CAN eyes community gardening expansion

The Community Assistance Network is moving forward with plans to develop a new, larger garden and adjacent park on Northcrest Drive.

The non-profit organization eventually wants to have community gardens scattered all over the county so individuals and families can grow their own food.

CAN is also looking into buying farm land and growing crops to sell to the local community and possibly export out of the county.

The Del Norte Community Garden and Park with a playground is envisioned for about 4-5 acres just north of the Community Health Center. CAN could be ready to break ground next spring, said Kendra Howerton, CAN’s director of community development.

In the meantime, a planning committee will be designing the garden and park.

Looking at problems in the community, and not being able to afford nutritious foods stood out, Howerton said.

“It makes nothing but sense to grow as much food as close to home as possible,” Howerton said.

CAN already has community gardens at Peterson Park, Seventh Day Adventist Church and Del Norte High School.

The largest community garden yet will be developed in conjunction with the Del Norte County Health Care District and other local groups such as FIRST 5 Del Norte, the Network for a Healthy California and the Hmong community, Howerton said.

Humboldt Area Foundation gave CAN a $5,000 grant to plan the community garden and park, she said, adding, “there’s a lot of enthusiasm.”

It would be beneficial for the community to have gardens all over the county, she said, so it’s convenient for all residents to grow food.

The community farm CAN would ultimately like to develop would be a sustainable business, Howerton explained.

“We would like to see the community more self-sustainable,” she said, “and not have to rely on outside sources.”

In 2008, CAN was awarded a $25,000 planning grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. However the allocation was delayed until last May, and that gave CAN time to “network,” Howerton said.

“We were networking through the delay and connecting with the agriculture community,” she said.

CAN formed an advisory committee, Howerton said, of local experts who know about the logistics of farming.

The plan is to sell produce to local residents, restaurants and grocery stores and also grow cash crops to export out of the area.

The export crops could be “speciality items that naturally grow here,” Howerton said, such as different types of berries.

CAN is working with the advisory committee to “identify the optimum crops,” Howerton said.

She said the farm could consist of incubator sites for “budding farmers”  who would grow the crops and get on-the-job training.

“This is an important direction to move,” Howerton said about the impact an agricultural business could have on the local economy.

The community farm is still in  the planning stages and land hasn’t been purchased yet, but there’s “huge potential,” Howerton said.

Considering that the California Endowment is interested in Del Norte, she said, there could be more money out there to help CAN get the community farm going.

“Everybody is really excited, and sees the potential,” Howerton said about what CAN’s farm could be someday.