An urban farm for every city block in Nevada

A concept for food security.

By Canyon Cassidy
Sierra Nevada Ally
April 6, 2021

Excerpt:

Growing up in northern Nevada provided me with the perception of downtown Reno as my own urban backyard. Reno is a small city split in two by the Truckee River and nestled up to a beautiful stretch of the Sierra Nevada. Reno provides an opportunity to experience a little bit of “metro-life” with the ability to escape back into the remoteness of Nevada’s high deserts and alpine mountains.

Nevada’s “Biggest Little City” still has a bit of wildness at its doorstep as the small city reaches its developmental capacity. If you observe carefully you will see the wildness of nature between Reno’s urban streets, parks, and suburbs. Its suburban centers are sandwiched between the surrounding foothills and mountains to its busier urban strips that straddle the Truckee River. This juxtaposition of wildlands, streets, communities, and parks sets up a scenario where wildlife inhabits the margins throughout the city right down to the river’s edge in Wingfield Park in downtown Reno.

Flint Street Farm is a short distance uphill from the Truckee River in downtown Reno. The farm was first conceived when Rubik Environmental converted their parking lot into a garden. That garden has since evolved into a flourishing polyculture farm that produces fresh nutrient-rich produce for those underserved in the community.

The location of the farm is advantageous for food production as it is close to the Truckee River. The close proximity of the river provides a slightly higher humidity than the surrounding area, an area dominated by arid air. Reno’s premier commercial district is within walking distance and the Nevada Museum of Art and the Great Basin Food Coop are closeby. Flint Street Farm’s central location puts the farm in an ideal position to showcase what an urban farm can do.

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