This woman is conquering a food desert with community gardens
Some five years ago, Nefertari Muhammad was looking to make a change to her diet and the sources of her food.
“I have learned more about the food that we are eating, which is not healthy for us,” says Ms. Muhammad, who is concerned about genetically modified food products. “It is important for us to grow our own fruit and vegetables.”
She wound up volunteering for a community garden, and today she manages Queens Garden in Philadelphia. She’s seen that garden grow from just a set of beds to a space complete with irrigation, fencing, and a shed for the necessary tools. It’s all made possible through the Philadelphia organization that operates the garden: the Urban Tree Connection.
Founded in 1989 and established as a nonprofit in 1997, UTC focuses its efforts in West Philadelphia’s
One block’s transformationProtecting green spaceOther groups with a link to agriculture
