Renew America Success Stories

Fresh Start Farms

Description

Fresh Start Farms is a program designed to enable the homeless to become skilled organic gardeners. Fresh Start participants sell the produce they grow to area restaurants who are committed to providing their customers the freshest, highest quality produce. The entire enterprise takes place on a 1/4 acre urban farm, but there is more to come. Graduates of the Fresh Start program will start their own urban farms -- on the city's rooftops.

The founder of the program, Ruth Brinker, also founded Project Open Hand, which provides meals to San Franciscans with AIDS. "Ninety percent of the people in America live in the cities," says Brinker, "but we don't have any jobs for them. They end up on the street. Meanwhile, our people are being ill-fed."

Brinker's solution is inspired by urban planning in Stuttgart, Germany. There, to reduce air pollution, city officials ordered residents to plant rooftop gardens. In addition to helping purify the air, rooftop gardens also alleviate pressure on city sewer systems by absorbing rainfall, they save energy by providing insulation that reduces both a building's heating and cooling demands, and they reduce truck traffic into the city by reducing the amount of produce that must be imported.

Brinker contends that sufficient produce can be grown on a city's rooftops to supply all its needs and give low-income and homeless residents an alternative to welfare. While the program is still in its infancy, the first of the rooftop farms will already be appearing soon. Brinker recently arranged to place a two-acre farm atop the old Best Foods Mayonaisse building in the South of Market district, which is being converted to affordable housing.

Program Highlights

Fresh Start Farm

Rooftop Farms

• Before installing any rooftop farms, a roofing consultant inspects potential sites and determines whether the roof is suitable and what precautions, if any, need to be taken to protect the surface. Soil, lumber for soil beds, and other materials are hoisted to the roof with a crane.
• Each rooftop farm is estimated to generate $25,000 a year in income, which, if the farm is owned by a nonprofit concern, can be invested in community development.
• The soil in a rooftop farm stays warmer in the winter and can be more productive than conventional farms during this season as rooftop farms enjoy heat from the building beneath.

Vital Statistics

Program Management/Partnerships: Ruth Brinker manages the project with support from San Francisco's Redevelopment Agency, which leases the Fresh Start 1/4 acre farm for $1 month. The Farm sells its produce to over 70 area restaurants who are committed to serving the highest quality, fresh produce.

Budget: In revision.

Community Served: The San Franciso homeless community, particularly homeless families with small children, and local area residents who benefit from the consumption of organic vegetables.

Measures of Success (Projected):

To move 10 homeless people, representing ten homeless families, to self sufficiency.

Save taxpayers $76,800 in avoided AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) payments.

Rooftop farms result in reduced water runoff, less trucking, pesticide-free food and energy savings in the form of heating and air conditioning.