The Environmental Justice program of SF Environment supports local groups that are creating and maintaining community gardens and urban farms. An example of this is the Quesada Gardens Initiative.
The Quesada Gardens Initiative (QGI) in the Bay View Hunters Point neighborhood aims to build a cohesive, healthy, and safe community through the creation of community spaces and events. One of QGI’s projects is the Latona Community Garden, a plot of land that was used for years as a dumping ground and that has been transformed into a community center where healthy food is grown and children can play safely. QGI’s programs aim to reinvest local residents into their neighborhood through providing the tools, educational programs, and spaces to bring the community together in projects that encourage relationships among residents, better nutrition, and physical activity.
With funding from SF Environment’s EJ program, Quesada Gardens Initiative engaged residents in building and maintaining community and backyard gardens, which produced over 100 pounds of food in one growing season. Horticulturalist garden educators helped local residents set up and maintain backyard gardens, as part of the QGI’s BAYBLOOM project. To date, QGI has a total of 29 backyard and community gardens which serve the Bayview community. These green spaces provide healthy food as well as safe playing spaces for children, and event space for local residents.