Marra Farm, a plot of land in Marra-Desimone Park,

South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand the ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, Washington is one of only two historic agricultural parcels inside Seattle city limits that retains an agricultural use today; the other is

Picardo Farm Picardo Farm is a parcel of property in Wedgwood, Seattle, Washington, consisting largely of 281 plots used for gardening allotments.

.Marra Farm
on the Solid Ground site. Accessed online 16 January 2009. It was operated from the early 1900s until the 1970s as a truck farm by the

Italian American Italian Americans () are Americans who have full or partial Italians, Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeastern United States, Northeast and industrial Midwestern United States, Midwestern ...

Marra family, and then sold to

King County King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population was 2,269,675 in the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Washington, and the 12th-most populous in the United States. The county seat is Seattle ...

. Little was done with the land until 1997, when several neighborhood residents and one VISTA volunteer began restoration efforts. They were joined the following year by several

nonprofit organizations A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

, government programs and other individuals. The farm now plays a significant role in providing produce to people living in the largely poor neighborhood of South Park, growing more than of

organic produce Organic may refer to: * Organic, of or relating to an organism, a living entity * Organic, of or relating to an anatomical organ Chemistry * Organic matter, matter that has come from a once-living organism, is capable of decay or is the product o ...

each year. In 2000, community organizer John Beal and the King Conservation District daylighted a section of the Lost Fork of Hamm Creek on the western edge of Marra Farm. As of 2008, the farmland is shared among the several member organizations of the Marra Farm Coalition. Lettuce Link, under the aegis of anti-poverty organization Solid Ground; Seattle's

P-Patch A P-Patch is a parcel of property used for gardening; the term is specific to Seattle, Washington. The "P" originally stood for "Picardo", after the family who owned Picardo Farm in Seattle's Wedgwood neighborhood, part of which became the ori ...

system of

allotment gardens An allotment (British English), is a plot of land made available for individual, non-commercial gardening for growing food plants, so forming a kitchen garden away from the residence of the user. Such plots are formed by subdividing a piece of ...

; Seattle Youth Garden Works (SYGW), through which

at-risk youths An at-risk student is a term used in the United States to describe a student who requires temporary or ongoing intervention in order to succeed academically. Richardson, Val, comp. "At-Risk Student Intervention Implementation Guide." The Education ...

operate a cooperative market garden business, selling their produce at the Columbia City Farmer's Market; Mien Community Garden, tended by low-income Yao Fou Chao and

Mien The Yao people () or Dao () is a classification for various ethnic minorities in China and Vietnam. Their majority branch is also known as Mien. They originated in the areas around Changsha, which today is the capital of Hunan province. They s ...

who practice their traditional agricultural techniques; and the South Park Neighborhood Association (SPNA). The SPNA provides services including meeting space and

liability insurance Liability insurance (also called third-party insurance) is a part of the general insurance system of risk financing to protect the purchaser (the "insured") from the risks of liabilities imposed by lawsuits and similar claims and protects the in ...

. Also as of 2008,

Seattle Parks and Recreation Seattle Parks and Recreation (officially the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR)) is the government department responsible for maintaining the parks, open spaces, and community centers of the city of Seattle, Washington. The department maint ...

is in the process of several improvements to the farmland and is rehabilitating land immediately east of the agricultural area. They are establishing trails and paths, play areas, social gathering areas including a community pavilion, and swales for drainage.Marra-Desimone Park Pro Parks Project Information
Seattle Parks and Recreation, October 2008. Accessed online 16 January 2009.

Notes

External links

Seattle Parks and Recreation.
Marra Farm
on Solid Ground site {{coord, 47, 31, 18, N, 122, 19, 40, W, format=dms, display=title, type:landmark_region:US-WA Parks in Seattle 1900s establishments in Washington (state)