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Orlando expands urban farms, youth hydroponics and garden programs to boost local food access
Summary
City staff described two urban farms, a hydroponic shipping‑container program, youth entrepreneurship tied to produce sales, neighborhood garden education and city apiaries supporting Black Bee Honey and pollinator education.
City sustainability staff told the Orlando City Council on April 21 that the city runs two urban farms, a hydroponic shipping‑container project and multiple neighborhood garden and youth education programs that supply fresh produce to residents and community partners.
Alyssa Masaccio, a resilience team staff member, described the McQuigg Community Garden and South Street Urban Farm and said both spaces aim to provide "access to fresh local produce for our community members and residents." The McQuigg site includes more than 40 raised beds available at no cost to residents, a hydroponic shipping container and an apiary; South Street hosts a market garden, orchard and food‑forest beds.
The nut graf: Staff said produce from these sites goes to neighborhood partners, including a partnership with Neighborhood Fridge, and supports hands‑on youth education. Masaccio said the McQuigg hydroponic container allows staff to "control the temperature, the humidity, the light" so the city can grow leafy greens during hot summer months and pilot a youth entrepreneurship program in which high school students will run the system and retain proceeds or scholarship funds from sales.
The city also runs a garden program at 12 neighborhood centers serving roughly kindergarten through fifth‑grade students, with more than 60 raised beds used for classroom and after‑school education. Masaccio described partnerships that move gleaned or donated produce from regional farms into the city’s distribution network; she said city staff and partners have worked with farms and groups such as the Society of Saint Andrew and Neighborhood Fridge to redistribute produce that otherwise would go unharvested.
City beekeeping and pollinator education support Black Bee Honey, a high‑school program; Tuesday Piper, the city beekeeper, provides training, hive management and honey collection support so students can sell product connected to the education program.
Staff also outlined resilience infrastructure tied to food access: the Reach Mobile Resilience Hub, built by UCF with National Science Foundation support, is solar powered, has satellite Internet and refrigeration and is staged at the emergency operations center for deployment to neighborhoods after disasters. The city plans a USDA cooperative agreement to install an off‑grid community composting system at South Street Farm and a second site; staff said the city won a $100,000 award for that project and will present the agreement to council on May 19.
Ending: The presentation positioned the farms and associated education programs as part of Orlando’s resilience strategy to expand access to healthy food, train students for green jobs and keep produce circulating to residents who need it.
