Great Park to Propose Sustainable Community Farm Plan to Honor Orange County Agricultural Heritage

NOVEMBER 7, 2007 – IRVINE, California – The Orange County Great Park Food and Agriculture working group will meet November 9th at 1:00 p.m. in the Irvine City Hall Conference and Training Center to explore a proposal for developing a sustainable community farm as part of the Great Park Master Plan.

Agriculture has been a central part of Orange County’s history. Farming and orchards once dominated the landscape and served a primary role in developing the economy and life of the County.

The Great Park Farm will create a new model for urban farms in the 21st Century. It will provide a productive enterprise for professional farmers and will help meet the needs of the undernourished in the county by providing locally grown produce. The Farm will also benefit the Great Park by creating activities that will bring community volunteers to the Park and engage them in meaningful activities that will help to meet the needs of the community.

“The Great Park Community Farm could help bring nutritional food to the dinner table for many Orange County families,” said Larry Agran, Chair of the Orange County Great Park Board Corporation. “The Farm Plan mirrors the vision of the Great Park, calling for small-scale agricultural operations that are likely to become larger over time. It will provide an attractive, sustainable land-use while feeding and educating some of Orange County’s neediest residents.”

The Great Park Community Farm Plan will also include a collaborative approach based on the opportunity to preserve Orange County’s agricultural heritage. It will include a nursery operation as well as a 10-acre tree holding yard for salvaged trees from the Marine base, trees contributed by Southern California Edison, and trees from Park benefactors. The plan will also include land for other agricultural features, including edible landscapes, community and specialty gardens and agricultural festivals.

The Orange County Great Park, which is almost twice the size of New York’s Central Park, will be a major metropolitan park and the focal point of the redevelopment of the 4,700-acre former Marine Corps Air Station at El Toro. The Great Park will include extensive natural areas and open spaces in addition to recreational and cultural uses.

For more information, please go to www.ocgp.org.

Press Contacts:
Maryann Maloney
(949) 375-0856