Mission Garden

Mission Garden is one of the key projects of Friends of Tucson’s Birthplace, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Mission Garden’s multi-generational, outdoor, hands-on educational setting encourages interactive exchange of traditional knowledge gathered from diverse community elders and historical documents. By exclusively growing heritage crops and heirloom trees, we aspire to test, refine, and evaluate the practical wisdom of long-term arid-adapted agricultural practices. The basis of our educational template is to exchange and promote agricultural techniques that combine traditional knowledge with modern science.

With the help and participation of the Tucson community, we can continue to provide a window into the past, and inspire practical, local, agricultural methods throughout our semi-arid region. As the first UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in the United States, we honor the agricultural contributions of the Sonoran Desert’s historic local cultures. Our mission in Tucson is to represent the deep history of multi-cultural regional food production, while mitigating food insecurities, resource depletion and the impacts of climate change.

Mission

Mission Garden inspires people to connect to this land by reclaiming agricultural traditions for our community in a changing world.

Visioning Statement

Mission Garden envisions a world where diverse communities collaborate to grow abundant food sustainably.

Values

Transparency - We work towards open, honest relationships with our partners, collaborators, and colleagues

Respect - We respect different worldviews, and cultural perspectives and acknowledge that these differences influence communication, decision-making and social practices.

Stewardship - We care for the locally adapted plants and crops at Mission Garden with humility and honor the agricultural practices of our ancestors.

Self-care, Compassion, Empathy - We practice these values for ourselves, our co-workers and volunteers.

Accountability - We prioritize clear communication related to planning, reporting and implementation. Cooperation among team members is critical to success.

Action and Service - Mission Garden promotes action and service related to farming and growing food that reflects authentic, historical and cultural practices.

Generosity - We create a welcoming space for visitors, staff, volunteers and the neighborhood that surrounds us and share Mission Garden produce and expertise.

Education - We create educational opportunities to encourage sustainable and innovative agricultural practices.

Diversity - We celebrate, respect and value cultural diversity and biodiversity.

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