Community Support for Southside Community Farm
Southside Community Farm has been building community, stewarding land, and providing healthy food access for ten years. Our goal is to continue to provide community resources where we are in the Southside neighborhood. With the support of thousands of petition signers and hundreds of letter writers, we urge the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville to preserve Southside Community Farm, to NOT pass Resolution No. 2024-11, and to work with the land’s current caretakers to ensure that the community has access to vital resources the farm provides.
We believe that Southside deserves better than either-or solutions. Instead, we hope to come to a collaborative resolution in which Southside and HACA residents can continue to access food, education, and community connection through the farm while also getting access to play space and other valuable resources. Southside Community Farm provides play space, education, economic empowerment, food security, and community connection for people of all ages. Read about some of the youth programming we are doing this year here.
Southside Community Farm was founded by Black residents of the Southside neighborhood, for the purpose of making fresh, healthy food available. Many of the original founders, including Shuvonda Harper and Musa Fardan, are still deeply involved in the farm. Hear from Musa Fardan about why Southside Community Farm is so important to him and his community:
This year, Southside Community Farm won Best Community Garden of Western North Carolina through a popular vote via Mountain Xpress! We hope this important local and regional resource will be preserved for many years to come.
