Garcia Street Urban Farm
Programs
Who We Are
Garcia Street Urban Farm was formed as a partnership between the Alamo Colleges District (San Antonio College, William R. Sinkin Eco Centro) and the San Antonio Housing Authority. We strive to create and maintain a thriving space at the intersection of education, food production, and community engagement.
Our Mission
We strive to empower our community to engage in the local food system through our unique regional ecosystem and our dynamic green space on San Antonio’s Eastside that produces fresh healthy food, supports local farmers, and empowers all with educational resources.
Our Vision
We envision a community wealthy with fresh, healthy food and cultural and educational resources, supported by our urban farm and dedicated partners.
Our impact through urban food production: Urban agriculture increases access to healthy, locally grown, and culturally appropriate sources of food. Growing and sharing food builds wealth in disinvested and underserved neighborhoods while preserving green spaces, providing places for neighbors to come together, and building community cohesion. Urban food systems lessen the burdens of food insecurity, diabetes, heart disease, and other nutrition-related health impacts. Locally grown food increases climate resilience, captures and stores carbon, creates urban wildlife and pollinator habitat, improves watershed health, reduces pollution, generates jobs, and grows local economies. Our 4.1-acre urban farm on San Antonio’s Eastside collaborates with local partners to create pathways for sustainable, local, urban food systems where our community can access healthy, nutritious food.
Objectives
- Create access to learning about organic, regenerative urban farming
- Improve cross-community pollination of farming initiatives
- Increase access to nutrition education on food systems
- Promote food security
- Develop and strengthen partnerships and build community engagement
- Build safe, healthy, and sustainable environments for our neighbors, community members, students and the greater San Antonio area
Unique Features
- One of the only housing authority, community, and higher education-led urban farming and food production initiatives in the nation
- Collaboration with local distribution networks and community markets to create and strengthen farm-to-market, table, and neighborhood pathways
- Urban pollinator meadow and wildlife habitat
- Research plots in partnership with local universities and colleges
- Robust educational programming for community members, youth undergraduate and
- Graduate students, farmers, and food production specialists (certificate and associate degree programs)