Our project will support the development of a network of 5 edible gardens and orchards in 5 different locations throughout the food insecure immigrant neighborhood of Boyle Heights, that will beautify and green the neighborhood, create public space, alleviate air pollution, remediate toxic soil and provide low income residents with locally grown fresh produce. The gardens will include fruit trees, benches, compost stations, raised beds for flowers and vegetables, and will be build next to the buildings where the members of Union de Vecinos live. Care and maintenance will be conducted by trained teams of volunteers neighboring the farm. Based out of this multi-sited farm, intergenerational educational workshops will be done on agroecology and urban farming. Produce will be accessible and redistributed through the regular food distributions currently taking place as well as in hot meal preparation for housed and unhoused neighbors.

Boyle Heights is an under-served migrant neighborhood just east of downtown LA, where one in four households lives below the federal poverty line and 40% of residents have no supermarket within a 15 minute walk impacting access to healthy foods. Furthermore extreme rent increases due to gentrification, a housing shortage exacerbated by the wildfires, and economic hardship brought on by federal raids have left many families severely food insecure.

Boyle Heights however, also has a rich tradition of self-reliance and mutual aid. Union de Vecinos has over 30 years of history of tenants representing tenants in the struggle for housing and dignified living conditions, fighting evictions, and improving the neighborhood. Currently we are providing 350 households every 2 weeks with recovered fresh produce.

Now we want to build on this tradition. BHGN is a pilot for an extensive network of edible gardens that will increase their yields by working together. Thus feeding our neighborhood by growing the food where it will be consumed.