A new urban farm in Providence’s Olneyville neighborhood opens today. It’s the fifth urban farm created by the nonprofit Southside Community Land Trust.
The land trust has a network of 51 urban farms and community gardens. Executive Director MargaretDeVos explains that Providence needs these spaces because several of the city’s neighborhoods lack grocery stores. That means residents have limited access to produce at most of their local convenience stores.
“Many stores opt for processed foods that have a longer shelf life,” saidDeVos, “and that makes sense if you’re trying to reduce spoilage in your business. But it doesn’t help people who are trying to offer a nutritious, balanced diet for their families.”
DeVos estimates the farmer who will run Sky Hill Farm will produce 3,500 pounds of local produce a year. The farm is located on a quarter-acre parcel near the Rising Sun Mill development.
DeVos said these agricultural spaces are long-term investments.
“We fully own the land, or we control it for at least 20 years,” she said, “because what we don’t want to do is build a garden or a farm and [then] have it disappear.”
The land trust used $35,000 in local and national grants to turn Sky Hill into a working farm with irrigation and fencing.
Mayor Jorge Elorza will join the land trust’s ribbon-cutting ceremony today.
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