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Community

Restoring Cultural Connections to the Land at Hummingbird Farm

Restoring Cultural Connections to the Land at Hummingbird Farm
  • Kathryn Bowman

Located in Southeast San Francisco, Hummingbird Farm is a living testament to the wisdom and seeds of our ancestors. It is a place where residents in communities with limited access to fresh food and green space can grow food and medicine, while reclaiming their connection to their heritage and the Earth.

Ceremonial gathering at Hummingbird Farm. Photo credit: PODER.
Ceremonial gathering at Hummingbird Farm. Photo credit: PODER.

The vision of Hummingbird Farm emerged when People Organizing to Demand Environmental and Economic Rights (PODER) visited Los Jardines Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and saw the need for spaces dedicated to healing land and health in historically underserved communities. PODER worked in collaboration with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) to repurpose underutilized SFPUC property in the Excelsior neighborhood of San Francisco into a community farm. Hummingbird Farm resulted from community organizing for food access and green space. Leading to its inception in 2017, PODER engaged over 300 community members to gather input on community needs, which shaped the farm’s features and activities.

Hummingbird Farm is a space to organize and build community. It hosts a range of activities, including sunrise ceremonies, watershed workshops, volunteer days, and even classes on how to work with hand tools. In 2023, PODER hosted 188 gardening days, community workshops, field trips, and cultural events that reached over 2,300 participants and 1,000 garden volunteers. The Urban Campesinx urban agriculture apprenticeship program engages local youth in urban farming and food justice. “We believe in solutions that come from the bottom up, that come from our communities. Hummingbird Farm builds local leadership and allows community to steward land together. It is a space to activate land to grow food, medicine, and community,” said Tere Almaguer, PODER Environmental Justice Organizer.

Community members celebrating PODER’s annual corn planting at Mama Earth Day Event in 2023. Photo credit: PODER.
Community members celebrating PODER’s annual corn planting at Mama Earth Day Event in 2023. Photo credit: PODER.

Hummingbird Farm is dedicated to agricultural and land stewardship practices that uphold Traditional Ecological Knowledge. PODER currently supports restoration of the native grassland habitat adjacent to the farm. In 2022 and 2023, PODER volunteers have removed invasive species and planted approximately 3,500 seedlings at Hummingbird Farm and immediately surrounding areas under the guidance of San Francisco Recreation and Park Department (RPD) and SFPUC Natural Resources and Lands Management Division (NRLM).

PODER aims to help restore the ecosystem surrounding Hummingbird Farm. In an area of the property where water collects during rain events, PODER has installed plants provided by RPD that will help retain and filter the water. Additionally, Hummingbird Farm has hosted a pilot hydro-panel provided by the City that harnesses the power of the sun to extract water from the air. Activities such as these advance SFPUC’s mission to conserve water, identify innovative water supplies and reduce environmental impact.

Hummingbird Farm is one of many examples of SFPUC's commitment to environmental justice communities, and furthermore, teaching one another how to use our Earth’s resources responsibly. As Rickie Cleere, SFPUC Environmental Justice and Land Use Analyst, stated, “Hummingbird Farm goes beyond fulfilling our Environmental Justice and Community Benefits policies. It’s about recognizing the resources in our care and using them to uplift and empower our communities.”