An urban farm to feed a neighborhood

By Mary MacVean

Assante Microfarm in L.A. (Photo by Mary MacVean)

As people gathered along the sidewalk outside the corner house at Angeles Vista Boulevard and Olympiad Drive, motorists slowed to check out the fuss.

The fuss, on a hot Saturday morning, was Asante Microfarm, which not so long ago was a yard covered in grass, like those at so many homes in Los Angeles, where we know grass isn’t the best environmental choice, nor the best economic choice. But a farm?

Asante Microfarm’s grand opening on April 3 drew dozens of people to the View Park neighborhood who are interested in the project or in becoming a member who will get part of the harvest each week. Or who wanted to see a transformation in their neighborhood.

This farm has 600 edible plants in an average yard, and it recycles the water over and over, by sending it through a series of pipes and into a cistern covered with landscaping rocks. Instead of the 800 gallons a day it took to keep the grass green, the farm uses just 65 gallons a day.

“My dream started in 2019,” said Mychal Creer, who lives at the house with his wife, Jazmyn, and his mother. He and Crop Swap LA decided to work together on a project they hope will be replicated all over South Los Angeles and beyond. It is Crop Swap LA’s…