Gavin Newsom’s Alice Waters-esque healthy eating initiative has been all the buzz among vending machine operators and tofu dog salesman since he first announced it July 8th.
The plan, which would require food vendors who contract with the city to provide healthy options and encourage farmer’s markets to accept food stamps, hopes to dramatically change the way San Franciscans eat.
Newsom called for City departments to conduct an audit over the next six months to ascertain how much of the city’s unused land would be suitable for urban farming.
Newsom made his announcement from a West Oakland junkyard turned urban farm to demonstrate just how successful such an enterprise could be.
But why use Oakland as a model when such a farm exists right here in San Francisco?
Alemany Farm in Bernal Heights has been on the forefront of the nation’s urban farm movement for years now. The 4 acre farm has grown used to being snubbed, and Alemany Resident Management Corp executive director Alice Caruthers said “they mayor is not the only one who ignores the farm.”
And she’s right: when the healthy eating plan was announced, Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi also noted “supervisors have been calling for the creation of an urban farm in San Francisco for years.” We’re sure they’re thrilled and gratified to know that that call was answered quite some time ago.
Photo: Alemany Farm
