Tahoma Food System: An Emerging Model for Urban
Community Food Systems

Steven M. Garrett

In 1997, farmers, gardeners, government and food bank staff, and environmental activists came together to ensure the viability of existing community food projects and to create community awareness of the value in supporting their local food system. They developed the Tahoma Food System, a non-profit organization whose mission is "Ensuring a just and sustainable food supply in the South Puget Sound for healthier people, environment, and economy." In short, they say that they are "growing community with food" because they provide the means for people to access local food and income from food in ways that create community.

TFS’s initial project emphasis has been on providing access to locally and sustainably grown produce and income for low-income urban residents through reclaiming abandoned land in the Central and Eastside Neighborhoods of Tacoma for food production. One concern that was identified by TFS founders in a strategic planning process was the loss of farmers and farmland in the Pierce County. From 1996 to 1998 the county lost 3 acres per day of some of the best farmland in the world. Farms where their gleaning project once picked food are now covered with warehouses. This concern prompted the development of new projects, events, and networks.

Current projects include:

1. Facilitating a coalition of farmers and others called the Friends of Family Farmers to support local family farms. The first project was the Harvest Celebration Day, a one-day event that takes place simultaneously in several Western Washington counties where people take tours of farms featuring food, entertainment, and family-centered activities on the farms. In the first year in 1999, we received regional media coverage for our event. The media highlighted the economic difficulties of maintaining a family farm and the importance of family farming to our way of life.

2. Developing a small farm training center, the Nelson Farm in the city of Edgewood in 2000, that will teach local farmers and "farmer wannabes" how to farm sustainably and sell directly to consumers. 4-H will to run youth programs on the farm for school groups.

3. Managing a 4.5-acre organic Community Supported Agriculture farm in the Hilltop neighborhood of Tacoma called the Guadalupe Gardens. The project is a partnership with the Guadalupe House, a homeless center, and has six homeless and formerly homeless people running the farm as a cooperative. Excess produce goes to the St. Leo’s food pantry

4. Coordinating a regional farm field, garden, bakery, and hatchery gleaning project called the Cascade Gleaning Network. In 1999, 131 mostly low-income gleaners gleaned what they wanted and also gleaned for the food pantries. They are expanding in 2000 to reach a total of four counties. Eighty percent of the anticipated 500,000 pounds of gleaned food will be delivered to hungry people. The gleaners learn food preservation and gardening from trained WSU Cooperative Extension volunteers.

5. Coordinating the Youth Food Employment and Entrepreneurial Development (Youth FEED) where youth raise herbs and flowers to sell, market locally produced honey, and work in the Downtown Farmers’ Market. The project is a collaboration with 4-H, Private Industry Council, and AccuBank Mortgage.

6. Manage the one-acre Salishan Family Garden near a housing development and the smaller Sheridan Park Garden with 60 families gardening in total. Youth learn about gardening through a Master Gardener led Children’s Garden project in Salishan.

Steven M. Garrett
Cooperative Extension
Washington State University
3049 South 36th Street, Suite 300
Tacoma, WA 98409-5739
Tel: (253) 798-7180
Sgarret@wsu.edu

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