PATCH

The IDEA

As an innovative way to reduce slum and blight (Florida ss163, Part II) and improve quality of life in urban residential/mixed-use districts, the Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) created a community garden. With the help of a $35,000 grant from the Broward Regional Health Planning Council (BRHPC), the CRA developed the Dania Beach PATCH community garden. Located on 1.1 acres of land, which was once a trash dump site, the PATCH is now the largest community garden in Broward County

The program facilitates meaningful connections across the community, including gardeners, educators, students, and researchers on things pertaining to Market and Community Gardens while providing opportunities to cultivate friendships, strengthen neighborhoods, improve nutrition, and enjoy therapeutic activities. Community support was obtained through several public meetings with Community leaders.

The Partnerships

The PATCH is largely funded though the generosity of sponsors and donations and maintains collaborative relationships with government, foundation, university, and private sector resources, such as:

• Invitation Homes (IH): IH is the largest owner of single-family rental homes in the United States with an inventory of about 83,000 rental homes in 16 markets. IH strives to make a profound impact on sustainability initiatives of its communities and established an annual grant competition program. In 2024, the PATCH received IH’s first  Sustainability Grant of $53,835 for its Flood Mitigation project. (funding)
• Spirit Airlines spent +$250 million dollars to develop their global HQ in Dania Beach. The campus will maintain over 1,000 employees, with an economic impact of $88 million over five years. In celebration of Spirit Central's official opening, the Spirit Charitable Foundation donated $25,000 to the PATCH to advance the Foundation's Environment pillar by investing in a platform for education, cultural growth, access to healthy foods & community gardening, and economic development. (funding)
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture: Provides leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, nutrition, and related issues based on science, and effective management. (funding resource)
• Broward Regional Health Planning Council, Inc. (BRHPC): BRHPC has been a leader in identifying critical health and human services needs and finding solutions to address these needs with its community partners. (funding resource)
• Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation: Created in 1997 by the co-founder of the global SUBWAY® restaurant chain, to provide youth and adults the tools to achieve independence and self-sufficiency. (funding resource)
• Urban Health Partnerships, Inc.: Implements ongoing community-driven projects and initiatives that improve health, safety, accessibility, quality of life, and mental, physical, and social wellbeing. (funding and market resources)
• Florida International University, Department of Earth and Environment: Integrates science-based education, and research focusing on the interface of agriculture, natural ecosystems, and urban development. (programing and market resources)
• University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Science (UF/IFAS):  Mission of UF/IFAS is to develop knowledge in agricultural, human, and natural resources, and to make that knowledge accessible to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. (farming and market resources)
• Home Depot (Fort Lauderdale), Whole Foods Market (Davie), and individuals. (materials and supplies donations)
• Love Our Nation (LON):  LON mission is to educate and empower youth with life skills that will enable them to be healthy and productive contributors in creating a more prosperous and loving community. LON has served the Dania Beach Community since 2015.  This began with the Earth 2 Table gardening program at C. W. Thomas Community Center and The Dania Beach Patch. (programing)

The GROWTH

Initially, the CRA and City of Dania Beach laid the garden’s foundation, and community volunteers worked for six weeks to fill 2,500 jackpot bags with compost and planted vegetables in the garden. With the garden started and growing, the PATCH moved into its second phase which was to create an onsite Farmer’s Market which is open every Saturday, which continues to be a well attended and popular event after 10 years.

• Vendors with locally produced products, resell approved food items, or are a local business or charitable organization are eligible to participate in the Farmer’s Market.
• Any Dania Beach resident can hold individual garden plots.
• An innovative Green Annex teaches residents about sustainable “green” practices they can utilize in their own lives.
• The PATCH uses a variety of growing environments:
  • Trees/large plants plant onsite
  • Raised concrete block planting beds
  • Closed and NFT hydroponic systems with automated nutrient release
  • Vertical Hydroponic Gardening: Upcoming pilot program to address two global issues: 1) Adaptive reuse of obsolete shipping containers, and 2) Eliminating urban food deserts.

The COMMUNITY IMPACT

• Provides paid opportunities for part-time community and student workers.
• Provides a platform for education, cultural growth, community participation and economic development - creates partnerships with local schools to introduce students to science, technology, engineering, and math.
• Farmer’s Market provides access to nutritionally rich foods at more affordable prices than neighborhood supermarkets.
• Enhances the quality of urban life through the creation of an integrated relationship between residents, community leaders, merchants, and educators.
• Provides opportunity for light daily recreational exercise while maintaining the plants.

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The Dania Beach PATCH is an Urban Farm and Market, created in 2012 as an urban oasis on a 1.6 acre lot with the intention of providing locally grown, non-GMO, pesticide-free, vegetables to residents.

Named The PATCH™, which stands for Peoples Access to Community Horticulture, it is one of the largest Market/Community Gardens in Broward County, created by volunteers and staff who fill over 2,500 jackpot bags annually with specially produced compost to grow vegetables. In this urban farm, everything grows in bags or in hyrdoponics, not in the ground. This showcases how anyone can create an urban garden, regardless of land space and soil composition.

A variety of seasonal produce is grown on the farm, which also hosts a weekend farmers’ market and community garden where the public can lease small plots to grow their own vegetables. The PATCH provides a platform for education, cultural growth, community gardening and economic development. The PATCH™ is managed through a successful partnership between the Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and the Broward Regional Health Planning Council (BRHPC); highlighting an outstanding example of how non-traditional partnerships can be created in order to fulfill the CRA’s mandate to build better communities, and eliminate slum and blight.

Garden and Nursery hours are Monday - Friday 8 AM - 10 AM and Saturdays from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM. There are a number of unique events that happen at The PATCH™ each month. The signature events include a community workshop on the 2nd Saturday of each month & community activities every 3rd Saturday of the month. The PATCH™ is truly “People’s Access to Community Horticulture”, making a strong, positive impact on the quality of life for those in Dania Beach.

 Everything is grown in a sustainable way and it provides the neighboring communities with easy access to healthy locally grown vegetables at a more affordable price than supermarkets.