Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding stops at farms in Philadelphia and Chester during statewide Urban Agriculture Week Tour

During the week of July 10 through July 15, recognized as Statewide Urban Agriculture Week, Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding celebrated Pennsylvania's Sixth Annual Urban AG Week with a statewide tour that will help residents across Pennsylvania increase access to fresh produce in food deserts; break down racial, ethnic and socioeconomic barriers; and tackle historical inequities to feed community opportunities.

- Breina Burnett, Veronica Wakefield, and Lorraine Lavender

On Wednesday, July 12, 2023, Agriculture Secretary Redding arrived at Weavers Way Farm, which shares farming space with Walter B. Saul High School, 7100 Henry Avenue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Following the introductions and speeches, the secretary toured the farm, which led down a path into the farm's "You Pick Garden." As evidenced in the name, the garden allows the tourists to pick from a variety of herbs and small vegetables like lavender, basil, chard, cucumbers, tomatoes, and green beans. The aroma of the sweet smell of Lavender plants, the spicy scent of the hot peppers, and basil's savory fragrance made for an eclectic mix and created a fusion of fresh perfume outdoors in the summer heat.

Secretary Redding shared, "Agriculture is the beauty of art and science combined by cultivating soil, growing crops, and raising livestock. Learning how to grow crops is essential not only for your survival but for your community as well." Community gardens like Pick Me Garden are a 'very real' necessity throughout Philadelphia and other underserved communities. Some of the new challenges that face Agriculture in 2023, such as climate change, changing weather extremes, and climate change-triggered droughts, are among the key drivers of food insecurity, insufficient agricultural land, the growing population, biodiversity loss, and low investment in agriculture.