Santa Cruz garden project earns Natural Home accolade

A garden project in Santa Cruz, California which educates local people on how to grow green food has been recognised by Natural Home.

The magazine, which focuses on environmentally-friendly home design and lifestyle choices, has listed Santa Cruzs Homeless Garden Project as one of the top ten urban farms in the US.

Established in May 1990, the project aims to introduce people to organic gardening and teach them how to grow economically-sustainable produce in an economically viable way through practical lessons.

It also affords training and temporary employment for homeless people.

"The top ten urban farms list is a fun way to recognize urban farms that we believe are doing an exceptional job of building a community where people can learn about food and buy great local produce," editor in chief Robyn Griggs Lawrence told the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

"Its a terrific move toward getting people involved in sustainable projects in an urban setting. Plus, these farms often create jobs and revenue for the city by selling the produce to city dwellers and restaurants."

World Hunger Year has also reserved praise for the 2.5-acre garden, which contains a greenhouse to help with the cultivation of produce.