PUENTES is most widely known for helping Southside Stockton residents build better and healthier communities through educational workshops. Its biggest venture to date, however, has been the launch of the Boggs Tract Community Farm in the Port of Stockton area — and that venture will soon be given back to the community
As of April 1, the Boggs Tract Community Farm will be operating independently from PUENTES.
The nonprofit announced via Facebook post that they were passing ownership of the Boggs Tract Community Farm to members of the community.
“Our vision is to branch out into the community in greater measure and focus on multiple communities within Stockton and beyond. We plan to expand our outreach, centered on creating more community gardens and urban forestry projects,” read the post.
Promotores Unidas Para la Educación Nacional Tecnologías Sostenibles, or PUENTES, founded the Boggs Tract Community Farm in 2010. PUENTES itself was founded in 2009 by Delta College graduate Jeremy Terhune. According to the nonprofit’s website, Terhune was introduced to sustainable agricultural practices during his time in Panama with the Peace Corp. When he came home to Stockton, he decided to implement some of this newfound knowledge about sustainable agriculture in underserved parts of his own community.
Boggs Tract Community Farm was initially made possible by the Port of Stockton, which gifted PUENTES the land.
“It was essentially just a vacant lot,” said Kenda Templeton, executive director at PUENTES.
The farm has been able to monetize its work by holding weekly markets where farmers can sell produce they have grown. Another source of revenue has been from a plot holder who tends to beehives and sells the honey they produce. A group of plot holders began keeping chickens, and now sell eggs at the weekly farmer’s market as well.
At the Boggs Tract Community Farm, urban farmers can rent a 20 foot-by-20 foot plot to grow crops in.
The farm provides plotholders with everything they need to get going, including seeds, tools, and training, all for $125 a year.
PUENTES never aimed to be a landlord, rather the organization wanted to be a resource for urban farmers so they can learn to grow their own food in a low-risk and low-cost way.
Besides promoting agricultural literacy, PUENTES and the Boggs Tract Community Farm have also donated thousands of pounds of fresh produce to local organizations and food banks.
PUENTES has also helped Stocktonians plant fruit and vegetable gardens in their backyards.
Most recently, PUENTES has hosted tree planting events all around town.
This past winter, the nonprofit managed to plant over 600 oak trees in different city parks, all with the aim to promote sustainable carbon sequestration.
“It is a community outreach opportunity,” said Templeton. “The community park plantings were really meant for public engagement.”
With this change in leadership comes questions about what the future will look like for the community farm and its gardeners.
“PUENTES was managing all the background stuff,” said Ernay Nino, volunteer coordinator at the Boggs Tract Community Farm, when asked about the leadership transfer. “All the stuff that’s not shed to light, like all the finances, all the materials, all the gatherings, and the tree plantings that we had.”
“I believe we are going to get new tenants to take over the farm, but we still don’t know what that’s going to look like,” said Nino regarding the uncertainty that has materialized ever since PUENTES announced it would no longer be managing the community garden.
For gardener Jacob Jollie, the change in leadership has taken a backseat to his spring and summer planting.
“I think everyone has a lot more questions than answers,” said Jollie as he tended to his plot, accompanied by his two young daughters.
“We are going to keep staying here as long as they allow us to,” Nino said, referring to the Port of Stockton, who has retained ownership of the land in this transition.
Nino stressed that regardless of the leadership change, volunteer opportunities were abundant at the farm. Volunteers can help with farm chores, like weeding, seeding new plants, as well as general yard and lawn maintenance. Volunteer hours are from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays.
“Volunteers are vital to our project here,” said Nino.
For more information on volunteer opportunities, Delta students can reach Ernay Nino, volunteer coordinator, at enino@puentesca.org.