Afya Community Teaching Garden/Growing Food Together CSA

Founded to address the nutrition desert in Baltimore's Park Heights Community, the Afya Community Teaching Garden spans 1.5 acres and focuses on growing food for the local community while teaching others to do the same. The farm aims to increase environmental sustainability, economic sovereignty, and community cohesion through equitable access to fresh food.

The farm employs three primary methods to achieve its goals. First, it emphasizes growing culturally appropriate, easy-to-prepare vegetables and fruits to minimize waste. Second, it offers flexible payment options, including cash, credit, debit, SNAP, and labor through a sweat-equity program. Third, it maintains affordable CSA share prices, significantly lower than other local CSAs, to support the community. The farm avoids pesticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizers, focusing instead on sustainable growing practices.

The Growing Food Together CSA offers three share sizes—standard, half, and quarter—designed to meet the needs of different households. The sweat-equity program allows members to pay for their shares through labor, gaining hands-on experience in small-scale farming. This apprenticeship-style partnership provides valuable skills for replicating the farming experience at home. For more information, potential members can contact the Farm Manager, Saché Jones.