The acquisition of the Garfield Group Backyard by the Conservation Nonprofit ensures its safety for agricultural use

Garfield’s Kincaid Street Garden was purchased by the Three Rivers Agricultural Land Initiative (TRALI) from private developers East Liberty Development, Inc. and Penn Pioneer Enterprises. As a result of the move, the urban green space is permanently preserved for agricultural use.

TRALI was founded in 2017 and is a joint venture between Grow Pittsburgh and the Allegheny Land Trust.

“We are investing in community garden conservation that applies across the city,” said Alyson Fearon, director of Allegheny Land Trust Community Conservation, of TRALI. “This is our second community garden and third project under the program.”

The community garden was purchased in the form of two lots, each valued at $ 18,000. One was donated to the Allegheny Land Trust and the other was bought at a discount.

Established in 2012, Kincaid Street Garden is home to vegetables, flowers, and perennial herbs. Volunteer gardening worker Kuwame Kinsel says buying TRALI will protect the land.

“We have found that our space will be sustainable and continuous for the community. We can’t buy ourselves out from a developer, we can’t change, you know, so it was an amazing feeling. “

Kinsel also says the purchase will allow the garden to make more long-term investments. They plan to add fruit trees, picnic tables, art, solar panels, a stage, and access to the city’s water system through the Water for Community Gardens program of the PWSA.

Local residents maintain communal garden lots or set up their own lots on Kincaid Street. It also has resources to combat food insecurity: the food grown on the shared plots is open to everyone, and there is a canned food pantry on site.

Gardening volunteers want it to look similar in its early days when it was much more active. They plan to introduce other community events, including gardening, composting, cooking, and plant identification classes. They believe that buying TRALI will make this easier.

Kinsel wants Kincaid Street Garden to become an integral part of the community.

“Community gardens play a role in providing access to green spaces and outdoor spaces for people who normally do not have access to those spaces and places,” he said.