This year’s Farm Fest, an annual event at the Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands, served as a platform to connect the community with various agriculture-focused and sustainability-driven organizations. Held in collaboration with Tilth Alliance, Farm Fest celebrated South Seattle's joyous community and urban agriculture throughout the city, offering live music, food trucks, community partners, and activities for kids.

Nyema Clark of Nurturing Roots expressed the importance of Farm Fest as a celebration of community and agriculture, particularly for the Southeast Seattle community. For organizations like Nurturing Roots, the event provided a vital space for communities of color, including elders and the East African community, especially in the face of displacement challenges. Nurturing Roots emphasized the significance of Farm Fest as a consistent venue to showcase their activities and work, and a crucial space for networking and raising awareness about farming and nonprofit work, especially as funding and land for farming diminish.

Among the llamas, bees, live music, and fresh produce, one of the events featured attractions was the smoothie bike, which allowed people to pedal-power their own refreshing smoothies made of fresh fruit. Much of the produce grown by Farm Fest participants is donated to food banks, emphasizing the festival’s nonprofit mission to serve the community and promote health, wealth, and nature. Farm Fest is a great event for all ages, serving as a vital opportunity in bringing communities together in the name of sustainable agriculture. 

Visit tilthalliance.org/event/farm-fest-at-rainier-beach-urban-farm-wetlands/ for more details about Farm Fest and updates on next year’s event. 

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