NOYO FOOD FOREST

PROPOSED PROJECT AND ITS BENEFITS FOR OUR COMMUNITY

          The Noyo Food Forest seeks to provide a safe place for community members of all ages to come together on common ground to grow healthy food. We aim to transform vacant land in the town of Fort Bragg into thriving community gardens where all people are welcome to participate. We are currently developing the Noyo Food Forest Learning Garden located adjacent to Fort Bragg High School.  This site will be used for educational purposes and will produce fresh food for the cafeteria at the High School.  We are also seeking land within the town of Fort Bragg to have our first Community Garden.  The Community Garden will be open to the public for garden bed rentals as well as communal gardening space.

We will create opportunities for education by working in collaboration with local farmers, schools, and organizations that support this endeavor and through providing free or low-cost workshops to the public. We will partner with existing community organizations to ensure broad and diverse participation. The Community Garden will be governed by an open democratic steering committee made of interested local people. Volunteers at the garden will receive fresh, healthy produce in appreciation of their effort. Fresh produce and vegetable starts from our greenhouse will be readily accessible to the general public through a produce stand at the site of the garden as well as at the Farmers’ Market. Some beds will be made available to families or individuals for rent at a reasonable cost. The revenue from these efforts will support the garden financially.

The many positive benefits of community gardening are well known and documented. A community garden in Fort Bragg will enhance quality of life for all residents, including the plants and animals that live here with us.  A well-tended garden is a spectacular sight and it will revitalize and beautify our town.  Increased interaction among people of various ages and backgrounds will create a more cohesive community where all people are valued.  Gardeners will get to know their neighbors, make new friends, and develop a sense of belonging. Community gardens can break down the barriers of isolation and create a sense of neighborhood pride and responsibility among residents. Participation will build critical skills and will empower people to get more involved in the community.

The Noyo Food Forest will spur positive community development that will be widely accessible to a diverse range of people.  We will work together to make healthy food accessible to all, including low-income people who otherwise would have a hard time buying “organic”. Education projects and community gatherings will foster good nutrition and health and showcase the dignity and joy of growing, preparing, and eating fresh local produce.  More local food production means better community food security, which is crucial to the well being of our town, especially in the event of an emergency.  We have seen what happened after Hurricane Katrina and we want to be better prepared for a disaster here.

WHO WILL THIS PROJECT BENEFIT?

           A community garden in Fort Bragg will benefit many people. According to the City of Fort Bragg, there are 8,000 people living within the city limits, with an additional 6500 people living in the immediate vicinity (95437 zip code). Over 25,000 people utilize Fort Bragg for essential services such as grocery shopping, banking, and bill-paying. All will benefit from the garden by having an opportunity to participate in workshops, garden workdays, and community gatherings and by purchasing affordable organic produce from the fruit stand and at the Farmers’ Market.  An additional 3 million people pass through the Mendocino Coast each year.  Visitors will greatly appreciate the beauty of the garden and will be welcome to enjoy the garden along with local residents.

The garden will be a positive and inviting space for community interaction and involvement for all people in our town, especially those who feel isolated and on the “margins” of our community, including the youth, elderly, alter-able, and the homeless. It is often said that the teenagers in Fort Bragg have nothing to do after school and that this is a main reason for an increase in drug use and gang violence. We hope to provide an alternative to this situation by creating a cool place for teens to get involved in the community where their voices are heard and their ideas count. The elder population in Fort Bragg is growing and presently there is little interaction among the generations. We hope to create a space for dialogue and experience sharing for people of all ages by working in collaboration with respected groups such as the Senior Center , Sherwood Oaks Health Center and other local groups and organizations. 

We are convinced that a successful community garden will include alter-able community members.  Already there are two such citizens on our steering committee and their input has been incredible.  Parents and Friends Inc. and the Mendocino County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness will link their clients with the garden. The homeless will also be encouraged to participate and we intend to work with the Food Bank and other social service programs to help people access the garden to increase their self-reliance and dignity.  

Outreach is a major focus of our efforts.  We will (and already do) translate all garden information into Spanish, which about 30 percent of our community speaks as a first language.  This number is growing and we intend to reach out to the Latino population to encourage cultural understanding and awareness in our community.