Agriculture
Resource Center
Resources for Philadelphian’s to garden, farm, and steward public land across the City.
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What does the ARC offer? Outdoor Classrooms Compost & Mulch Delivery Tool Lending Library
(1) Tool Lending Library
Borrow tools and equipment to start or maintain a garden or farm, test soil, preserve and can seasonal foods, support land care, produce public events, engage in food and resource distribution, tree maintenance, and more. Coming soon, the ARC will also offer a free fruit, vegetable, and cover crop seed library, along with a book collection to support knowledge access for growers and stewards. Safety and support supplies are also available, including PPE such as safety vests, safety glasses, hard hats, and gloves, as well as items like Narcan nasal spray, hand sanitizer, and COVID-19 tests.
*ARC membership is required to borrow from the Tool Lending Library
(2) Outdoor Classroom
At the ARC, you can attend and host workshops, community events, and programs focused on agriculture, horticulture, and arboriculture techniques, cultural and ancestral practices, resource sharing, food preservation, land advocacy, and more. Workshops and events are held on a variety of dates and times and are open to all residents. RSVPs will open for each event individually and will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
*ARC membership is not required to participate.
(3) Compost & Mulch Delivery
For the first time, Farm Philly will be able to provide bulk deliveries of City-produced compost, wood chips, and mulch (up to 6 yards) to sites on and off parkland.
*ARC membership is required to request compost and mulch deliveries.
Public Hours in July 2026
Monday: 2 pm-6 pm
Wednesday: 2 pm-6 pm
Friday: 8 am-2 pm
Saturday: 8 am-1 pm
Questions or Comments?
Come Visit Us!
- 90 Horticultural Dr. Philadelphia, PA 19131
(in the parking lot of the Horticulture Center)
Program Overview
The Agricultural Resource Center (ARC) is Farm Philly’s first completed capital project emerging from the City of Philadelphia’s Urban Agriculture Plan, Growing From the Root. The ARC is designed to provide accessible and cost-free tools, equipment, organic materials and educational resource support for farmers, gardeners, land stewards and residents who are a part of public and community-based projects across Philadelphia.
Public projects include, but are not limited to: agricultural projects (e.g. community gardens, community farms), fruit and nut orchards, Tree Tenders, Friends of Parks Groups, Community land stewardship, food sovereignty, free food, mutual aid and sharing economy projects. The ARC is more than a resource center. It’s a space for food sovereignty, environmental stewardship, cultural preservation and community care. The ARC is not available for use by private households or businesses. For more information on what specific projects may qualify for ARC membership, please visit FarmPhilly.MyTurn.com for a comprehensive overview of membership requirements.
The ARC is also an ADA accessible site (including the facility, grounds and furniture). The 4,777-square-foot center includes three new 40-foot shipping containers, a community space and outdoor classroom, storage shed, and native pollinator gardens that support local bees, butterflies, and birds by providing food sources and habitat through the use of Indigenous plants.
Supporting the self-determination of residents through community agriculture. The ARC is an all-in-one hub for various project needs.
Program History
The Agriculture Resource Center (ARC), a new Farm Philly program, was envisioned and developed by Parks & Recreation’s Director of Urban Agriculture, Ash Richards, to advance food as a public good and establish permanent agricultural infrastructure as an essential city service during the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020. Director Richards led the visioning, design, fundraising, and project management efforts that brought the Agriculture Resource Center from concept to fruition, creating a permanent community and land stewardship resource hub for Philadelphia. This project would not have been possible without the incredible dedication, operational support, and hard work of the present and past Farm Philly team, including Jose Santiago (Program Coordinator), Andrew Kirkpatrick (Urban Greening Coordinator), Uma Franceschini (Agriculture Resource Center Specialist), Shelby Kim (Agriculture Resource Center Specialist), Donnel Brown (Project Manager, 2022-2024), Erica Mines (Agriculture Resource Center Specialist 2025-2026), and Dolores Guernica (Agriculture Resource Center Specialist 2025-2026).
In response to the growing demand for public agricultural services across Philadelphia, the Agriculture Resource Center (ARC) was developed as a long-term investment in strengthening local food production, land stewardship, and neighborhood engagement. The ARC is a community resource designed to support residents engaged in public stewardship projects while fostering a culture of care-centered interdependence, disability justice, resilience, self-determination, and community self-reliance across the city.
According to Director Richards, it reflects what a governance of care can look like in practice. It stands as a testament to the principles of sharing and solidarity economies, embodying a commitment to investing in the communities that have stewarded land and cared for their neighbors for generations. The ARC was intentionally designed to address some of the greatest barriers facing urban growers beyond land access, which is limited access to tools, seeds, training, education, and other essential agricultural resources. It centers shared power and community-led solutions to cultivate culturally meaningful, affordable, nourishing, and locally rooted food systems.
This project was funded through support from the William Penn Foundation, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health through the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Fund, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, the Green Family Foundation, and the Claneil Foundation.
Steps to Becoming an ARC Member
