Taqwa Community Farm is a half-acre park operated as a
community garden in the
Highbridge neighborhood of
the Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.
History
Raised in
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
to a family of sharecroppers, Abu Talib sought to transform a vacant site in one of the city’s most impoverished neighborhoods into a vibrant center of activity through his experience in farming. Surrounded by private homes, this property was a victim of urban decay in the 1970s that left it as an abandoned city-owned lot. In 1992, a group of neighborhood residents, led by Talib, received permission from the city to garden the vacant lot at 164th Street and Ogden Avenue, and founded the Taqwa Community Farm. Its name
Taqwa, Arabic for “the peace,” is derived from the
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
term for a conscious recognition of God.
The garden was assigned to the Parks Department in 1998, ensuring that it will remain secure as a public green space.
Also in 1998, the work of the garden’s volunteers earned Taqwa the ''Deere Kids Seeds of Hope Award''.
Tended by volunteers from nearly 100 families, the garden grows potatoes, spinach, string beans, collards, carrots, squash, peas, cabbage and corn, among other vegetables. Today, Taqwa yields about 10,000 pounds of food annually. It has a colony of bees and a dozen chickens.
The garden sell products at local farmers markets and through their "Grow to Give" program donate any leftover produce.
See also
*
Community Gardens in New York City
Community gardens in New York City are urban green spaces created and cared for by city residents who are stewards of underutilized land. There are over 550 community gardens on city property, over 745 school gardens, over 100 gardens in land trus ...
*
Community gardening in the United States
Community gardens in the United States benefit both gardeners and society at large. Community gardens provide fresh produce to gardeners and their friends and neighbors. They provide a place of connection to nature and to other people. In a wid ...
References
{{coord, 40.832659, -73.929094, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-NY, display=title
Parks in the Bronx
Community gardening in New York City
Highbridge, Bronx
Farms in New York City