A flourishing farm lies a little over a mile away from Albuquerque’s Downtown Growers Market. Nestled in Albuquerque's South Valley, Chispas Farm is a world away from the hustle and bustle of downtown.
The sound of traffic from Cesar Chavez is muffled by a thick forest of cottonwoods that surrounds the farm. Irish homesteading cattle lounge in the distance and chickens are busy scavenging. A big, friendly farm cat named Clover escapes the heat underneath an ancient cottonwood. An ecosystem, one that would have existed during the Spanish Colonial period, is alive and well in the shadow of Albuquerque’s downtown.
Procopio Sandoval, a South Valley native, delivers artichoke seedlings and entertains the staff with his harmonica. The sound of shovels digging into the ancient clay and Procopio’s harmonica rise above the daily sounds of the farm.
Procopio — who will be 91 in July — also revealed that his band, Amigos de Valles, plays at the Downtown Growers Market.
Chispas Farms has been managed by University of New Mexico alumni Casey Holland since May 2017. As a sociology and psychology major, her passion for farming is driven by its community impact. During her time with the Occupy Wallstreet Movement, she was exposed to “Feed the Hood,” which is an organization that seeks to empower marginalized communities through urban farming.
As Holland broke the hard spring clay with her hands, she mentioned a quote she picked up during her time with “Feed The Hood”: “You have to feed the people to free the people.” She continued with, “we’re not just growing food, we’re growing each other.”
Last year, Chispas Farm hosted a free public meal that fed over 200 members of the community.
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