Urban Tilth

The goal of the Lincoln School Farm pilot project is to develop a new model of school garden meeting the following criteria: 1) affordable enough to be replicated at any school; 2) produce enough organic fruits, vegetables, and herbs to actually improve the food supply of the school community; 3) focus first on teaching students how to produce significant amounts of their own organic food. State academic content standards in science and nutrition will be addressed within the context of an on-going, meaningful engagement in food production practice, rather than through abstract lessons.

This model of an affordable elementary school farm which impacts the local food supply by empowering participants to become food producers is an important strategy in the effort to create a more sustainable, healthy, and just food system. Improving the food system is one strategy to addressing several large-scale problems which affect us here in west Contra Costa County—the diabetes and obesity epidemic, global warming, and racial/ethnic disparities in access to healthy food.

The Lincoln School Farm is split between the Lincoln Community Garden on the Richmond Greenway immediately adjacent to Lincoln Elementary School in Richmond’s Iron Triangle neighborhood and the school garden within the gates of Lincoln Elementary School which is immediately adjacent to the Richmond Greenway. The project began in September of 2007. As of July 2011, we have fourty-eight raised garden beds used by the Lincoln School Farmers program and the Lincoln Community Gardeners. Urban Tilth is the lead agency of the Lincoln School Farm project, but we have received considerable support from Lincoln Elementary School, Bright Futures after-school program.