the garden safely. Residents continued to assist with the development of the site on their own time. We cancelled all large volunteer opportunities and kept our regular work days to 3 volunteers max, requiring the use of masks and social distancing. Even with our limited capacity, we continued the development of the garden. In May 2019, we purchased a shipping container tostore garden tools and supplies. A split-rail fence was installed in July 2020 to outline theproperty, create a sense of safety, and tobeautify the site. We also continued planting native plants around the garden donated by project partners and residents. In April-May 2019, our partner YLI and the Permaculture Leaders Youth Group finished ouroutreach partnership by collecting information on the effects COVID has had on food security.They conducted phone banking, sent out informational mailers to residents around the garden,and conducted a survey to understand new challenges and interests of residents. As YLI finished their outreach work, we hired an outreach assistant to continue the work of engaging and connecting with residents. In July-August 2020, we distributed CalFresh and WIC enrollment flyers around the Yosemite Village Apartment Complex and the Mariposa Apartment Complex to help residents take advantage of programs that they may now qualify for. Focus groups and surveys were also conducted with Southwest Fresno Leaders and residents to get an overall sense of community needs. We will continue to engage community members virtually and provide them with a safe environment for them to access healthy food, get assistance to existing or new food access difficulties, and continue to ensure that the garden is a safe and healing place.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:Residents of the Fresno Housing Authority apartment complexes: Yosemite Village Apartment Complex located directly across from the demonstration garden. This is our primary target audience who we hope to engage the most with this project. They were engaged through outreach to attend the Cooking Matters workshop at Legacy Commons and programming for children at their community center. Legacy Commons an apartment complex half a mile away from the demonstration garden. Residents of Legacy Commons Apartment Complex were engaged during this period through outreach for programming and the Cooking Matters workshops held at their community center. Residents of the larger area around the demonstration garden (residents of the 93706 zip code). We engaged the larger 93706 residents during popup workshops to get feedback on ways that residents would like to be engaged with the demonstration garden. We also invited the larger 93706 area residents to attend the groundbreaking ceremony and planting volunteer days. Changes/Problems:Delays with getting site plans approved mentioned in previous report delayed the construction of a demonstration garden, pushing back our ability to engage residents in trainings/professional development and not allowing us to provide a space for residents to grow food an accurately assess the impacts of a garden in their community. Pushed timeline back. PD for this project stepped down in February 2019. Was the project lead, managing construction, outreach, and development. Another PD for the project was identified and assigned to the project in May 2019. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We conducted a 2 cooking and nutrition series at a nearby community center, Legacy Commons, which ended up having 8 graduating members. We utilized the Cooking Matters Curriculum, which focuses on teaching parents and caregivers with limited food budgets to shop for and cook healthy meals. Other opportunities for training and professional development are scheduled for September and October during the construction of the demonstration garden. We hope to provide opportunities to train community members in tree planting and care, plant identification, and utilizing and connecting drip irrigation. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We disseminated lessons learned and successes through the monthly Food Security Network meeting put on by the Fresno County Health Improvement Partnership (FCHIP). This led to new partners involved in this kind of project like the Department of Public Health, Calfresh Healthly Living program. Successes and upcoming opportunities were also presented at a community event and popup community engagement workshops. We have continued to hold conversations with partners mentioned above and others groups looking to conduct similar work or interested in participating in the future. We have continued to provide feedback and updates to the Fresno Housing Authority on the progress, struggles, and victories of conducting this kind of project at this scale. Once our site is open, we plan to share lessons learned with others that may want to take on this kind of project. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?1. To involve 40 residents in a demonstration garden project. Begin construction in September, followed by a ground-breaking ceremony on October 1st. Hosting a tree planting training day in September for community members to prepare leaders to assist during our large volunteer planting day. On October 5th, put on a large community planting day to plant over 400 trees and native plants at our site, officially opening the site for public use. Through our partnership with Youth Leadership Institute, we will develop a youth group that would gain be trained in permaculture and be advocates in their communities for a just and sustainable agriculture system. They will also be able to help engage their fellow community members and students at Edison High School in the demonstration garden project. Open the gardening plots up to residents so they can begin to engage with the project and feed their families. 2. To improve food access, nutrition, health, and well-being of the residents. UC Master Gardeners program will provide regular garden education at our demonstration garden. With increase engagement through the garden and the development of a garden leadership team, we are hoping to improve resident's sense of safety and community to make them more comfortable in attending workshops and taking advantage of resources that are available to them. Through our partnership with Youth Leadership Institute, we will be collecting information on ways that residents would like to engage with the garden, their neighbors, and programming at the site. As gardeners begin to grow produce, we plan on collecting information on the amount of food grown and continue to assess the impact the garden has on food access and the health and well-being of residents. 3. To utilize the wholesale produce partnerships to reach self-sufficiency by year four. Begin programming after the construction of the garden is completed and regular classes, workshops and programming begin. Implement a self-sufficiency plan utilizing garden fees, sales, and additional funding strategies. 4. To identify five other Housing Authority sites for this community garden program by year three. Compile information on the effects that this project has had on the food access, nutrition, and overall well being of community members. This information will be presented to the Fresno Housing Authority and identify 5 other sites that could implement this kind of project. Once we have identified 5 sites, we will present the project to site leaders of those sites to improve the health and resilience of their residents. 5. To disseminate program successes through a range of conferences and presentations. As the garden becomes open and residents begin growing, we plan on disseminating program successes and recruit volunteers/gardeners through presentations, tabling events, and other outreach methods.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
1. To involve 40 residents in a demonstration garden project. Development of a demonstration garden: As we mentioned before in the previous report, our site plans took almost 2 years to get approved and were finally approved on 5/8/2018, severely pushing back our plans to establish a demonstration garden. After having to re-prepare the site for construction, the underground water infrastructure was installed in November 2018. The site was trenched, water lines were connected to the city water, and water valves were installed. The water valves were key to getting water to the site, giving us the ability to isolate potential future leaks, automatically water the planned orchard and native plants, and allow for spigots to be used by gardeners to water their crops. We have been meeting with contractors to gather estimates and quotes to build out the walking paths, plots and a large vehicles access road to allow us to bring resources to the site. We have accepted a proposal from a contractor and have disced the site once again to prepare it for construction. The locations where the road and pathways will be located have flagged out. Construction will begin this in September, followed by a ground-breaking ceremony on October 1st. In September, we will be hosting a tree planting training day for community members to prepare leaders to assist during our large volunteer planting day on October 5th, officially opening the site for public use. Resident Engagement: The delay of constructing a demonstration garden has made it difficult to continue to engage residents in the hopes of a garden. While the details of the garden construction were being finalized, we worked on developing outreach materials like flyers, a brochure, and PowerPoints. As we near the installation of pathways, we have started conducting outreach to reengage residents in the garden project. In the previous report, we mentioned that we submitted a proposal to the Fresno Transformative Climate Communities Collaborative part of the state's Transformative Climate Communities Program (TCC) and that our project was selected by the Committee. Over the next 3 years, we will receive $375,000 to continue to conducting community outreach and education about permaculture, biodiversity, urban food production, and secure site management. This work started in July and is being conducted in partnership with Youth Leadership Institute, who is assisting with conducting multi-cultural, multi-generational, and multi-lingual outreach to community residents and other community members around the demonstration garden. In May 30 and 31st, we presented at 2 popup workshops at community centers near our garden demonstration site. We displayed information and visuals about the upcoming garden and collected information on ways that residents would like to be engaged with TCC projects, including our garden project. We also handed out flyers at a TCC Community Meeting in June, inviting residents to attend our Ground-breaking Ceremony in October. During July-August, we have also been having planning meetings with Youth Leadership Institute to develop a youth group that would gain be trained in permaculture and be advocates in their communities for a just and sustainable agriculture system. They would also be able to help engage their fellow community members and students at Edison High School in the demonstration garden project. Partner Engagement: During this time, we continued to connect with our partners to receive technical assistance on developing the demonstration garden and planning ways to engage residents along the way. We worked with the following partners: California Alliance for Family Farmers (CAFF) - We have been working directly with the Director of Ecological Farming. CAFF provided technical assistance on weed management, soil health, purchasing farming equipment and farm management. Our project aligns with CAFF's mission to "build sustainable food and farming systems through policy advocacy and on-the-ground programs that create more resilient family farms, communities, and ecosystems." UC Cooperative Extension - We connected with the Small Farms and Specialty Crops Advisor. They provided technical assistance on reaching small farmers, food safety, and navigating organic certification. The Small Farms and Specialty Crops advisor and staff conduct research and extension programs to benefit small-scale farming operations and specialty crops. FCHIP Food Security Network - We participated in the Fresno County Health Improvement Partnership (FCHIP) through their Food Security Network. Participation in this network lead to collaboration on projects to improve food access throughout our city and an increase in outreach through their broad network and access to new project partners and resources. FCHIP was also able to assist with funding to install the walkways and road for our demonstration garden. FCHIP's Food Security Network mobilizes organizations committed to significantly increasing healthy food access and consumption in Fresno County. Tree Fresno - Tree Fresno pledged to donate 20 valley oak trees during our upcoming tree-planting day. They have also agreed to lead volunteers in tree planting to ensure trees survive and to engage residents in urban greening. The mission of Tree Fresno is to transform the San Joaquin Valley with trees, greenways and beautiful landscapes. 2. To improve food access, nutrition, health, and well-being of the residents. We were hoping to be able to engage residents in various programming in the garden and in the community center on site to improve and assess the impact of the garden on their overall health. The delays in the demonstration garden have affected our ability to meaningfully engage residents in a project that they are interested in. There is a lack of community engagement and attendance to workshops and classes being held at the community center. To assess the interest, we invited residents of Yosemite Village to attend a cooking and nutrition class we hosted at a nearby community center, Legacy Commons in January 2019. After conducting door-to-door outreach to residents at both complexes, we had a small number of participants who attended the series and graduated. On March 2019, we conducted another round of outreach to residents to invite them to a second cooking and nutrition class series to get a larger number of participants, which resulted in a total of 8 participants who completed the series. An area of engagement that has proven to be effective was focusing on providing engagement opportunities to children. Our local Department of Public Health, CalFresh Healthy Living program has started to conduct nutrition, gardening, and physical exercise programming to engage the children and parents at Yosemite Village. As the construction of the garden nears, we are coordinating partnerships to continue to improve resident's food access, nutrition, health, and well-being of residents. We have partnered with the UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners program, which have agreed to provide regular garden education at our demonstration garden. With increase engagement through the garden and the development of a garden leadership team, we are hoping to improve resident's sense of safety and community to make them more comfortable in attending workshops and taking advantage of resources that are available to them. Through our partnership with Youth Leadership Institute, we will be collecting information on ways that residents would like to engage with the garden, their neighbors, and programming at the site. 3. To utilize the wholesale produce partnerships to reach self-sufficiency by year four. While we wait on the demonstration garden to be completed, we have continued to connect with our partners to ensure they continue to be engaged in this project.
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Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:There have been two occurrences that have changed the trajectory of our project. The first has been the time delay due to the process for approving our site plans. This has set us back significantly regarding our production and community goals. We have used this time to leverage additional funding and increasing our local partnerships in the project. The second major change is in regards to the developpment second site listed in the grant. The parcel,the smaller of the two, was deemed a brownfield site, requireing the complete removal and disposal of thesoil. Remediation is beyond our capacity at the moment and we were required to remove it from our grant.The removal of the second site from our project was approved as it will not change the scope or objectives of our project. We are shifting funds to the larger site to improve infrastructure and reinforce our community engagement. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Our partnership with Signing Frogs Farm and Community Alliance with Family Farmers enabled us to send four small farmers and one small farm advisor from our local County Extension office to an intensive workshop with Singing Frogs Farm. This is the non-mechanical, no-till farming operation that we are modeling the production side of our project on. The workshop took place on 5/4/17 and consisted of the following topics: Overvoew of the Model Basics of Soil Biology and Principles of Better Soil Health Establishing New No-Till Beds or Fields Seeding and Nursery Management Compost, the Science and Application Bed Preparation, Transplanting & Multi-cropping Year-Round Production and the Management of No-Till Beds Alternate Methods for No-Till Bed Management When & When Not to use Mulch: Options and Applications Tools for Non-Mechanized, No-Till Farming Crop-Planning This training is assisting the small farmers in incorporating more sustainable practices on their current farms and preparing them for engaging an incubator plot on the site. We have also been able to institute our cooking and nutrition program in the area. We have partnered with Share our Strength's Cooking Matters program to offer free cooking and nutrition classes targeted at low income parents and care giversof children ages 0 - 5. We successfully conducted seven cohorts during the reporting period, enrolling 87 individuals and graduating 68, for a 78% graduation rate. We have incorporated the class into our regular programming and will continue to offer it inthe current year. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Now that we have begun to install the infrastructure, outreach has begun to reengage the community. Outreach will consist of door to door canvassing, group presentations, event tabling, and a social media campaign.The sites infrastructure will be completed in late winter/early spring of 2019. Infrastructure includes the installation of the irrigation system, road and pathway installment, the planting of native habitat, fruit trees, and hedgerows, construction of the tool shed, greenhouse and composting system, and the installation of the garden boxes. Once completed, we will be instituting our gardening educational programming for the community and participating gardeners, as well as developing the three incubator plots with the small farmers that will be registered to take part in the theno-till plots. The community will begin planting spring and summer crops as soon as possible.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Our project encountered mahy delays regarding site plan approval bythe City of Fresno Planning Department. The site plan approval processbegan on 12/22/16, with final approval of the site plans occurring on 5/8/18. The next step with the City before breaking ground was to receive the back check approval for the plumbing permit, which was received on 7/21/18.Despite this delay, we have maintained connections with the original 31 residents that worked with us to design the sight, but have not done extensive outreach for participants because we did not have a site for them to engage. We have begun to install the infrastructure for the garden as well as reengaging the community around theproject. The delay gave us the opportunity to do some deeper orgaizational outreach to strengthen future technical and community support. Our relationship with the UC Extension/Small Farm Advisors office has connected the project with technical assistance for hedgerow and native plant management and biological pest management training for participants. Hedgerow and pest management experts from the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, UC Berkeley, Hedgerows Unlimited, and Bravo Lake Botanical Garden all participated in the hedgerow design meeting and offered ongoing technical assistance in this area. Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) has also engaged the project and helped us get the incubator farmers to the training workshop at Singing Frogs Farm. CAFF has also conducted soil testing to determine soil organic matter levels and baseline nutrient levels in the soil. This will help us track progress as we move forward. Two local farming operations have come on board to assist in the project. Recently retired organic pioneer Tom Willey is interested in the science and crop productivity of the agricultural model that we are implementing and is advising the project and incubator farmers in techniques and crop management. The other farming operation is Baloian Farms, a larger scale farming operation in the area that grows crops near the project site. Even though their production model is very different from ours, they understand the value of the project for new and small farmers, and are assisting with ground preparation and technical support. The Youth Leadership Institute has also joined onto the project and we have just signed an MOU with them to conduct multi-cultural, multi-generational, and multi-lingual outreach to community residents and other community members throughout the neighborhood that the project is located. This youth engagement is critical for long term success of the project. Community Initiatives: The greatest benefit from our outreach efforts has been being able to leverage the project to increase broad engagement throughout the community. Our activities have resulted in inclusion in three major initiatives surrounding our project area. The South West Specific Plan, the Fresno Transformative Climate Communities Collaborative, and Fresno County Behavioral Health Office's Mental Health Services Act (MHSA). The first two initiatives are wide spread infrastructure projects focused on smart planning, green infrastructure, and community development, and the MHSA wishes to utilize our urban agriculture projects as a beneficial, community wide mental health initiative. Though the area has rich history of community, South West Fresno has been overlooked as a neighborhood suitable for development, suffers from a lack of employment and access to green spaces and healthy food options. The overarching goals of these three initiatives will bring together community led land use planning, targeted investment, and a focus on health to increase the quality of life in the area. The purpose of the South West Specific Plan is to "develop policies, programs, regulations, and guidelines to implement the jurisdictions adopted General Plan. A Specific Plan effectively establishes a link between implementing policies of the General Plan and the individual development proposals in a defined area. The Plan implements the goals and policies set forth in the City of Fresno General Plan (General Plan) by building upon its concepts for the Southwest Development Area. The Plan also includes ideas and measures that have been extensively tailored and reviewed by the Southwest Fresno community and stakeholders. The Plan provides guiding principles, policies, development criteria, and implementation strategies to coordinate private development and public improvements given the unique opportunities and characteristics of this important part of the city of Fresno." (from SWSP) Our project is not directly a part of the SWSP, but it complies with the goals of the plan and helps to move it forward. Some of the development plans include properties adjacent to our project site, such as a class-1 walking and biking trail that will draw more people to our site and give greater opportunity for educational and community based opportunities for our project. The Fresno Transformative Climate Communities Collaborative is part of the state's Transformative Climate Communities Program (TCC), and the Collaborative is a participatory process to identify a series of projects to invest in that will result in significant environmental and economic benefits for people who live or work in downtown, Chinatown, and southwest Fresno. The Collaborative, a group of over 200 participants that either live, work, or own properties within the project area, met to establish a proposal that has been submitted to the state for the $70 million from the TCC. A variety of projects proposals were submitted to the Collaborative for inclusion to the greater proposal package. The Valley Permaculture Farm was selected by the Committee as one of the community projects for inclusion. We are receiving $375,000 over three years to continue conducting community outreach and education about permaculture, biodiversity, urban food production, and secure site management. The Fresno County Behavioral Health MHSA initiative will provide broader community engagement by securing staff for site management, community engagement and education, as well as general support for continued programming throughout Fresno's other community gardens. We are entering contract negotiations with them in 2018, for an additional $100,000 per year to use the site as the primary activity hub for their county wide gardening initiative. This will allow us to teach permaculture, urban farming, and organic gardening techniques to existing and new gardens within their network. We are well positioned for success as we continue to develpp the site.
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Progress 09/01/16 to 08/31/17
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience reached in the first year of this project consists of residents from three Housing Authority complexes. The residents are primarily low income or farm labor. The racial and ethnic make up of the residences is predominantly Latino and African American, with some Caucasian and South East Asian. The initial outreach to engage residents in the project was atYosemite Village, consisting of 69 single family apartments andneighboring complexes, Mariposa Meadows (40 units of multifamily duplexes) and Sierra Pointe (53 single family houses). Each residence was contacted through door to door outreach efforts. Despite making contact with each residence, we are unsure how many individuals live in each residece and do not have a total count of actual residents. At a minimum, 162 residences were connected with. Of the residences contacted, 31 people participated in several community meetings that included introductions to the project, permaculture workshops, and site design charettes. Changes/Problems:The only immediate change to the project was the order of sites. We anticipated to engage the Rennaisance at Santa Clara site first and the Yosemite Village site second. Due to overwhelming interest at the Yosemite Village site, we opted to begin the project there. There has been no change to the scope of the project or any of the activities. Our greatest problem has been obtaining approval of the project from the Planning Department of the City of Fresno. Due to the scale of the Yosemite Village site, nearly 8-acres, the City of Fresno has been placing many of the same conditions on the project as they would a housing or business park development. The last several months has been spect working closely with different City departments to educate them on the project. Requirements like parking lots, street improvements, and lighting have delayed the approval of our site plans. We are expecting to have our final list of conditions in hand by 8/25. Tjis has not changed the scope of the project, but has delayed site development and resident participation dramatically. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The gardens design and operations are based on permaculture principles that will allow residents to sustain garden operations long term. Trainings have focussed on permaculture principles like composting, hedgerow design, soil building techniques, water storage, and increasing biodiversity to manage pests and increase production. Using these learned principles, the residents then participated in design charettes and appliedthe principles to site design. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?As the garden progresses further into the development phase, more community outreach will occur beyond the immediate neighbors to the site. Project partners are updated as the project continues in order to keep them aware of timelines relating to their specific participation. A resident leadership team is currently being determined from the original group of 31 resident participants. The team will continue to assist in site development and resident recruitment to the project to increase the number of project participants. The project is currently working with the City of Fresno to get the site pans approved. Once approved, residents and partners will install the waterlines, construct thethe garden beds,and begin the planting of hedgerows and fruit trees. Gardening classes will begin for participant gardeners as they start to plant in their garden plots. Metro has already begun discussions with partners regarding our second garden site, the Rennaissance at Santa Clara. We are currently in the technical planning phases for this site and are looking into what direction to take with residents regarding site design.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The location of our project is in a neighborhood that is traditionally food insecure and does not have consistent access to healthy fruits and vegetables. The project will increase access to fruits and vegetables through food based educational and entrepreneurial activities within walking distance of the target population. In the first year of the project, we have engaged 31 residents for participation in the first of two garden sites. The project is still in its development phase, and no produce has been grown yet. The residents have participated in community meetings, site design charettes, and permaculture workshops that have aided them in designing the site to best fir their needs.
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