Sowing Solutions

Words by Ava Motes

As the holiday season draws near, the spirit of giving is taking root in local nonprofit farms and community gardens. Beyond the crops they nurture, these organizations are sowing solutions to some of society's most pressing issues. Whether they’re addressing food insecurity, promoting nutrition through educational programs, or practicing regenerative agriculture, these farms are leading by example. As we celebrate the season of giving, we’re excited to highlight the work local farms and nonprofits are doing to cultivate a healthier and more sustainable Texas.

San Antonio Food Bank Farms

The San Antonio Food Bank is addressing food insecurity with two farms that supply fresh, organic produce to underserved communities. In neighborhoods where access to healthy, affordable food is limited, these farms have become a vital part of the solution.

The first farm, located on 25 acres adjacent to the food bank, was established in 2007 and is now the largest urban farm in San Antonio. The second, located on 50 acres of historical farmland at Mission San Juan, broke ground in 2018 as a result of a unique partnership with the National Park Service. Both sites are now critical to the food bank’s motto: “Food for today, food for tomorrow, and food for the future.”

The food bank distributes roughly 30,000 pounds of fresh produce each year, much of which is sourced via donations. However, Mitch Hagney, who manages the farms as director of food sustainability, says that bringing food production closer to the food bank allowed them to grow more high-demand produce and ensure a reliable, quality supply.

“We don’t spread synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. We don’t use any herbicides, so we know that what we’re distributing to the public is of the highest quality,” Hagney says.

For many families in food deserts — areas with limited access to grocery stores — fresh produce is hard to come by. Food Bank president and CEO Eric Cooper recalled an eye-opening experience from a distribution event, where he learned he had given a group of children their first-ever watermelon. Their mother explained that without a car she couldn’t bring such a bulky item home.

“It was an enlightening moment for me to realize how ... their diet and their ability to nourish themselves was impacted because of logistical nuances that those with a car are privileged not to experience,” Cooper says. 

In addition to produce distribution, the farms provide opportunities to educate the community about local food systems and production methods.

“We hope that when people come on-site, they develop a notion of eating seasonally, of the work that's involved in agriculture, but also [the knowledge] that they are able to participate in agriculture,” Hagney says.

Hagney explains that the urban farm focuses on modern food production techniques, while the Mission San Juan farm gives visitors and volunteers insight into historical food production. Part of the site showcases colonial farming using a historic acequia for irrigation, while another portion is dedicated to native crops like nopales, which are farmed with input from the local indigenous community.

“It's enormously gratifying,” Hagney says. “I think for a lot of us who are passionate about improving the food system, sustainable agriculture and food insecurity are our two priorities. And it's a real privilege to be able to work on both at the same time.”

Hope Farms

Photo Courtesy of Hope Farms.

In the heart of Houston, Hope Farms is reshaping education and accessibility around healthy eating. Launched as part of the Recipe for Success Foundation — a Houston-grown nonprofit with a now-national reach — Hope Farms is a decidedly local endeavor.

“We’d like to think of ourselves as the city’s farm,” Recipe for Success and Hope Farms founder Gracie Cavnar says. 

Since the seven-acre farm opened in 2017, it has become a crucial part of the foundation’s mission, which also includes school-based nutrition education and public awareness campaigns. Hope Farms specializes in a hands-on, holistic and community-centered approach, offering healthy food and educational opportunities for all ages. The farm is a popular destination for students on field trips and scout troops, who have the opportunity to take free cooking and gardening classes on-site. It also hosts extended summer camps and works to train the next generation of urban farmers.

“The beauty of the kids coming to the farm is they get more of a broad understanding of the bigger world food system,” Cavnar says. “It gives them a more visceral touchpoint to where food comes from.”

The farm enhances Recipe for Success’ Seed-to-Plate school program, which pairs gardening and nutrition lessons with core curriculum concepts, but it also helps meet visitors where they’re at. Cavnar explains lessons cover everything from nature cycles to pollination and the importance of buying local to reduce carbon emissions.

However, giving kids an appetite for healthy, locally grown produce is only half the work. Hope Farms also helps make produce more accessible throughout the Houston area by promoting the spread of homegrown urban farming projects. Their urban farmer training programs, including From Warriors to Farmers for veterans, provide aspiring farmers with the tools and skills to launch their own operations in the Gulf Coast region.

“I'm very much invested in the idea that we need a necklace of urban farms throughout our cities — certainly to serve food desert neighborhoods, but to serve all neighborhoods ... I want people to know their farmers and in order to do that in a sustainable way, those farms have to be businesses,” Cavnar says, adding that the program couples agricultural and business training to ensure farmer success.

To help connect the community with its farmers, Hope Farms also hosts Market Days every Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., where neighbors can purchase produce from the farm, current and former students of the program, and other regional partners. And on First Saturdays, the market operates like a mini festival with visiting local chefs, artisans, crafts and additional seasonal programming.

“Our market is really part of our community,” Cavnar says, emphasizing the importance of platforming other Houston-area farmers. “We really want to put Houston on the map as a city that feels like this is important.”

University of Texas Microfarm

Photo courtesy of UT Microfarm.

Just north of the University of Texas at Austin campus lies an unexpected half-acre of urban farmland. Once a vacant strip of grass in a flood plain behind the Whitaker Courts, this plot is now home to the thriving Campus Environmental Center Microfarm, the university’s first student-run organic farming endeavor.

Founded in 2012 and relocated to its current home in 2018, the Microfarm serves as both a source of fresh produce for the campus community and a living classroom where student volunteers gain hands-on experience with sustainable agriculture. The site includes a community garden with rentable plots, as well as a managed farm area, which donates all its produce to UT Outpost, the university’s on-campus food pantry. Since their first harvest at the current site, Microfarm co-leads Hillary Xu and Andie Eastland estimate they have donated around 1,500 pounds of fresh produce to UT Outpost.

Valeria Martin, the university’s assistant director for basic needs, says that produce is in high demand at the food pantry — in part because it can be difficult to access for those living without a car in the university area. 

“Many folks would say that the West Campus area, where many students live, is a food desert that doesn't have very easy access to grocery stores. That makes the partnership with UT Microfarm very important and very special,” Martin says. “It allows a space for students to learn to grow food on their own and support each other.”

Xu says Microfarm practices organic and regenerative agriculture techniques, which result in fresher and more nutritious produce for donation. She and Eastland are proud to harvest heirloom crops and other produce students couldn’t readily find in supermarkets, such as purple cauliflower. As a bonus, Eastland says that their practices promote better crop diversity and soil health.

“We do cover cropping, so we let half the field lay fallow. We grow crops that rejuvenate the soil on it for a season, and we're growing produce on the opposite side,” Eastland says, adding that it's important to educate their peers about the care that goes into food production. “I think there’s a certain pride, even for someone who's just there for a day, in knowing that the produce [you’re] harvesting, the produce that is fit to give to this food bank, is a little miracle.”

By working to replenish the soil, the Microfarm team has helped turn once “unusable” land into a productive and important part of the campus-area food system. They’ve also educated and empowered fellow students in the process.

Every Sunday on the farm, student volunteers gather for workdays, when they split into small groups to plant, weed or build new beds. Each workday begins with a brief orientation for newcomers, and is followed by a midday educational session on important issues pertaining to nutrition and sustainability. 

“It's often people's first experience doing anything of the sort, whether that’s gardening or just being outdoors,” Xu says. “I think the Microfarm serves as that bridge for the gap that is often experienced in urban centers, where you don't really get experience with growing food.”

To learn more, visit: safoodbank.org, hopefarmshtx.org and utenvironment.org.