Philly’s urban gardens

Philly has nearly 470 community gardens. We'll discuss the benefits of urban farming, the challenges these gardens face, and what the city is doing to support them.

Air Date: June 5, 2019

A young girl works in a community garden. (Courtesy of VietLead)

Philadelphia has roughly 470 community gardens across the city and nearly half of those are on abandoned lots or land the gardeners don’t own. Navigating the process of land ownership is complicated and many land rights activists worry that urban farmers do not have access to the resources they need. On this show, ASHLEY RICHARDS, Philadelphia’s new director of urban agriculture, discusses the city’s strategic plan to help urban farmers gain ownership of their land. EBONY GRIFFIN of the Public Interest Law Center also joins to talk about food insecurity and land use rights along with VietLEAD’s LAN DINH who works with immigrant populations relying on urban farms for food and cultural preservation.

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