Last updated: November 2024
In Phoenix, access to native, traditional foods prepared by Indigenous communities is scarce. This disconnection is rooted in the legacy of colonization and the forced assimilation of Indigenous peoples through practices such as mandatory residential schools. The Phoenix Indian School, which operated until 1990, is a stark reminder of these injustices, and deep-rooted systemic inequalities continue to persist today. In response, Indigenous food activists have worked tirelessly to promote traditional foodways and advocate for food sovereignty. One such initiative is led by Native Health, an urban Indian health program that provides primary medical, dental, behavioral health, WIC, and wellness services in Phoenix. In 2019, Native Health launched a community-based garden initiative to reconnect urban Indigenous communities with their traditional life ways. The Native Health Traditional Garden was initially established on a 15-acre plot of vacant land, which sat atop the remnants of a notorious boarding school. However, when an investment firm purchased the land, the garden was displaced and forced to relocate. It downsized to less than an acre of space within a larger community garden project known as the "KeepPhoenixBeautiful Garden." Despite these challenges, the Traditional Garden continues to thrive, drawing from Indigenous agricultural techniques such as Akimel O’odham canal irrigation, Zuni waffle beds, and Diné dry farming. The garden focuses on cultivating traditional, Indigenous, and desert-adapted plants, including corn, beans, squash, gourds, peppers, sunflowers, melons, and medicinal plants. In addition to growing these vital crops, the garden provides interactive learning opportunities for all ages, including workshops, youth clubs, pick-your-own events, and monthly community workdays. The goal of the Traditional Garden project is to offer the urban Indigenous community opportunities for hands-on learning, and increased access to harvested produce. (1, 2)
The NATIVE HEALTH Traditional Garden is located within the KeepPhoenixBeautiful Garden at Pierson Street
Native Health
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Community gardens and allotments
- Community gardens
Key challenges
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
- Promotion of cultural diversity
- Preservation of historic traditions
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Improving physical health
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social interaction
- Environmental education
- Environmental and climate justice
- Sense of community and community engagement
- Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
- Sustainable consumption
- Sustainable production
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Land use and Socio-economic change
- Agriculture/ crop production
- Displacement
- Unequal availability and access to public green spaces
- Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
- Loss of sense of place and identity
- Resource Scarcity and Competition
- Food insecurity due to disruptions in food production and distribution
Key priorities
Social Justice and community
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Creation of areas for food production (community gardens, allotments), Knowledge creation and awareness raising, Indigenous and community-based conservation initiatives
Project objectives
The goals of the Native Health Traditional Garden are to provide opportunities for the urban Indigenous community through:
1. Experience hands on learning through garden or cultural workshops (1)
2. Increased access to gathered and harvested produce to improve community health (1)
3. Reconnection to their ancestral relationship to the land through utilizing traditional farming practices and traditional food sources(1)
4. Creating a community green space where members can reconnect with land and culture (1)
5. Providing a community space where people indigenous members of the community can interact and learn more about environmental education (1)
Implementation activities
The garden was established through a partnership with KeepPhoenixBeautiful, creating a sustainable green space for the community. It utilizes traditional Indigenous agricultural techniques, including Akimel O’odham canal irrigation, Zuni waffle beds, and Diné dry farming, which honor ancestral knowledge and promote sustainable practices. The garden focuses on growing traditional, Indigenous, and desert-adapted plants, ensuring that the crops are well-suited to the local climate and hold cultural significance.
In addition to restoring access to native foods, the garden has provided over 2,400 pounds of produce to community members, including Apache giant squash, Diné blue corn, and Tohono O’odham melons. To further engage the community, the garden offers interactive learning opportunities for all ages, such as workshops, youth clubs, pick-your-own events, and monthly community workdays. These initiatives encourage hands-on engagement with the land and foster a deeper connection to Indigenous agricultural practices.
The garden also launched the At-Home Garden Warriors Program, in which 50 individuals were supplied with grow bags, soil, seeds, plants, and a garden manual, enabling them to cultivate their own food at home. Through these efforts, the Native Health Traditional Garden is helping to reconnect the urban Indigenous community to their cultural roots, promoting food sovereignty, sustainability, and a renewed relationship with the land. (1, 2)
Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts
Yes
Specification of climate or environmentally vulnerable communities
Indigenous or tribal communities
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
- Food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)
Governance
Management set-up
- Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Public sector institution
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
- Co-management/Joint management
- Citizen monitoring and review
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The Native Health Traditional Garden was founded by Native Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center and Urban Indian Health Program based in Phoenix. As a public health provider, Native Health has played a crucial role in restoring traditional agricultural practices and promoting food sovereignty within the urban Indigenous community.
Community members are actively involved in the garden, participating in the organization of events, leading workshops, and taking part in monthly community workdays. These hands-on activities foster a sense of ownership and engagement, helping to strengthen ties within the community.
The garden is situated on land owned by the City of Phoenix, further highlighting the collaboration between local government and community organizations in supporting this important initiative. (1-2)
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(the 2025 Phoenix Food Action plan, and the Phoenix Resilient Food System Initiative (7).)
Type of enablers
Capacity-building projects, Change agents (individual with major role influence on launching)
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Funds provided by non-governmental organization (NGO)
Type of funding
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of land
- Provision of labour
- Provision of expertise
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Achieved increased green space area
- Increased number of species present
- Achieved increased number of species present
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
- Achieved increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
- Increased opportunities for social interaction
- Achieved increased opportunities for social interaction
- Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Achieved increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Increased access to healthy/affordable food
- Achieved increased access to healthy/affordable food
- Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
- Achieved increased sustainability of agriculture practices
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
- Expected increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
- Other
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Unknown
References
1.
Native Health (n.d.). The NATIVE HEALTH Traditional Garden. [Source link];
2.
Pietrorazio, G. (2023). Rooted legacy: This urban Native garden grew atop a former boarding school in Phoenix. [Source link];
3.
Neff, L. (2018). Trip Report: Native Health Traditional and Community Gardens. [Source link];
4.
Lomahquahu, C. (2019). Native Health builds Community Gardens in the heart of Phoenix. [Source link];
5.
Malloy, C. (2020). A Guide to the Indigenous Food Scene in Greater Phoenix. [Source link];
6.
Maricopa Association of Governments (n.d.). Arizona Demographics . [Source link];
7.
Good Food Finder (2021). City of Phoenix Dedicates $9.7 Million to Strengthen Local Food System. [Source link];
The NATIVE HEALTH Traditional Garden is located within the KeepPhoenixBeautiful Garden at Pierson Street
Native Health
NATIVE HEALTH
https://www.nativeseeds.org/blogs/blog-news/trip-report-native-health
NATIVE HEALTH
https://www.nativeseeds.org/blogs/blog-news/trip-report-native-health
NATIVE HEALTH
https://www.nativeseeds.org/blogs/blog-news/trip-report-native-health
NATIVE HEALTH
https://www.nativeseeds.org/blogs/blog-news/trip-report-native-health
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.