Farm in the city: Ohio City Farm, Cleveland

I’m used to heading out into the rural area surrounding a city to see a farm – see the vast acreage and the fields of crops. But in a city? Downtown? And it wasn’t just a big garden  – its six acres.

On the west side of Cleveland, the Ohio City Farm has been created, hoping to feed  local citizens, provide produce for local restaurants and help recent immigrants gain skills and employment.

Built on land that had once been an abandoned housing development, the farm is found just a stone’s throw from the popular West Side Market.

Now the farm wasn’t always thought to be a good idea – local residents were wary about what it entailed and the possible negative effects. A partnership between the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority, Ohio City Near West Development Corp. and Refugee Response, the farm has proved itself in a few short months.

So what are the effects? The farm provides employment for recent immigrants from Burundi, Bhutan, Burma, Liberia, and Somalia. Photos of the workers are posted throughout the acreage, showing their pride in themselves and their crops.

The farm is managed by heirloom grower James Hamilton who has included a wide variety of heirloom vegetables, organic soil, no use of toxins or pesticides, an extended season with hoop houses and most importantly, the goal of a profit.

With products sold directly at the West Side Market, used by market merchants as well as local restauranteurs, the farm also has a partner in Great Lakes Brewing Company. The local craft brewery has a specific plot of land which provides produce for its kitchen.

Ohio City Farm also provides subscriptions, and in its first season, 40 subscribers happily paid $400 for a season’s worth of local produce. But the giving didn’t stop there – half of those subscribers donated their subscription, providing fresh food to 20 Cleveland families, and the farm has donated almost 600 pounds of food to St. Augustine Church and Hunger Centre in the Tremont neighbourhood of Cleveland.

So in less than six months, the six acres that makes up the Ohio City Fresh Food Collaborative has made an impact on several families, businesses and the economy. A good idea – and certainly not a new idea – but an idea that needed some support and has a great future.

For more information: Ohio City Farm