South Phoenix’s Historical Roots in Food and Agriculture
Food plays an important role in the South Phoenix community, as its history and formation is heavily tied to agriculture. While farming was a driving factor in the development of Phoenix in the 1860s and continued throughout the following century, agricultural influences in the area date back farther to when the Hohokam lived in Arizona until the 1450s. This Indigenous history has significantly shaped the development of the South Phoenix community.
Hohokam’s Canal Irrigation System
The Hohokam migrated from present-day Mexico and settled in central Arizona along the Gila and Salt Rivers. In order to live in the arid desert and survive with a lack of abundant water, the Hohokam engineered a complex canal irrigation system to move water beyond the riverfront of the Salt River. Using the force of gravity, they diverted the water through the Valley, allowing them to farm and care for their tribe. This sophisticated canal system provided the Hohokam with the water needed to grow corn, beans, squash, and cotton. The Hohokam disappeared from the Arizona landscape around 1450, but their canal system has remained intact for generations and serves as the foundation for agriculture in Phoenix.
The Establishment of South Phoenix
In the late 1860s, people from Northern Sonora Mexico migrated to Arizona to escape political and social conflict. Northern Europeans also migrated to Arizona during this time to pursue cheap land made available after the Indigenous population had been displaced. In the early stages of developing the City of Phoenix, the east-west rail corridor, established in 1887, served as a physical and symbolic boundary between two developing communities. Mexican immigrants and other minority groups were designated to live south of the rail, while European immigrants built homes on the north side. The southern area eventually became known as South Phoenix.
Even in the midst of being excluded from economic sectors, minority immigrant groups were able to establish successful agricultural livelihoods. The base of the South Mountain became home to many Mexican families who established homesteads and made their living in farming and ranching. They became the primary labor force that made farming in Arizona successful while also contributing to the growth of Phoenix and the construction of acequias, or canals, along the Salt River. These were the same canals that the Hohokam hand dug centuries earlier. The acequias, specifically the San Francisco canal, delivered a controlled and dependable supply of water from the Salt River to South Phoenix farmers. With the revival of the ancient canal system, agriculture became a central catalyst in the political economy of Phoenix.
Agricultural Foul Play
In the late 1800s, farmers in South Phoenix came upon hard times. First, the price of grain dropped as a result of domestic overproduction and increased foreign competition. Then, the increasing costs of canal repairs and maintenance, along with the depressed market prices, hindered their aspirations of land ownership.
By the mid-1870s, Michael Wormser, a merchant from Prescott, entered the South Phoenix agricultural scene and began purchasing land along the San Francisco Canal, including rights to the canal itself. Offering seed grain, supplies, and promises to supply the water necessary to continue farming, Wormser positioned himself to claim this prime agricultural land when farmers defaulted on their contracts. To ensure the odds fell in his favor, Wormser cut off access to water from the San Francisco canal and, as farmers defaulted, he insisted that they obtain a clear title to their land, and then he purchased the acreage for the amount owed him.
The number of farmers and ranchers declined dramatically. While many were forced out of the industry altogether, others became landless farm laborers.
An Influx of New Farmers
With an increasing demand for labor and the expansion of the railroad, South Phoenix saw an influx of Asian immigrants in the 19th and 20th centuries. Beginning in 1905, Japanese laborers were brought to South Phoenix to cultivate a sugar beet farm. When the beets failed due to the desert heat, some Japanese laborers began to farm fruit and vegetables, which, at the time, were scarce among a valley full of grain farmers.
The Kishiyama family surged to success at the foot of South Mountain. Dubbed the “Tomato King,'' the family’s tomatoes, summer squash, cucumbers, and watermelons were well-known by locals. A few years later, the Nakagawas inspired many neighbors when they began growing flowers on a 60-acre leased farm as Alien Land Laws prohibited them from owning property. Several of these neighbors followed suit and successfully started large flower-growing fields of their own.
In 1942, things took a turn. As worries around World War II escalated, people with Japanese ancestry were forced to sell or abandon their land and possessions and report to the Gila River Internment Camp in southern Arizona due to Executive Order 9066. When the farmers were finally released and permitted to return to their land at the end of World War II, their farms had been destroyed, and they were forced to start over.
By the 1950s, however, the flower farms were thriving once again—becoming a tourist attraction for visitors to stop and enjoy the flowers. Long-time residents and visitors might remember the colorful rows of flowers lining the base of South Mountain grown by these Japanese families.
The Newest Generation of South Phoenix Farmers
Despite a history of discriminatory agricultural practices and treatment, the South Phoenix community has remained resilient. Currently, South Phoenix residents are tackling food access and nutrition security issues as 18 zip codes in the area are designated food deserts, or most recently termed “food apartheids,” due to the lack of grocery store options or limited access to healthy and fresh food.
Through the City of Phoenix’s Resilient Food Systems program, resources are available for urban agriculture and community-based food solutions that enable residents and local farmers to grow and provide fresh produce to their neighborhoods. The next generation of South Phoenix farmers are leveraging these resources to develop community-driven solutions that create systemic changes, including vibrant urban farms, homestead farms, and backyard gardens.
One example is Spaces of Opportunity, a 19-acre plot of land that has been transformed into a neighborhood-level food system. It pays homage to South Phoenix’s agricultural roots and provides grow-space for farmers, family garden plots, healing and educational gardens, and an on-site farmers market for residents to access healthy, affordable food.
Farmers and organizations, such as Project Roots, TigerMountain Foundation, Food Forest Cooperative, Unlimited Potential, and many others, are working alongside each other to provide food for the community and educate residents on how to compost, grow food, and cultivate connected communities. By developing these relationships and foodways, the community is actively building a localized food system model that ensures South Phoenix’s resiliency—like those who came before them.
The Phoenix: Lets Eat Local! campaign is a partnership between City of Phoenix Office of Environmental Programs and Local First Arizona that celebrates the connection between Phoenix residents and the makers, growers, and advocates building stronger food systems in our local food communities. It is an invitation for residents to learn about our local food communities, celebrate our diverse food pathways, and help our local food businesses become more resilient and robust for ourselves and for future generations. To learn more about the campaign, visit http://phxeatlocal.com/.