Semillas de Westwood is a cutting-edge, community-based health project. Semillas improves public health by working at the intersection between violence prevention, healthy eating, and active living.  We engage at-risk youth and families in growing food: increasing their families’ health, providing income, and engaging youth.

Semillas employs organic, urban agriculture techniques to create environments that increase the access to healthy and affordable fresh produce while providing pro-social activities for youth.  A large-scale, productive, organic urban farm, the Semillas de Westwood Farm, is the training center and heart of the initiative.  The farm, which is located at Kepner Middle School, is easily accessible by the community and students.   The farm hosts gardening workshops for students and residents. Residents that help in the garden receive a stipend to compensate them for their efforts. The garden produces approximately 2,000 pounds of organic produce per season.  The produce is distributed through food boxes and farmers markets.

Weekly farmer’s markets and food boxes offer organic food at affordable prices. This food production system also generates revenue to support the entire system.

In addition to the main urban farm, 85 satellite backyard gardens are planted in at-risk families’ yards in the Westwood neighborhood.  These gardens engage families in providing themselves with fresh produce.  The backyard gardens are saving each family up to $45 per week in grocery bills, demonstrating the cost effectiveness of backyard food production.  In addition, the families are eating more vegetables due to the improved access.


Semillas focuses on art murals in addition to gardens. The presence of both art murals and gardens reduces negative graffiti, and creates a beautiful neighborhood. By improving neighborhood aesthetics, the project helps decrease community violence and having a positive environmental impact. 

The collaborative is a partnership between Westwood residents and the following organizations: Revision International, GRASP, LiveWell Westwood, Sisters of Color United for Education, Denver Public Health, and City Council District 3.

The Westwood neighborhood in southwest Denver has a population of 16,666 people living in 4490 households. Westwood is rated by the Piton Foundation as Denver’s second most vulnerable neighborhood in readiness to support children to thrive.

Memo Perez, of Denver, shovels dirt around the base of a fruit tree last week for the Fruit Tree 101 project at Kepner Middle School in Denver. Produce from the fruit trees will be served in students lunch when the trees are fully grown. Trees also were planted at Denver School of Science and Technology in Stapleton.
Provided by: Kristin Morin/YourHub.com 


by: Kathryn Richert

Article Contributed on: 7/7/2010 10:04:54 AM

Despite being on summer break, Kepner Middle School and Denver School of Science and Technology students showed up at school last week, not with books, but with shovels.

They were there to plant fruit trees in the school's garden that when full grown, will bear apples, apricots, cherries, peaches, plums and pears. The fruit will then go in students' lunches and to community members who help plant and harvest the trees.

The effort is part of a multi-organizational push to promote urban gardening and particularly school gardening at districts metrowide, including Denver Public Schools, especially in "food deserts," or areas with limited access to healthy food, such as the area in which Kepner sits.

"It's good for the community because it brings people together," said Alondra Sandoval, 14, who helped plant trees with GRASP, or Gang Rescue and Support Project

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