It’s been a year since Local Ecology and Agriculture Fremont (LEAF) opened its expanded Urban Farm. On Sept. 12, staff, volunteers and community partners gathered to share LEAF’s activity over the year and fundraise for needed equipment.
The event took place at LEAF’s community garden at California Nursery Historical Park in Niles. The Dream Achievers Band, made of three autistic musicians, played jazz covers as guests mingled; looked at the 40 rentable planter beds overflowing with flowers and vegetables; enjoyed appetizers donated by Out of the Oven Bakery, Sprouts, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s; and filled out raffle tickets for prizes donated by Banter Bookshop, Down by the Bay Nursery, Art Pocket SJ and scientist/artist Zoe Caron.
LEAF president and executive director Elaine Owyang said that one area where the nonprofit grew was in its educational programs, on topics such as “how to grow juicy tomatoes, how to raise composting worms, and most importantly how to live sustainably, which is what LEAF is all about.” LEAF had 65 more programs this year than last, reaching 3,500 people.
In particular, LEAF’s presence grew in four Alameda County Library locations, in Fremont Main, Newark, Union City and Centerville, with programs like “Talkin’ Dirt” and “Moon Gardening.”
Stephanie Uchida
Stephanie Uchida
With planters nearly complete, production at the urban farm is also up. With last year’s crop suffering due to the medfly quarantine, LEAF this year has already exceeded the pounds of produce donated to community partners Daily Bowl and Tri-City Volunteers.
“All the heavy stuff is coming,” said Bettina Grab, LEAF’s director of development, partnerships and marketing. “The squashes, the pumpkins, the melons. I think we’re definitely going to end up over 5,000 pounds this year.”
Upping production comes with the need to up technology. “Our volunteers are amazingly gritty, but they could use some support to move materials by having a tractor,” said Owyang, holding up a mini plastic toy. “Like this one!” Proceeds from the fundraiser went to LEAF’s John Deere Tractor Fund.
Grab said, “While we have a lot of volunteers, the tractor will make us more efficient and let us get more work done so we can focus more on growing the food for the food banks and also on our educational programs.”
People who have collaborated with LEAF shared their experiences. Kathleen Hsu, co-founder of student-led nonprofit Everything Starts Small talked about the group’s coffee ground recycling program. Jiya Shah, a student at Mission San Jose High School, shared a signboard she had made chronicling the history of both LEAF locations, with photos from the Washington Township Museum of Local History.
Silvia Yeh, executive business director of Friends of Children with Special Needs (FCSN) shared statements from adult clients who took programs at LEAF. She read the statement of a client named Steven, who said, “What I like is watering plants, working really hard and chatting with some of the workers there. The people there are really nice. It also helps me improve my talking with others. They help me learn about the environment and working at a local business place.”
Aziz Akbari, Alameda County Water District (ACWD) president of the board of directors, said, “There’s something grounded, no pun intended, about spending your Saturday morning at the LEAF community garden rather than just staring at the screen. It’s one of the few places in the city where the work is slow, the goals are simple, but the payoff is literally something you can hold in your hands.”
Local officials were present, and LEAF received commendations from Assemblymember Alex Lee’s office, and from Fremont Mayor Raj Salwan. After the speakers and the announcement of raffle prizes, the event transitioned to a potluck with music from The Niles Orchestra.
Akbari noted that the Urban Farm was once an unused parcel belonging to the water district. “Honestly, I can’t think of a better use for that space,” he said. “When ACWD looks at a piece of land, we’re usually thinking about water…supply, quality and infrastructure. But that corner of Fremont had no slated use for us, and now it has become something else entirely. It’s become a living classroom, a soil science lab, a place where neighbors who might never otherwise cross paths end up shoulder to shoulder pulling weeds and comparing notes on their tomatoes.”
He said, “That’s LEAF’s doing. ACWD owns just that dirt, but LEAF is the one that actually turned it into something alive.”
