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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Environment
Victoria Namkung

I swapped my south LA lawn for a verdant microfarm – now I feed the neighborhood

Woman smiles and clasps hands under palm trees, with flowers and other plants below her
Beverly Lofton in her garden in the View Park neighborhood of Los Angeles late last month. Photograph: Gabriella Angotti-Jones/The Guardian

Beverly Lofton’s home in south Los Angeles used to have a water-guzzling grass lawn. Today, it’s a verdant microfarm that uses solar power and recycled water to grow carrots, beets, potatoes and more, with the bounty distributed to her neighbors. The 67-year-old’s switch was a bold move in a city ruled by cars and concrete, and where the impact of extreme heat and water shortages are acutely felt. It’s also a powerful rebuttal to food insecurity and big agriculture, in a neighborhood considered a “food desert”.

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