Philadelphia is about to get a serious upgrade for anyone growing food in the city.

This summer, the new Agricultural Resource Center (ARC) will open its doors as a one-stop hub for community gardeners, urban farmers, orchard stewards, and neighborhood food initiatives, and it’s bringing nearly $200,000 worth of tools and equipment with it, writes Sophia Schmidt for WHYY.

Think of it as a library, but instead of books, you’re checking out electric tillers, power augers, chainsaws, and wood chippers.

Need an apple cider press for the fall harvest? A corn shucker? They’ve got those, too.

Members can also borrow everyday essentials like pruners, trowels, wheelbarrows, and ladders. These are the kinds of unglamorous workhorse tools that make urban agriculture actually happen.

ARC will provide far more than that, however.

The center will also host free public workshops on everything from seed saving and soil testing to natural dyes, food preservation, tree care, and land stewardship.

It will also coordinate compost, mulch, and wood-chip deliveries to qualifying community projects across Philadelphia.

“We’re trying to hit a lot of different kinds of growing and stewardship communities,” said Ash Richards, Philadelphia’s urban agriculture director in the Department of Parks and Recreation.

The center is the first completed project to emerge from Philadelphia’s urban agriculture plan, and its ambitions run deeper than any single harvest.

By pooling expensive resources and sharing expertise, ARC is betting that lowering the barriers to food production can strengthen neighborhoods, build environmental resilience, and put fresh food within reach of more Philadelphians.

To learn more about the value that will be brought forth by the Agricultural Resource Center, as well as Philadelphia’s growing urban agriculture movement, read WHYY.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMQiVsZL83M