PHOTO ESSAY: Community Fuels Urban Farm's Equitable Food System Plans

by Sidney Aspinall and Azeb Tuji

Since 2017, the Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands (RBUFW) has been jointly operated by the Tilth Alliance and the Friends of Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands.

"RBUFW is unique because it is a working farm in the middle of the community, and it's really focused on food production, [and] learning about food," said Melissa Spear, executive director at Tilth Alliance.

Tilth's community outreach for the Rainier Beach farm focuses on South Seattle and recognizes the diverse needs of the immigrant and refugee communities within the neighborhood.

"The other interesting thing about the way we operate RBUFW is that all the programs are not [the Tilth Alliance's] programs. We have a lot of programs which are run by other community members who just run the site. We collaborate with them, we partner with them, we support them," said Spear.

She says the importance of learning how to grow food is its ability to provide people control and sovereignty over their access to food. "It becomes less a matter of, 'Do I make enough money? Can I afford to go to the grocery store?' Growing your own food gives you some sense of control over what you are eating, and it's also healthy."

Sidney Aspinall was born and raised just outside of Seattle in the small town of North Bend, Washington. She is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Washington, double majoring in Journalism and Public Interest Communication, and French.

Azeb Tuji is an interdisciplinary artist, multimedia writer, and community activist with a passion for advocating for voices that are often pushed to the margin. They're currently a graduating senior at the University of Washington, majoring in Journalism and Public Interest Communications.

Featured Image: Larry Bosley, Dijana Steward, and Alina Mikolajczyk (left to right) at the Tilth Alliance's Edible Plant Sale in Wallingford on Sunday, May 8, 2022. (Photo: Azeb Tuji)