One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Irvine's Great Park to Be Developed as Community Farm
Irvine's Great Park, seen here in January when the Circus was set up in the parking lot (Photo by eli.pousson via Flickr)
The Irvine City Council has approved a lease with a local farmer that will see to it 114 acres of Great Park be developed as an urban community farm. This is the first time farming will be taking place on the land that is Great Park since wealthy rancher James Irvine sold the land he used to farm lima beans to the US Government for them to use as the Marine Corps Air Station at El Toro.
The lease was granted to the Kawamura family, who are considered to be the OC's leading farming family; they operate Orange County Produce and have been in the farming business for 60 years. Already farming on the Great Park land, and contributing over one hundred tons of produce to food banks and other charitable organizations, the Kawamuras plan to work in partnership with other local farmers. Notes Matt Kawamura, they also plan to work "with the county’s school districts to provide healthy food and fiber to our students through the schools lunch programs."
Farming is just one part of the Great Park project, which, when completed, will be nearly twice the size of New York's famed Central Park. They consider themselves to be "the first great metropolitan park of the 21st century."
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
