Sprout City Farms responds to the recent Westword article. At the end of last week, an article was published in the Westword entitled Dahlia Square could become a garden spot -- but right now, plans are sowing dissension in the neighborhood. The article discusses some of the tensions and challenges related to gentrification, inequality, and urban agriculture, specifically in the Northeast Park Hill neighborhood. Sprout City Farms (SCF) believes that these issues are important and often lacking proper attention in urban agriculture conversations and practice. However, SCF was disappointed by the inaccuracies and divisive tone throughout this article. Rather than being pitted against each other as the story suggests, SCF recognizes Eastside Growers Collective, Grow Local Colorado, and the Garden as respected peers, friends and mentors. Relationships between these groups have, and continue to be, full of grace, integrity, and a mutual desire for understanding. We are truly grateful to have such relationships. Sprout City Farms would also like to publicly clarify some inaccuracies in the article that may mislead the readers and misrepresent the status of the farm site at the future MHCD center in northeast Park Hill. SCF has not signed on or appointed anyone to lead the farming initiative. Sprout City Farms respects the important work of MHCD and appreciates this new exploration of how urban agriculture intersects with mental health; however, SCF has no formal partnership with MHCD at this time and would only enter into one with open dialogue and endorsement from the surrounding neighborhood. We also want to clarify that SCF has not been seeking a site in Northeast Park Hill. Last year when SCF was ready to expand, we issued an RFP across all of metro-Denver and chose Mountair Park from among the applicant neighborhoods based on a high level of interest and engagement in that community. A few months ago, MHCD began asking SCF and several other groups to share their knowledge and expertise as they explored the idea of incorporating an urban farm at their new site, which would likely include food production operations in 2016. For SCF, this process has served as a catalyst for important conversations and raised our standards for proactively engaging community groups, including in this case, the Eastside Growers Collective, in all phases of exploration. If upcoming conversations within the Northeast Park Hill community identify a role for SCF in the area, we would be committed to working together with individuals and groups on ways to build something that is truly guided by neighborhood residents.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Jul 2014 21:44:17 +0000
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