Opportunity Home San Antonio, Partners Break Ground on Eastside Urban Garden

Opportunity Home San Antonio, Partners Break Ground on Eastside Urban Garden

Garcia Street Urban Farm, a 4.1-acre farm designed to bring fresh produce and food education to San Antonio’s East Side, broke ground Wednesday morning.

The farm, which cost an estimated $500,000, will be managed via a partnership between Opportunity Home San Antonio (Opportunity Home), San Antonio College’s Eco Centro and other community stakeholders.

The project was nearly a decade in the making and funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant, whichwas awarded in 2013.

“We have one grocery store and many mini-marts in the East Side,” Opportunity Home president David Nisivoccia said. “Through this partnership, youth and their parents will have direct access to healthy food options.”

Goats will also be on site to help maintain the urban farm. - LEA THOMPSON
  • Lea Thompson
  • Goats will also be on site to help maintain the urban farm.

The Eco Centro team will begin planting crops such as kale, collards and cabbage this fall, said Eco Centro Manager Cecile Parrish, who will manage the urban farm. Next summer, the farm will also include designated areas for large corn crops, tomatoes and eggplants.

The farm will continue to expand its crops and impact over the next five years. Eco Centro has already teamed up with Southwest School of Art to produce dye plants for classes and will be growing flowers to sell. All profits will benefit the farm.

“This will be a diverse foodscape,” Parrish said, adding that partners including the People’s Nite Market, Compost Queens, San Antonio Food Bank, Metro Health, local students and volunteers will make growth, sustainability and food distribution possible in the Eastside community.

This is a developing story.