Last updated: November 2024
In Phoenix, over half a million people are facing hunger, including schoolchildren, working parents, seniors on fixed incomes, and other marginalized groups. Factors such as limited food access and poor food quality—commonly referred to as 'food deserts'—worsen the problem. Food deserts are areas where residents have little to no access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food. Of the 55 food deserts in Maricopa County, 43 are located in Phoenix, affecting nearly half of the city's population Agave Environmental Contracting, an NGO, is working to address food scarcity through education. The organization founded the Urban Farming Education (UFE) program to teach people how to grow their own food as a solution to food insecurity and to promote agricultural opportunities throughout the Valley. The goal of UFE is to educate individuals on creating their own gardens for sustenance, ecotherapy, social impact, and even urban farming for profit. The program specifically targets schools, domestic violence shelters, homeless shelters, foster care prevention centers, and communities with disabled or elderly residents. In 2024, UFE partnered with the Valencia Newcomer School to install raised garden beds filled with roses and fruit trees. This project provided hands-on STEM learning during the installation, fostered networking opportunities through industry experts and community members, and helped promote the UFE program. It also highlighted how the initiative contributes to urban farming education and empowers local communities. (1-5, 7)
Garden Install @ Valencia Newcomer School
UFE
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
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Improving physical health
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Environmental education
- Environmental and climate justice
- Sense of community and community engagement
- Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
- Sustainable consumption
- Sustainable production
- Food scarcity / security
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Land use and Socio-economic change
- Unequal availability and access to public green spaces
- Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
- Poor community engagement
- 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), Creation of any other green urban spaces, Knowledge creation and awareness raising, Sustainable use of natural resources to improve livelihoods and food security (eg. community- based wildlife or forest management), Educational and awareness raising programs
Project objectives
The goals of the garden install event at the Valencia Newcomer School as part of the larger Urban Farming Education Garden project were to:
1. Educate people in growing their own food to aid in food insecurity, physical health and mobilizing agriculture opportunities throughout the Valley (3).
2. Design programs that educate and engage others in building their own gardens for sustenance, ecotherapy, social impact and urban farming for profit (3).
3. Help people through a network of organizations that were already established, to build gardens which would take unused space at their facilities (6).
Implementation activities
To address the issue of food scarcity and environmental education throughout the city of Phoenix, the project engaged in a variety of activities including:
1. Founding the Urban Farming Education (UFE) program which focuses on bringing green spaces to vulnerable populations such as homeless shelters, schools, foster homes, domestic-violence shelters, facilities for the disabled and elderly (6).
2. Partnering with Valencia Newcomer School in 2024 to host the UFE garden installation event (4-5, 7).
3. Installing a STEM garden on the school grounds providing students with the knowledge to plant, care and harvest (4-5, 7).
4. Provided networking opportunities through inviting industry experts and community members to the event (4-5, 7).
5. Building raised garden beds for the school and planting various species such as roses and fruit trees (4).
6. Incorporating garden theory into the classroom curriculum by educating students on the garden in their reading, writing and English language development (8).
Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts
Yes
Specification of climate or environmentally vulnerable communities
Urban heat islands, Other
Main beneficiaries
- Young people and children
- Marginalized groups: Children, young people or youth groups , Disadvantaged ethnic or racial groups
Governance
Management set-up
- Led by non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Non-government organisation/civil society
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Dissemination of information and education
- Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
- Co-management/Joint management
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
-Non-governmental organisation (NGO): The Urban Farming Education (UFE) program was founded by Agave environmental consulting, they take on the gardening projects at various locations (3-6). Agave provides the garden installation and brings members of the community together (3-6).
Public sector institution: Valencia Newcomer School partnered with UFE to host the planting event, additionally the school incorporates garden theory into the classroom (4-5, 7-8).
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 City of Phoenix Food Action Plan (2). )
Type of enablers
Capacity-building projects, NGOs/Community groups driving the implementation, 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
No
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Green space and habitat
- Increased number of species present
- Achieved increased number of species present
Economic impacts
- Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
- Achieved increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Achieved improved access to urban green space
- 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
- Education
- Increased support for education and scientific research
- Achieved increased support for education and scientific research
- Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
- Achieved increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
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.
Phoenix Rescue Mission (n.d.). Hunger in the Valley. [Source link];
2.
City of Phoenix (2020). 2025 Food Action Plan. [Source link];
3.
Agave Environmental Consulting (n.d.). Corporate Responsibility Serving in our Community. [Source link];
4.
Urban Farming Education (2024). Garden Install @ Valencia Newcomer School. [Source link];
5.
weareufe (2024). Green Day at Valencia . [Source link];
6.
Warren, K. (n.d.). Founder Story: From a Landscaping Business to Building a Community Garden. [Source link];
7.
Harvesting Wisdom (2024). Education and Sustainability Allies: Valencia Newcomer School. [Source link];
8.
Maricopa Association of Governments (n.d.). Arizona Demographics . [Source link];
Garden Install @ Valencia Newcomer School
UFE
Valencia Newcomer School
https://www.facebook.com/story.php/?story_fbid=1084084353717779&id=100063486731644&_rdr
Valencia Newcomer School
https://www.facebook.com/story.php/?story_fbid=1084084353717779&id=100063486731644&_rdr
Valencia Newcomer School
https://www.facebook.com/story.php/?story_fbid=1084084353717779&id=100063486731644&_rdr
Valencia Newcomer School
https://www.facebook.com/story.php/?story_fbid=1084084353717779&id=100063486731644&_rdr
Valencia Newcomer School
https://www.facebook.com/story.php/?story_fbid=1084084353717779&id=100063486731644&_rdr
Valencia Newcomer School
https://www.facebook.com/story.php/?story_fbid=1084084353717779&id=100063486731644&_rdr
Valencia Newcomer School
https://www.facebook.com/story.php/?story_fbid=1084084353717779&id=100063486731644&_rdr
Valencia Newcomer School
https://www.facebook.com/story.php/?story_fbid=1084084353717779&id=100063486731644&_rdr
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.