On a chilly February day, while many in Boston stayed indoors, the dedicated folks at Hope Garden in Dorchester were outside, pruning apple trees. Their goal? To ensure the trees don’t overshadow the vegetable beds beneath them. This garden is part of a growing trend. In the city, nonprofit groups like the Boston Food Forest Coalition are transforming vacant lots into edible parks and gardens, making fresh food accessible to all.
“Boston has countless vacant parcels, and now is the perfect time to reshape our city,” said Alex Alvanos from the coalition. His organization is passionate about utilizing these spaces for community gardening.
In 2022, Mayor Michelle Wu led a city audit to find out which city-owned lands could be developed for housing and which should be preserved as green spaces for parks and gardens. Despite this effort, urban gardeners are voicing concerns about rising costs and the threat of budget cuts that could hurt their mission of local food sourcing.
Groups like the Boston Food Forest Coalition aim to create community-focused parks through land trusts. These organizations manage land for public benefit, echoing the spirit of the Victory Gardens from World War II, when neighbors banded together to grow food during tough times.
Access to food remains a serious issue in Boston. The vast majority of fresh produce is transported from far away, adding to emissions and costs. A recent study revealed that over 40% of Massachusetts households are facing food insecurity. According to environmental historian Kate Brown, our past can guide our future. “Once, people had chickens and gardens, providing much of their own food,” she explains. “This cycle of self-sufficiency could help us today.”
During WWII, Victory Gardens produced about 40% of the nation’s vegetables from backyards and parks. Boston still cherishes its last remaining Victory Garden at the Emerald Necklace, which has nurtured community farming for over 80 years.
However, the demand for garden spaces in Boston is outpacing availability. The Trustees of Reservations manage more than 50 community gardens, and many have waitlists. Starting a new land trust requires extensive organization and resources, often run by volunteers with a clear mission: to give communities control over their food sources.
The Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative exemplifies this struggle. In the 1980s, community advocates fought for land rights in Roxbury, transforming a former auto garage into the Dudley Greenhouse, currently bursting with tomato seedlings.
“The aim is to center the community,” says John Smith, the initiative’s executive director. “Giving neighborhoods control over their resources, especially food, is vital.”
Kafi Dixon, an urban farmer in Dorchester, believes in another model: farmer cooperatives. Her organization, The Common Good co-op, collaborates with local growers to create a self-sustaining food system. During the pandemic, they distributed hundreds of pounds of fresh produce to nearby senior centers.
Yet, Dixon’s work faces challenges. The land she farms is still under city ownership, making it vulnerable to development pressures. Dixon expresses frustration, saying, “It’s the city’s struggle between pursuing housing and supporting food security.”
Kate Brown is working with Dixon through an academic course at MIT focused on cooperative agriculture. Students have created guides and proposals to support urban farming efforts like hers. Brown highlights a historical concern: “People enrich their neighborhoods with their hard work, only to see others capitalize on that effort.”
This situation highlights a broader conflict in Boston—a tug-of-war between preserving green spaces and the urgent need for housing. Urban growers agree: the city must prioritize protecting these green areas and fostering a localized food system. This is crucial not only for current residents but also for future generations.
For further insights on urban agriculture, you can check resources from the [Boston Food Forest Coalition](https://www.boston.gov/departments/growboston/growboston-funding-opportunities) and [Lincoln Institute](https://www.lincolninst.edu/pt-br/publications/articles/2021-06-urban-abundance-aerial-survey-metro-boston-reveals-regional-food-system-on-the-rise/).
