What started as a small garden in a vacant lot in this little inner-city neighborhood, quickly turned into the City of Dallas’ first urban farm. The original farm is 1.25 acres boldly situated in the South Dallas community of Bonton, an area ravaged by generational poverty, crime, and classified by the USDA as a food desert. In 2016, a local family, the Treffingers, were inspired by the mission of Bonton Farms and generously donated 20 acres of land located about 10 miles from the original farm. They loved it so much that when another 20 acre plot adjacent to the original one became available, they purchased it and donated it for further expansion of Bonton Farms. That 40 acre site is what we call "The Bonton Farms Extension". It happens to be one of the largest urban farms in the Unites States. In this unlikely setting, we are cultivating a sustainable and vibrant urban farm with the mission to restore lives, create jobs and ignite hope.
Our Mission
Transform lives by disrupting systems of inequity, laying a foundation where change yields health, wholeness and opportunity as the norm.
Vision
The change in Bonton becomes the change in the World.
Core Principal
Our values are bathed in our Christian faith, born out of a passion for people and guide how we put them into action.
What is Bonton?
For the last 200 years, racial injustice and systemic oppression prevented opportunities in Bonton, a community in South Dallas, that were a given elsewhere. People here experienced higher rates of diabetes, stroke and cancer, and 48% of residents lived in poverty. Residents have been denied access to the seven human essentials that are necessary to survive and thrive - health & wellness, economic stability, safe and affordable housing, transportation, a sense of belonging, education and access to fair credit. Today, the community is transforming, and healing is coming from within.
Who We Are
Bonton Farms is on a mission is to transform lives by disrupting systems of inequity, laying a foundation where health, wholeness, and opportunity are the norm for all people. While many nonprofits work to solve one issue, Bonton Farms focuses on place-based interventions to build community capacity for long-term change. As the ecosystem of community resources improves, the neighbors in Bonton use these resources to build successful, self-sufficient lives, ultimately interrupting the impact of decades of disenfranchisement. Bonton Farms’ programs focus on the all of the seven human essentials that the community has been denied for so long. We invite you to come and join us in the transformation!
Company Website: bontonfarms.org
