The Current State of Agriculture in New Hanover County

New Hanover County does not identify as agricultural. This makes sense, we barely have any farms left, and the property value of the land that is left for development is too high or not conducive to traditional farming practices. But by abandoning our agricultural identity we lose ourselves, we find ourselves out of touch with what sustains us and helps us to thrive.  

The extreme of this agricultural separation is a food desert. Whether we grow plants or not, we are all a part of the agricultural system, eating is an agricultural act. In a food desert, not only are there rarely any significant farming activities in urban areas, but there is no access to fresh food in the first place.

The Northside of downtown Wilmington has been a USDA food desert for generations, and the Northside Food Co-op has organized to do something about it. The work involves planning and establishing a new grocery store business, but it also involves establishing lasting human connections, and one of the best ways to bring people together is in the garden. 

When agriculture is viewed through the lens of food, farming, and health, we can begin to see the way in which it ties together the various threads of our organization. We obviously are very excited to finally end the food desert with the coming grocery store. We also see the synergy of establishing urban farming in the Northside from the perspective of developing future farmers that we can purchase from when the grocery store arrives. And we are excited to know that urban farming represents a way for people to start taking advantage of the massive health benefits available from working the soil – helps fight disease, builds strength, improves memory, boosts mood, reduces stress, helps addiction recovery, and more.

What Northside Food Co-op is Doing

The first step we took into urban farming in the Northside was to start a farmers market in August 2021 called Frankie’s Outdoor Market. The purpose of this market was to create a moment of joy for the neighborhood, and to showcase the local food system and the various talents and products from local vendors, and we are happy to announce that it is growing every week!

It turns out, there are already farmers in the Northside. Willowdale Urban Farm on 30th Street is a good example. Recently we have started collaborating with a gardening group that is farming the median at 5th and Brunswick Street, and we are having so much fun we have decided to start a new program called “Gardening with Your Neighbors” to help develop our vision of empowering our community to create their own small urban farms in their yards. 

The official schedule for the program is still in development, but we envision gardening events taking place on Saturdays & Sundays with the central meeting place being the market location at 1019 Princess Street. From there we can walk to the garden location. If you are interested in participating and helping us get organized around these efforts, please click here to sign up.

We have had several gardening events over time, notably, establishing a new raised bed garden at the Hemenway Center on McRae Street with Voyage, and our recent gardening activity in the empty lot behind 1019 Princess Street. These events are always well attended, and leave everyone with a feeling that we want to do more. We also have our eye on several empty lots around the Northside that could be turned into farms now that farming is legal in WIlmington after the adoption of the new Land Development Code. 

One project that will step our growing game up big time is turning the empty shipping container at 1019 Princess Street into a hydroponic lettuce farm. The idea is to create a food-grade space within the container that can be a controlled environment for optimal plant growth. We could use this as a means of growing consistent living salad greens for locals, but also as a tool to teach people how to take advantage of the growing techniques at home. 

Other ideas include a seed library, tool sharing, a community “crop mob”, education on organic farming and natural land care techniques, and even providing growing supplies such as compost, compost tea, worms, and beneficial insects that can improve results and the health of the community. We would love to hear from you, what are your ideas?

The Future of Farming in the Northside

Ultimately, our goal is to create a “Food Lawns” program that can hire Northside residents to farm their landscapes. The idea is to select crops with the highest value – like peppers or basil or edible flowers – then ask Northside residents to grow these crops so we can buy them back and distribute to the various markets we establish regionally and beyond, including Feast Down East and the future Northside Food Co-op grocery store. 

Imagine we could create a local platform for generating $5,000 or more from your landscape every year that would gain you membership into a club that connects the community, offers discounts at local participating restaurants, provides health benefits and therapy, generates revenue, and makes the community healthier and more resilient? 

How You Can Get Involved

We can, and we will with your help! We are excited to develop these efforts in urban farming in collaboration with the future Learning Farm being planned for the new Food Bank facility in the Southside that broke ground in February of 2022. The Learning Farm will be implemented sometime in 2023 by New Hanover County Extension with a focus on public health and community resilience. 

The best way to get involved is to come see us at Frankie’s Outdoor Market every Saturday from 9-1 pm at 1019 Princess Street. We can get connected, explain how to become a Member in the Northside Food Co-op, and you can even tag along for our next gardening event in the neighborhood. 

Come grow with us. We look forward to seeing you soon!