Urban Agriculture magazine • number 22 • June 2009

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An Update from New OrleansMartin Bailkey

Of all American cities, present-day New Orleans best exemplifies the concept of resilience in its ongoing struggle to recover its position as the urban centre of the central Gulf Coast region, and as a city of national significance in tourism, ship-ping and biomedicine. Two trips to the city in autumn 2008, more than three years after 80 per cent of the city was under water and the entire population had to flee for weeks or months, con-vinced the author (a New Orleans native) that much that was once considered “normal” has returned.

Streetsandexpresswayswerecloggedwithtraffic,popular restaurants had long been reopened, the majorannual festivals had returned stronger than ever. Andschools in the city ofNewOrleans itself1,many reopenedunder the independent, charter schoolmodel (inwhich anewschooliscreatedandmanagedindependentlyofalocalschool district, but under a state-granted charter), haveshownmarkedimprovementsinstudentperformanceoverschools run under the pre-storm (pre-Katrina) model.Althoughlocalpoliticsagaindisplaythedysfunctionalchar-acter thatcharacterisedthepre-Kcity,manyresidentsareheartenedbyimprovementsinotheraspectsofurbanlife.

ResilienceinNewOrleansiscommonlymarkedbycompari-sonsofpost-Kcountsofvarioussocialandeconomicindiceswithcorrespondingpre-Knumbers.Fewoftheseindicesareatorabovewhattheywerebeforethestorminmid-2005.Thecity’sfoodsystem,alongwithitsmedicalinfrastructure,hasbeenespeciallyslowtorebound.ThisisparticularlytrueofthemostevidentrepresentativeofanyUScity’sfoodsystem– full-service supermarkets. In spring 2008, 18 full-servicemarkets(downfromthepre-Knumberof38)servedanaver-ageof18,000residentsperstore;thenationalaverageintheUSbeing8,800.2

Inthiscontext,itwouldseemthaturbanagricultureadvo-catesandpractitionerswouldseeauniqueopportunitytoestablishurbanfarmingasacriticalpartofa rebuilt foodinfrastructure. But urban agriculture has not necessarilybeenthesolefocusoftheactivistorganisations–workingoutsideofgovernment–thatstartedenvisioninganewfoodsystemforNewOrleansinlate2005.AnearlyleadershiprolewasassumedbytheNewOrleansFoodandFarmNetwork(NOFFN), a small non-profit organisation formednot longbeforeKatrina.Byearly2006,NOFFNhadcreatedtheNOLAFoodMapProject,anattempttohelptheresidentsofparticu-larlyhard-hitneighbourhoodssimplyaccessfood–whetherfromgrocerystores,farmers’markets,reopenedrestaurantsoremergencyfoodproviders.Atthispoint,urbangardening

siteswereinactive,eitherbecausegardenershadnotreturnedtoNewOrleansorbecauseofcontaminatedsoils. Later,inspring2007,aconsortiumofstakeholdersbeganmeetingtostudy food access issues in the city. No one in this groupdirectly represented urban agriculture and communitygardens, and the subsequent March 2008 report offeredrecommendationstocitygovernmentrelatedtofoodretail-ing, but not inner-city food production. This reflected aprimaryfocusonfoodretailingasamechanismtosupportbothfoodsecurityandcommercialeconomicrevitalisationinthemostdistressedneighbourhoods.

Itdidnottakelong,however,foragrowingurbanagriculturalscenetobecomeevidentinneighbourhoodsallacrossNewOrleans.Thisoccurrednotthroughanyfocusedgovernmentrenewalpolicy, but through the energy ofnumerous indi-vidualsandgrassrootsorganisationsseizingonurbanagri-cultureasatoolofempowermentandcommunityself-deter-mination–inacontextofslowerprogressinareasinvolvinggovernmentalintervention;forexample,thereturnofpublicservices like libraries. Through the following examples,organisationsarechannellingcommunityinterestinurbanfarmingintoseveralnewprojects.

NOFFN,forexample,nowincorporatesurbanagricultureintoits leadership role by building the production capacity ofurban farmers and gardeners. It directs them to practicalresourcessuchascompost,conductsaseriesofwell-attendedpublicworkshopsonvariousurbanfarmingtopics,andhaspromotedtheattendanceofurbangrowersatcommunitymeetingswherelocalsseekinputintothecity’spost-Kmasterplan.NOFFNstaffmemberPamBroomreportsthatNOFFNisfurtherextendingitsreachbypartneringwithotherorgani-sations involved in the city’s recovery, such as theMake ItRightFoundation,foundedbyactorBradPitttobuildsustain-ably designed homes in the Lower NinthWard. Now thathouses are being completed and more are on the way,Foundationrepresentativesarelookingforotherapproachestopromoteasustainablerecovery,andhaveidentifiedurban

Promoting Access to Food in Contagem, Brazil

Back yard Villere ViewPhoto: Brennan Dougherty

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An Update from New Orleans

gardensasanimportantdimensionofagreen,sociallyvitalneighbourhood.

ThefocusofmuchofNOFFN’scurrenteffortsisthe0.5-hect-areHollygroveGrowersMarketandFarm,nowwellonitswaytobecominganoutletforfreshfoodtotheresidentsofthispartially restored neighbourhood, as well as becoming acentreforurbanagricultureeducationandpractice.Amidsta collectionofgrowingand composting spaces sitsanew“GreenGrocery,” theheadquartersofa 175-memberneigh-bourhood buying club that will pool the resources of itsmembersintoasinglemarketforfoodgrownbysmallfarm-ers inNewOrleans and the rich farmlands outside of thecity.

InNewOrleans East, theMQVN (MaryQueenofVietnam)CommunityDevelopmentCorporationiscreatinganambi-tiousfarmandmarketprojectamidstNewOrleans’sactivecommunityofVietnamese refugees.TheVietnamesewereamongthefirsttoreturntoNewOrleanspost-K,quicklyandindependently re-establishing a self-sufficient system ofurbanagriculturebasedongrowing traditional fruitsandvegetablesinresidentialyardsandalongprotectionlevees.Toencourageeconomicdevelopmentaroundfoodproduction,theVietVillageUrban Farm is transforming 11hectaresofundevelopedlandatthecommunity’sedgeintosmallgardenplots,commercialfarmingplots,alivestockfarm,andstruc-turestohouseweeklymarketsandspecialfestivalsfortheregion’sAsianrefugees.

TheVietVillagesiteplan,jointlydevelopedbytheMQVNCDC,theTulaneUniversityCityCenteroutreachprogram(alsoaHollygroveFarmpartner)andtheLouisianaStateUniversityDepartmentofLandscapeArchitecture,containsanumberofinnovative practices, including bioswales to address theongoingdrainageissuesacrossasitethatwasoncewetland.AccordingtoProjectManagerPeterNguyen,oncetheneces-

sarypermitsareissuedfundraisingwillbeginwiththeintentofcompletingthefarmandgardensby2012,andthemarketstructureayearorsolater.

NewOrleansisacitycharacterisedbystrongneighbourhoodidentity.Someneighbourhoodsweredevastatedbythe2005flooding. Others, such as those on high ground along theMississippiRiver,wereuntouchedbyfloodwaters.Thus,signsofresiliencearenotevenlyspreadacrossNewOrleans.Onecan gauge overall resilience at a city-wide scale, but it isperhapsmoreaccuratetoassesstheresiliencyofNewOrleansatthescaleofindividualneighbourhoods–thescaleatwhichactive, grassroots, non-governmental organisations arerestoringhomesandbusinesses.ThenewurbanagricultureprojectsinHollygroveandNewOrleansEastarepartofthislargermovementofneighbourhoodself-determination.

Also evident within New Orleans neighbourhoods is theresumption of the more traditional role of communitygardensinNewOrleans.ParkwayPartners,alocalNGOandthecity’slong-timeproviderofcommunitygardens,currentlymanages 29 garden sites across New Orleans.While thisnumberislowcomparedtothenumberofsuchgardensincomparably sized US cities, Parkway Partners ExecutiveDirector Jean Fahr considers this a legitimate accomplish-mentinthecity’soverallrenewal.Sheproudlynotesthateachgardenhasawaitinglist,andisof“superiorquality”–atesta-menttoboththenewvalueplacedongardeninginpost-KNewOrleans,andtothefactthatanumberofgardenersarenew,post-KNewOrleanianswithsignificantgardeningexpe-rience.

ParkwayPartners’GardenCoordinator,MaconFry,himselfaveteranlocalgardener,seesanabundanceofnewenergyandideasamongthecity’snewurbanfarmers,butalsowishesthathisorganisationhadadequateresourcestodedicatetothisrenewal.Hisconcernsareechoedbyothers–withgovern-

Macon Fry pulls up a bunch of beautiful red radishes at Gathering Tree Photo: Brennan Dougherty

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Notes1) In this article “New Orleans” refers to the city itself – Orleans Parish

– and not the other five metropolitan parishes (counties) in the area. These incurred much less damage from Hurricane Katrina.

2) “Building Healthy Communities: Expanding Access to Fresh Food Retail,” a report of the New Orleans Food Policy Advisory Committee, March 2008.

mentmoney earmarked for large-scale infrastructure andbuildingprojects, thehigh levelofdedication to the incre-mentalrebuildingofNewOrleansonthepartofindividualsandsmallcommunityorganisationsisnotmatchedbytheamountofavailablefundingfromprivateandphilanthropicsources.

Along with community gardeners, the independent cityfarmeralsohasan important role toplay in the returnofurbanagriculturetoNewOrleansneighbourhoods.In2008,ona vacant 280 sq.metre corner lot in the city’sMid-Cityneighbourhood, NOFFN Program Director Marilyn Yankcreated, in her spare time, the Little Sparrow Farm. Afterdeterminingthatthiscornerlotwhichislocatedthreeblocksfromher home andwas formerly used primarily for drugdealing,waslargelyfreeofcontaminants,Yankplantedavari-etyofvegetablesandedibleornamentals,borderedbyaflow-ering fence. Pedestrians became interested and learnedmoreaboutthegardenfromanexplanatorysignYanksetuponthecorner,andshebegansellinghervegetablestoneigh-boursonSundaymornings.TheRubySlipperCaféisconve-niently located across the street, and it began purchasingwhateverwasappropriatetoitsmenu.

When asked whatmotivated her to create Little SparrowFarm,Yankquicklyexplainsthatsheseesherselfaspartof“somethingbigger”,anexampleforotherstofollow.Andtruetoherhope,otherentrepreneursaroundtownarecreatinganetworkof individual farmsandgardens,accompaniedbytheslowerdevelopmentofaninfrastructurecentredontech-nicalassistance,soilassessmentandremediation,andwideavailabilityofmanufacturedorganiccompost.

PerhapsthemostinterestingentrepreneurialexampleistheLowerNinthWardUrbanFarmingCoalition,whichcontinuesitseffortstoactontheopportunitypresentedbythehundredsofvacantlandparcelsnotlikelytobedevelopedinthefore-seeablefuture.Neighbourhoodlandowners,manyofthemelderly,typicallylacktheresourcestobuildontheirproper-tiesandareunwillingtoselltospeculators,butareopentoleasingthesitestoacommunityorganisationatlittleornocost.Recently,a615sq.metresiteonNorthVillereStreet,oncethesiteofa“doubleshotgun”homecharacteristicofolderNewOrleansneighbourhoods,was acquiredby theUrbanFarming Coalition to establish the first in what CoalitionmemberBrennanDoughertyenvisionsasalinkednetworkoffoodproductionsitesscatteredamonghomes.Thecommu-nity-supportedagriculturemodel,wherestakeholderspayafarmer upfront for a season’s worth of food, and whichnormallyinvolvesoneorperhapstwofarms,isbeingadaptedbytheCoalitiontomultipleNinthWardresidentialproper-ties.Aleasehasjustbeenestablishedforasecondsite,andthe Coalition has verbal agreements for eight others.DoughertyalsohopestojoinNOFFNinpartneringwiththeMakeItRightFoundationtocreatefood-producinggardensacrosstheLowerNinthWard.

Anycityisacomplicatedwebofinteractivesystems:ecology,economy, transport, education, public health, recreation,food,etc.EachofthesewasseverelystressedinNewOrleans

in2005,andtheyhaverecoveredatdifferentratesoverthepastfouryears.Thisarticlehasattemptedtodescribetheroleofurbanagricultureintherebuildingofthecity’sfoodsystem.Alongwithneworreturninggrocerystores,farmers’marketsandthetraditionalvendingoffruits,vegetablesandseafoodfromsmalltrucksparkedonmajoravenues,thepopulationisnowalsoservedbynewlyrestoredcommunitygardensandurbanfarmsandwillsoon,advocateshope,haveaccesstoaninfrastructure of training, markets and composting sites.Certainlocalobstaclestourbanagriculturepractice–limitedaccesstoland,theneedtoraiseneededfundstostartandmaintainprojects,contaminatedland,andlimitedavailabil-ityofcompost–arenotendemic toNewOrleans.But theopportunityexistsforthecitytobecomeanationalmodelforanincreasedroleofurbanagriculturealongsideotherdistri-butionmechanismsforlocallyproducedfood.Urbanfarming

isstrengtheningtheNewOrleansfoodsystemandcreatingintheprocessahealthier,moresustainablecommunity.ButthefutureofNewOrleansremainsdependenton thereli-abilityofthenetworkofprotectionleveesandbarriersnowbeingstrengthenedbytheUSArmyCorpsofEngineers,andtherestorationofLouisiana’scoastalwetlands.Urbanagri-cultureisnotameansofprotectingNewOrleansfromfurthercatastrophe.Butitispartofalargerblueprintforrebuildingandrenewal.

Citygovernmenthasbeenslowtocreateasupportiveenvi-ronmentforurbanfarming,suchasallowingfarmersaccesstothecity’slandbankofproperties.Notsurprisingly,there-fore, ever since rebuilding began in the autumn of 2005urban agriculture practitioners and advocates have notwaited formunicipal actions toproceed.Theyunderstandthat the availability of needed philanthropic grants dedi-catedtorenewalwilllessenastimegoeson,andthatevenasmall grant to start an urban farm can be leveraged intomultiple community benefits. As long as some funds areavailable – along with land and compost – the 12-monthgrowing season in New Orleans promises to yield a richharvestoffruitsandvegetablestonourishthecity’srebirth.

Martin BailkeyCo-coordinator,MetroAg:theAllianceforUrbanAgricultureEmail:bailkey@sbcglobal.net

“Urban farming is strengthening the New Orleans food system”