The Last Organic Outpost – 501c3
Grassroots
We are a project-based, non-profit organization created to develop community resources through urban agriculture. From the beginning our process for growth was gathering a community of working ideas and our development has been ongoing since 2000. We began as a small garden project and grew into an inspired agricultural-based sustainability organization on the banks of the Japhet creek in the Fifth Ward. The farm has grown in Houston by the local community supporting our innovations in urban agricultural designs and philosophy.
Urban Pioneers
Through the years folks from all over have come out and helped developed strategies to grow food. We have made great strides in:
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Resourcing Soil Development
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Blending ideas on composting waste
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Aggressive water conservation strategies
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Accessing community needs
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Identifying new local resources
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Bringing people together in a new, but familiar way
Over the years many have engaged the experience and responsibility of land stewardship in Houston’s Inner city.
Historically, our work has been in Fifth Ward with a couple of years developing Live Oak Outpost in Third Ward. We have deep roots in education as well as art. We have hosted workshops, social events with music, storytelling, poetry readings and raw food information gatherings, and partnered with leaders and innovators on energy and healthy eating options. Our community is made of diverse people from many cultural backgrounds who come together to experience land stewardship, new friendships, and much more.
Demonstrating Food Security
Presently, the Emile Street Community Educational Farm is working on a neighborhood food security effort in Fifth Ward. We are building local resources in the Fifth Ward to address issues related to land usage. Our goal is to find willing partners to pursue a community built on self-reliance. This exciting new venture is pulling from the combined experience of people with years of actual farming experience. We are bringing the seeds of knowledge to demonstrate sustainable food production and planting them deep in the heart of Texas.
A solvent strategy
An actual food security plan for Fifth Ward is underway. The Fifth Ward community comprises of approximately 25,000 residents. Here, in the early beginning, the plan is to enable 125 farmers from the community to farm vacant land. Supporting the farmers would be 350 residents from Fifth Ward or surrounding areas. 6,000 residents that support local farming efforts by purchasing goods and services and a donation of one dollar a month. The 350 farm supporters would help Farmer’s address issues of site maintenance, weeding, watering, and helping farmer’s tend to the food production needs.
Community Partnerships
We will work in collaboration with community partners to attain local available land. We build resources on the land to enable farming efforts. Our work in Fifth Ward is the very first step in a push to build a scale-able model in neighborhoods throughout Greater Houston. Those interested in building community resources and accepting the stewardship of land are always welcome. If building food economies that address social needs and providing access to real food in limit resource communities sounds like meaningful work to you, we urge you to contact us and help us build an agricultural community to address these issues.
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