City Slicker Farms is awarded $4 million dollars to purchase land in West Oakland to create a Community Market Farm and park

Prop 84 Funding for City Slicker Farms Brings Land Security to West Oakland’s Urban Agriculture Movement

Press Release
November 10, 2010

Oakland, CA (November 10, 2010)—On Monday, November 8, 2010 City Slicker Farms was awarded $4,000,000 for a “West Oakland Park and Urban Farm” project. The funds come from Proposition 84, a California bond initiative approved in 2006, which reserves 5.4 billion dollars in bonds for projects involving water quality and access, park improvements, and natural resources and park preservation. The funds will be used to purchase a vacant lot in West Oakland at 28th and Peralta Streets and construct a farm and park there. At 1.4 acres, this will be City Slicker Farms’ largest farm site; greatly increasing their ability to grow and distribute food for the West Oakland community.

City Slicker Farms conducted a three-month long community design process with West Oakland youth, seniors, and families to determine what they wanted in the new park. The design was submitted and, after a lengthy and competitive review process, City Slicker Farms was selected to receive a grant. There were 475 applicants from throughout California, and only 62 were chosen for grant awards. The “West Oakland Urban Farm and Park” was the second highest award in Alameda County and the 22nd largest award in the state.

Since 2001, City Slicker Farms has been successfully partnering with thousands of West Oakland residents to transform vacant lots and hundreds of backyards into food-producing gardens, growing over 20,000 pounds of food each year. This exemplifies a successful, resident-driven movement to utilize urban agriculture as a means to get needed food on the table. West Oakland is an 8.2 sq mile industrial area bounded by three major freeways, and it is home to the 5th busiest port in the country. The neighborhood struggles with poverty, environmental pollution, and a lack of access to fresh, affordable healthy food. Thirty-two percent of residents live below the poverty level, and mortality rates for diabetes and heart disease are 1.5 times above the county rate. The lack of access to safe open space and healthy foods contributes to chronic illnesses. This new project will address these issues in a greater capacity by more than doubling City Slicker Farms’ operations and programs.

“This is a huge boon for the West Oakland community,” said Barbara Finnin, Executive Director of City Slicker Farms. “Of the seven market farms we operate, this will be the largest and only one owned by City Slicker Farms.

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