Securing Our Gardens for the Future

A primary focus of Grassroots Gardens' Strategic Plan is to secure the future of community gardens through long term land tenure options. With support and guidance from the Land Trust Alliance, GGB will be adopting a Land Tenure and Stewardship Plan in 2014 to effectively address the volatile status of many of our gardens. Year by year as Buffalo's neighborhoods change, our gardens continue to live a month-to-month existence through temporary arrangements with landholders, both public and private. Our most established gardens have been beautifying and feeding the city for over 20 years, yet they don't enjoy the stability of a long-term commitment. Through the Community Garden Stabilization Initiative, GGB will aim to conserve urban land through a combination of long-term lease arrangements with the City of Buffalo, exploration of ownership of parcels that are currently held by private landowners, and land in trust/conservation easements that would protect gardens as public greenspace in perpetuity.  Through this combined approach, our 70 (and growing) gardens, which provide precious, active greenspace, a source of healthy fruits and vegetables, and inspire environmental stewardship will continue to grow, free from the threat of development.