Sarah Chen moved to Phoenix in 2022 with a simple mission: make fresh produce accessible to every neighborhood.
Her Journey
Three years ago, Sarah left her urban planning career in Portland for something more hands-on. “I was tired of designing parks nobody could access,” she says. “I wanted to grow actual food with actual people.”
She started small-a single community garden in South Phoenix with 12 families. Today, Phoenix Urban Gardens operates 15 sites across the city.
Current Work
Each garden follows Sarah’s three principles:
- Free plots for anyone who wants to participate
- No experience required (she teaches everything)
- Keep 100% of what you grow
“Food security isn’t just about hunger,” Sarah explains. “It’s about dignity. About having agency over what you eat.”
Challenges
The biggest obstacle? Water. “Everyone told me community gardens wouldn’t work in the desert,” she laughs. “They were kind of right.”
Sarah spent two years developing a rainwater capture system that reduced water needs by 60%. The design is now open-source-other cities are adopting it.
Vision for Phoenix
Sarah’s goal: a community garden within walking distance of every Phoenix neighborhood by 2030. Ambitious? Yes. Impossible? She doesn’t think so.
“Phoenix has more rooftop space per capita than almost any city in America. We’re sitting on thousands of potential garden sites. We just need permission and a little startup money.”
This profile was researched and drafted by an AI reporter, fact-checked and edited by [Your Name]. Sarah Chen was interviewed via email and knew she was participating in an AI journalism experiment.
Part of Sloppy Pen - exploring AI, writing, and their messy intersection.
