Recently, a drought has forced several cities in the Rio Grande Valley to declare water restrictions. Despite this, the Hub of Prosperity, an urban farm located behind the Edinburg First United Methodist Church, continues to cultivate crops.
“So those restrictions really don’t change the way that we operate, because, already, we’re trying to operate in a way that uses water efficiently,” said Stephanie Kasper, program manager.
Kasper explained that the Hub of Prosperity uses a method called drip irrigation to water its crops. She said the method is more water efficient, but less cost effective than flood irrigation, which most commercial farms in the Valley tend to use. The Hub hopes to change that.
“We have our community garden here, and we have folks from the church, from the neighborhood, from the community coming,” Kasper said. “And we taught all of them how to set up the drip irrigation system.”
The farm, a collaborative effort between the university and the Edinburg First United Methodist Church, also has a 3,000 gallon rainwater harvesting tank. Currently, there are plans to connect it to the Hub’s gutter system, which will capture water the next time it rains for future use.
Without the economic pressure of a commercial farm, the Hub of Prosperity can adapt and innovate, Kasper said.
“Our water troubles aren’t going anywhere,” she said. “The Valley has had droughts in the past. It’s gonna have droughts in the future, and those droughts are likely to become more intense with climate change. And we’re gonna have some good answers about how to keep growing food anyway.”
