BY ANGELA FAIRHURST
The scent of freshly watered soil rises in the warm desert air. Children chase each other down parkways that were once barren strips of compacted earth, now lined with green life. Just a few years ago, this West Phoenix neighborhood was a food desert.
A COMMUNITY IN DECLINE
Back then, the parkways radiated heat in the summer, and neighbors hurried from house to car without stopping to talk. Cracked sidewalks and hard-packed dirt replaced what had once been farmland. Grocery stores were miles away, so many residents depended on fast food and convenience stores for meals. The lack of fresh produce mirrored a broader sense of disconnection between neighbors, between families and the land, and even between generations. Today, thanks to a growing network of urban food forests across Arizona, these same streets are becoming an oasis.
WHAT IS A FOOD FOREST?
A food forest is a carefully designed green space that mimics nature by layering trees, shrubs, vegetables, and ground cover to create a self-sustaining ecosystem. These landscapes provide fresh food while improving soil health, cooling urban areas, and attracting pollinators.
A SEED OF AN IDEA
The transformation began in 2017, when West Phoenix resident Christopher Macy decided to see if he could grow food in his backyard. He planted fruit trees and vegetables, adding a tilapia pond, chickens, ducks, and even a turkey named Ignacio. To his surprise, the yard thrived.
“I realized I could grow abundance even in the desert,” Macy says. “But keeping it behind a fence didn’t feel right. I wanted my neighbors to benefit, too.”
Then Macy’s father passed away, pushing him to think more deeply about the kind of life he wanted to live.
“The answer was clear,” he recalls. “One that makes things better for other people.”
That clarity drove Macy to invest more than $125,000 of his own savings to plant trees and vegetables in public parkways and vacant lots. The idea was simple: turn forgotten stretches of land into productive food forests where anyone could pick and eat.
AN IDEA TAKES ROOT
Over time, the project transformed the neighborhood. Today, more than 230 fruit trees and 150 edible plants grow across 20 parkways. Neighbors received specific crops — a fig tree at the home of a diabetic resident, and citrus and pomegranate trees where they would be most enjoyed.
The changes run deeper than the trees themselves. One once-isolated neighbor, Carlos, began volunteering his time, hauling water in a tank-loaded pickup truck each week.
“In summer, the heat used to radiate from the bare parkways, making the streets feel abandoned,” he says.
“Now, when I’m out watering, I see kids playing in the shade and neighbors stopping to pick fruit. It feels alive again.”
Partnerships have also helped the food forest grow. The Urban Farm donated 68 trees, nonprofit Growing to Give offered mentorship, and Macy partnered with organizations like the Arizona Diamondbacks and Grand Canyon University to bring in education programs and more resources.
“Phoenix was built on agricultural land,” Macy says. “Food forests honor that history and make sure the next generation inherits something better.”
HONORING TRADITION IN TUCSON
While Macy was reshaping his West Phoenix neighborhood, another food forest with even deeper roots had been thriving in Tucson for decades. Mission Garden sits on the ancestral land the O’odham people call S-cuk Son —Tucson’s birthplace.
Archaeologists have documented more than 4,100 years of continuous cultivation here, making it one of the oldest known agricultural sites in North America.
Mission Garden grows heritage crops that reflect the diverse ethnic groups who have farmed the Tucson Basin over the centuries. Visitors can walk through plots of tepary beans, squash, and heritage corn — crops Indigenous farmers have cultivated for generations — alongside Spanish-introduced pomegranates and figs. These crops are not only culturally significant but perfectly suited to the desert climate.
The garden also serves as a living classroom, where traditional knowledge from elders, historical records, and current research is shared with visitors of all ages. Nearby, the group Desert Harvesters complements this work by teaching residents how to plant and harvest native species like mesquite and prickly pear. Together, Mission Garden and Desert Harvesters keep Tucson’s agricultural traditions alive while building a sustainable future.
A STATEWIDE MOVEMENT
The food forests of Phoenix and Tucson are proving that desert cities can thrive by working with nature rather than against it. Macy’s project brings shade, food, and a sense of connection to a neighborhood that once felt forgotten. Mission Garden and Desert Harvesters keep centuries-old agricultural traditions relevant for new generations.
Across Arizona, these urban food forests are more than places to grow fruit. They increase food security, cool urban neighborhoods, and create space for people to connect with one another and the land. Most of all, they show that even in the harshest conditions, abundance is possible.
