Yo’Ville Community Garden and Farm

Project Summary: The project’s goal is to create a just and local food system by providing residents and community members with tools, knowledge and access to land. This is accomplished by utilizing vacant land for residents to grow their own food, creating opportunities to share knowledge on growing and eating healthy food, and organizing residents to directly improve access to fresh produce and green spaces.

Details: Fresno Metro Ministry (Metro) is partnering with the Fresno Housing Authority to develop a resident-led community garden and urban green space in Southwest Fresno behind the 69-unit Yosemite Village housing complex. The 7-acre site is less than 150 yards from the designated California Avenue BRT corridor. The project will incorporate organic and permaculture techniques including non-mechanical, no-till, no-spray methods that promote carbon sequestration and water conservation. The garden/farm includes native habitat, fruit trees, greenhouse, walking paths, composting, farm stand, and is open for Southwest Fresno community members. Garden activities will be integrated with nutrition/cooking skills classes and job training/entrepreneurship opportunities. Farm activities on three (3) half-acre demonstration parcels will also be integrated with the outreach, education, and training programs. The project will establish a Garden Leadership Committee that will manage the garden’s operations and maintenance of the garden, and Metro will manage the operations and maintenance of the farm plots and green space. Outreach efforts will consist of multi-cultural, multi-generational, multi-lingual outreach to residents and community members, to engage the community in the project site’s programming. Outreach activities will include permaculture training, canvassing, informational presentations, tabling events, social media, and quarterly focus groups.

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