The New Port Richey FarmNet held its annual New Year’s Farm & Produce Festival at the West Pasco Habitat for Humanity Farm and Market site on Madison Street in New Port Richey in January. Anne Short, chaired the event. Several local organic farmers and gardeners participated with the event attracting nearly 300 visitors.

The major sponsors for this year’s Festival are Friendship Farms & Fare, and West Pasco Habitat for Humanity.  The event is also supported by Grand Gardens, East Madison Growers, the Environmental Committee of the City of New Port Richey, and Ecology Florida.

The Annual Farm and Produce Festival featured cool weather produce, local honey and homemade preserves, bedding plants, and gardening materials available for purchase or donation, including: organic and heirloom seeds, locally grown vegetable seedlings, locally grown loquat fruit trees, local honey, opportunities to acquire a plot at Grand Gardens, planting pots, cells, and trays. Promotional t-shirts for local agriculture projects and published booklets about loquats and okra were available for purchase.  Produce from local organic farms and gardens included collards, kales, swiss chard, and arugula among others.

Tours of Habitat for Humanity gardens were offered and a program about FarmNet and New Port Richey’s growing urban agriculture project was presented by the organizers.  Sylvia Spencer, the manager of Habitat for Humanity’s Community Garden and facilitator FarmNet market and Anne Short is the market director for FarmNet.

FarmNet was developed through funding and support from Friendship Farms & Fare, West Pasco Habitat for Humanity, Ecology Florida, East Madison Growers and local residents. The establishment of community gardens and urban farms in New Port Richey was made possible through New Port Richey’s ground-breaking Urban Agriculture Ordinance, which promotes the transformation of vacant lots in the City into productive community gardens and farms, and encourages persons to use their property for food-producing gardens.

Additional Background Info:

New Port Richey FarmNet is dedicated to quickening the rise of a resilient and sustainable community in the City of New Port Richey and surrounding areas on the basis of agrarian principles and practices. Founded by the leadership of Friendship Farms & Fare and West Pasco Habitat for Humanity, FarmNet develops sustainable local food production and distribution systems, supports locally owned and operated businesses, develops resilient economic structures, educates on principles and practices of urban agrarianism and cultural resiliency, and cultivates authentic communities. Over twenty organizations and businesses a part of the FarmNet community.

Friendship Farms & Fare affirms and advances agrarian ideals to reestablish a sustainable culture. Its farms and gardens are located in New Port Richey, and include a large community garden (Grand Gardens), a mirco-farm (East Madison Gardens), and several residential gardens.  3F aims produce large quantities of high quality organic produce for local consumption using principles of sustainable agriculture.  3F is a subsidiary of Ecology Florida, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the harmonious integration of healthy natural, cultural, and economic ecologies to reestablish a sustainable world.
https://tarrylane.wixsite.com/friendship            http://www.ecologyflorida.org/

West Pasco Habitat for Humanity West Pasco Habitat for Humanity, Inc. is a non-profit organization working to eliminate substandard, inadequate housing and homelessness.  Its mission to build decent, affordable houses with community partners and qualified families. West Pasco Habitat for Humanity is returning to the roots of Habitat for Humanity (at Koinonia Farm <https://www.koinoniafarm.org/> ) through development of an urban farm on its campus and inclusion of agrarian education in its community outreach.
http://wphabitat.com/

East Madison Growers is a “growing” group of neighbors that are dedicated to the visual and social improvement of New Port Richey’s East Madison neighborhood.  http://eastmadison.org/