LEARNING FROM THE
Ground up
URBAN TILTH KEEPS WEST COUNTY HEALTHY
BY DEVELOPING COMMUNITY GARDENS
EEating healthy is no easy task.
It’s not cheap either. Urban Tilth
was founded in 2005 to fight this
problem from the ground up.
Literally.
Over the past 15 years, Urban
Tilth has developed, and continues
developing, 7 agricultural garden
sites throughout the greater
Richmond area. They’ve been
devoted to teaching kids and
community members alike all
about how to grow their own
food, and how to eat healthier.
One of these gardens supports the
community surrounding Verde
Elementary School. The Verde
Partnership Garden functions
like a sort of outdoor laboratory
where students can learn all about
cooking, nutrition, even math,
science, and leadership skills.
“The garden also brings affordable,
healthy food to Verde School
students and the North Richmond
community,” Urban Tilth proudly
boasts.
At another garden, located at
Richmond High School, Urban
Tilth’s Urban Agriculture
Academy gets to work on an
8,000-sq. ft. farm with 14 raised
garden beds, complete with
a tool shed and greenhouse.
This provides enough resources
for 30 students to take a yearlong
26 MARKETPLACECONTRACOSTA.COM FEBRUARY 2020
accredited course learning
all about soil building, water
By Matt Larson
conservation, climate change, even
environmental justice.
Urban Tilth also offers a Summer
Apprentice Program, which
they refer to as a “life-changing
summer of intensive urban
agriculture training, community
engagement, mind-opening
filed trips and paid summer
employment.” …paid? Apprentices
can earn a $1000 stipend for about
100 hours of hands-on learning
and community service. Not bad
for a hard summer’s work.
Suffice it to say, Urban Tilth had
a mission to get out into the
community and make a difference
when it comes to nutrition and
agriculture, and over the past 15
years they’ve done just that.