KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A garden growing in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri, could soon be covered in concrete.
The property owner of the Westport Commons Farm lot is looking to replace the space with apartments.
Cultivate KC Executive Director Bien Darby says a lease meant to last 25 years may now only last five.
"This farm is a demonstration garden for Cultivate Kansas City, so we maintain a small portion of the farm," Darby said. "We have a farm staff who grows food. It's a great volunteer opportunity to get school groups and other community members involved in that growing process."
Before the garden's inception, the area sat vacant for nearly a decade. When Cultivate KC took over the space, it took years to increase the soil's fertility to be sustainable enough to plant crops.
Now, after five years of sowing a love of farming in the Westport community, the entire project could be uprooted.
"It really can't be overstated how devastating the loss of this site would be," said Alana Henry, who helps run the Young Family Farm a few miles away. "When you understand the value of the Earth and the gifts that it gives us, there's a different level of respect that you have and care for the Earth."
Cultivate KC uses the garden to provide for the community by selling and donating crops to combat food insecurity. A pause in services will be inevitable if the organization must relocate.
"You lose some of that, you lose a lot of that, really. And there's really no way to get that back," Henry said.
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