Know Your Farmer: Flowers & Bullets
The "Know Your Farmer" series, is a heartfelt journey of the lives and livelihoods of the devoted farmers and ranchers who create and shape Arizona's agricultural scene. In the Know Your Farmer series, our mission is to share their stories—full of victories, difficulties, and vital life lessons—giving common folk an insider's view into farming in our state and, more importantly, the farmers themselves. Additionally, this series acts as a resource for other growers to come to for support and for those looking to educate themselves on their local food system.
How They Began
In the heart of Tucson, Arizona, amidst the sun-soaked landscapes and vibrant culture, lies a very special place in the middle of Barrio Centro neighborhood, Flowers & Bullets. Founded in early 2012 by two childhood friends, Tito Romero and Jacob Robles, Indigenous-identified men who have lived all their lives in Barrio Centro, Flowers & Bullets has evolved as a garden and community space.
“It started in 2012. Many of us attended Tucson High, and at the time, it was a highly politicized climate. We were dealing with the anti-immigration laws, the anti-Mexican and the anti-ethnic studies bill. Many of us wanted to get active doing this type of work, so that's when many of us formulated and became politicized.
“Initially, the organization realized we have a lot to offer our community and, more specifically, Barrio Centro, where most of our members are from. Recognizing that we have these roots and the challenges within our underserved communities, like poverty, high school pushout rates, incarceration, alcoholism, substance abuse, single-parent households and more, our mission was geared towards how we can utilize our strengths and bring attention to the beauty in our communities, because there is a lot of focus on what's not doing so well.
“We started as a design company, promoting who we are, our identity and what we'd like to achieve. We started generating income from the T-shirt sales and started thinking ‘How can we use that to benefit the community?’ That's when we started doing backyard garden installations. At the time, we didn't have this current land. It was this whole process of sustainability and art, and so the three pillars became sustainability, art and rebellion, because those are our core beliefs and foundation.”
The land
The land we stand on as we talk to the Flowers & Bullets collective members is one with a deep, rich history, and it holds a prominent meaning to the people in Barrio Centro. As we look and walk around, you can hear planes passing overhead, trains in the distance, cars passing on the highway behind us, and feel a sense that this plot of land is bringing life into this very industrialized neighborhood.
“This land came about years later when TUSD (Tucson Unified School District) had gone through a big shutdown process, closing many schools. Julia Keen Elementary was shut down because it was in the flight path of Davis Monthan Air Force Base, so planes are constantly ascending and descending, which causes a number of issues for this neighborhood. Historically, there was a plane that came down in the neighborhood, and that risk was posed to the school here, and so they actually shut it down. It sat abandoned for a number of years.
“It’s a highly industrialized area…but back in the day, you wouldn’t hear the birds here. You do now. The planes you’d probably hear more if it weren't for the sound barrier of the trees, and without the plants, you’d probably hear more from the train tracks. Next door is a trucking company that had an oil leak that seeped into the neighborhood at one point, so there’s a lot of those complications. There’ve been studies done on people's air filters that have high traces of exhaust fumes from the planes and a high number of folks that deal with asthma and respiratory issues here.”`
The environmental issues for the neighborhood only worsened when then the already abandoned Julia Keen Elementary School caught fire last February.
“It was harboring a lot of asbestos and mold, and you could smell it because it was rotting. After the fire, the water used to put it out just saturated the building. The trucking company next-door wanted to expand and make this a parking lot for semi trucks, so TUSD held a board meeting, like a community meeting, to oppose that idea and a lot of the people from the neighborhood attended that meeting. I remember this older gentleman from the neighborhood stood up and said, “Well these kids have been doing a lot of work to the benefit of the community here, why not offer them an opportunity to at least make a motion themselves to show what they can do with their project.” I think that it put a lot of pressure on TUSD. It would look really bad if they denied that option, so they asked if we would be interested. We submitted our own proposal to make this a crop production community space, and around 2016 we were granted the opportunity to lease 4 acres of the space.”
It is clear that this neighborhood has some challenges pushing against them, but the work of Flowers & Bullets and community members alike is forging a path to a brighter, more sustainable future for Barrio Centro. The success of their hard work growing food, having animals, making indigenous foods accessible, and providing the community with a safe space is partly thanks to the amazing piece of land they acquired.
The Goats
Community Tree House Area
The Greenhouse
Chicken Coop
Breaking Ground
In 2018, Flowers and Bullets attained 2 large grants and began to break ground on the land.
“After the grants, we were able to hire five people to manage the farm. This was like nothing before [pointing to the land in front of us], the Ramada was half burnt down, and someone was living there and we’ve totally renovated all of that. We’ve done murals, planted all these trees - there were no trees here before or on the easement by the street, so over there we have curb cut so we harvest the stormwater that goes into the basins that helps to keep the trees and the plants established so we never have to water them.
“It’s interesting to look back at how it was… I just am excited to imagine what we can do with the rest of it in the future too. We also want this to be a space for other communities and other parts of the city to be like “Oh, I can do that too.”
While looking at everything they have done to the land, like building a Ramada, a community tree house, a growing greenhouse, hosting community events and workshops… it's hard to imagine it being anything other than full of life and exciting opportunities, but this is just the beginning. The work and impact they hope to continue to have is far from over.
“This isn't a big corporation, we don't have any 10 year funding. It's always a hustle. But we do it because it's important.”
Stay tuned for Pt.2 where we dive deeper into the environmental impact their work has had on the neighborhood and the land.
Part 2 : A Look Into The Land
At Flowers & Bullets, their collective pillars may be Sustainability, Art and Rebellion, but the principles of climate-smart growing, water harvesting, and intergenerational inclusivity converge to paint a picture of hope and resilience for Barrio Centro and Tucson as a whole.
Climate-Smart Agriculture is more than just a farming technique here –it's a philosophy deeply rooted in resilience and adaptation. As we wander on the land, F&B collective member Fons shows us a large row of agave they have planted.
“This last row is agave, and [F&B Co-Founder] Tito is working in hopes of producing, doing some seed saving, testing their drought resilience and for food.”
Agave, known as a deserted-adapted food ideal for hot and arid environments, takes little water to survive and can serve as a great example of climate-smart crops, alongside nopales, prickly pear, tepary beans, mesquite pods, cholla buds, and more.
With Arizona breaking its record for the hottest month to date and the hottest month ever observed in a US City last summer, while currently experiencing the worst megadrought in the past 1,200 years, the importance of climate-smart agriculture and sustainable land practices is pivotal for the future of the land, farmers, and people alike, and Flowers & Bullets keeps that at the forefront when making decisions about the land.
However, sustainability doesn't end with the crops; it extends to the very soil they grow in. Schools and neighbors in Tucson and Barrio Centro contribute to their composting project, enriching the earth with nutrients. It's a beautiful cycle – what comes from the land returns to it.
Water harvesting is another cornerstone of their sustainable practices. Walking through the zen garden, one can witness the careful planning and labor that went into creating a space that not only captures rainwater but also provides shade and habitat for native plants. It's a collaborative effort involving local water practitioners, school groups, and dedicated volunteers – a testament to the power of community-driven initiatives.
“We planted 16 trees and native plants. All of these trees will go and produce shade. Meanwhile, berms serve as the higher points that are also pathways. The water basically comes from over there, and when it rains it comes into these basins, and when everything fills up it will exit out here to water plants. We worked with a local water practitioner to plan this and local school groups to implement this. We did all the rock work, the earth work, we put in the mulch and planted all the trees, and it will all be shade one day. We want to do more of this throughout the farm so we don't have to rely on city water and can have shade.”
Tucked between the growing spaces and zen garden is the Tree House, a symbol of inclusivity and accessibility. Here, children and elders alike come together to learn, to share, and to connect with nature. It's a space where workshops and gatherings foster a sense of belonging, regardless of age or ability.
“One of the main things we focus on is making the space intergenerational. We want our kids to be a part of whatever we are doing here. Whatever workshops we are doing, we want to include them. We also want older folks to have access to the space, people in wheelchairs, we try to make things as accessible as possible. This space is open to everybody.”
Their vision extends beyond the confines of their acreage of land. They yearn to create a community plot space where everyone can grow their own food, empowering individuals to take control of their sustenance.
“We want to eventually have a community plot space where we have raised beds and the community can grow their own food. We are a very ambitious group. We’ve done workshops, training, cultural education, food processing, native plant restoration and conservation. Food production was one of our initial things that we wanted to tackle. We want to feed all of Tucson. We had a realization that we don't have a seed facility, we don't have a cooling facility, we don't have a washing station if we were doing produce, and so a lot of those things hit us when we were doing food production. Thus, we shifted towards focusing more on the education component.”
With Flowers & Bullets’ mission being to “reclaim our cultural roots and amplify them through sustainability, art, and rebellion to heal and empower our neighborhood,” it's only fitting that everything they’ve done with the land and community uplifts these values. Through sustainable practices like water harvesting, composting, growing climate-smart foods, and creating and educating the community in a safe space, the passion that every member of Flowers & Bullets is clearly shared, and the profound impact they’re having on the community is only just getting started.