How a UNESCO Farm in San Antonio Connects the Past to a Future of Food Security and Community Strength
Just a few miles from downtown San Antonio, an unassuming stretch of farmland behind Mission San Juan Capistrano—a UNESCO World Heritage Site—holds a powerful lesson: farming can be more than food production—it can be resistance, resilience, and renewal.
Operated by the San Antonio Food Bank in collaboration with the National Park Service, this 50-acre farm blends centuries of tradition with a modern mission: growing food not just to feed—but to teach, heal, and sustain communities facing hunger.
🌱 What Does Resilience in Agriculture Look Like Here?
At the Mission San Juan farm, resilience means:
- Planting crops for both history and climate: nopal cactus, figs, amaranth, malabar spinach, okra, beans, and herbs—all able to thrive in South Texas heat.
- Reviving centuries-old acequia irrigation systems: These historic water channels—adapted from techniques in the Middle East, Rome, and Mesoamerica—still flow today, supplying fields without high-tech dependency. Visitors can see how wooden gates once controlled water and crops were planted on berms to capture the irrigation.
- Creating hands-on opportunities: For schools, volunteers, and community members to understand how land, water, labor, and justice intersect.
It’s a living model of how even small, urban farms can respond to hunger and climate stress—not with charity alone, but with systemic thinking.
🌾 A Historic Site, A Modern Fight
The land behind Mission San Juan has been cultivated for over 300 years—first by Indigenous peoples, later by Spanish missionaries, and now by the San Antonio Food Bank. That continuity is more than symbolic; it’s a strategy for resilience.
The farm demonstrates how historical systems can guide modern adaptation. The acequia channels here were first dug in the 1700s, based on knowledge shared across continents. Today, those same waterways help grow crops suited for hotter, drier conditions—crops deeply tied to cultural heritage.
👨🌾 How the Food Bank Is Leading Change
The San Antonio Food Bank was founded in 1980—the first in Texas—and now serves more than 100,000 people each week across 29 counties. In 2016, it partnered with the National Park Service to manage this land, ensuring that a site rich in history also plays a role in shaping the future of food security.
Beyond growing produce, the farm serves as a teaching hub for:
- Regenerative practices
- Pollinator habitat development
- Volunteer engagement
- School and group tours that connect history, culture, and sustainability
✨ Why It Matters
Food insecurity and climate change aren’t separate issues—they’re deeply connected. At Mission San Juan, each planting, each restored waterway, and each guided tour helps tell that story. It’s a lesson in how resilience grows—not in isolation, but in community.
As one visitor put it:
“This place changed how I think about food—not just where it comes from, but why it’s grown the way it is.”
— Delve visitor review
🧭 Visit, Learn, Reflect
You can experience these ideas in action through a guided group tour. Each visit supports the San Antonio Food Bank’s mission to fight hunger today and build sustainable food systems for tomorrow.
👉 Mission Farm Tour with San Antonio Food Bank
📅 Request for schools, organizations, or community groups
💡 Led by educators passionate about food, culture, and resilience
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