- The author recalls their childhood memories of growing up in Compton in the 1960s-70s, when the area had open spaces and was more agricultural, with families raising horses, chickens, and gardens. - At a recent symposium about Compton Creek, other attendees also shared memories of Compton having a more agricultural past, with dairies everywhere in the late 1950s. - There were discussions at the symposium about bringing back urban agriculture and gardening to Compton as part of revitalizing the area, such as through a proposed community garden and agricultural learning center called the Timbuktu Resource Center. - Compton once had a strong agricultural history and community members now

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No Culture; Without Agriculture
The Timbuktu Resource Center
Dec 2, 2008
Greetings
As a kid who grew up in south-central Los Angeles / Compton I remember riding
my Shetland pony along with my cousins on their horses through the open-
spaces of Dominguez Hills. Living in Richmond Farms (Compton) was very
unique. We all had horses, chickens and gardens. I remember walking along the
Compton Creek and collecting shellfish. I was alwaysfascinated by the various
plant nursery operations located in Gardena. Paramountwas alwaysknown for
its dairies. I remember the strawberry and Christmas tree fields. There was a
time when there were fresh produce stands and many independent grocery
stores located in this community. We used to ride our bikes down dirt roads,
which are now covered by warehouses. Traditions like fishing and camping were
the norm during the sixties and seventies. A lot of older people who live in this
community are from the Deep South; they grew up in agricultural communities.
Many of my familymembers were farmersand educators.
The area which is now comprises North Long Beach, Compton,
Paramount, Gardena and Carson was part of a thriving agricultural
community.
What I am attempting to do is to breathe life into a potential initiative; a vision
that can be beneficial for all. Unfortunately today's young people do not have the
same Agricultural/Outdoor Heritage. This community has drastically changed. It
is time for us to recapture some of our lost Agricultural/Outdoor Heritage.
As stated on previous occasionsI have traveled to over 40 states to attend
various key state & national conventions/workshops. I visited well over 200
universities and sat on various national, state and local boards. I have been
fortunate to meet with various farmers, ranchers, anglersand resource
managersnationally.
From my various travels I have established key contacts that have great value. I
have been able to collect a large amount of useful information and resources. The
information and resources have been organized into the Timbuktu Collection. The
Timbuktu Collection will be utilized in establishing a resource center and learning
academy with the potential to act in the capacity of a vocational charter school/
natural resources management magnet school. An alliance with local learning
institutions such as Cal State Dominguez Hills University, Compton Community

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College, El Camino Community College and the various local school districts will
ensure success. We are also targeting private schools, libraries, nurseries
schools, block clubs and senior citizen facilities. The use of environmental
education & science curriculum is so important. Our plansare to work with
federal & state government agenciesas-well-asNGOs; such as cooperative
extensions (4-H), FFA and more. We have established a working relationship
with newly elected Supervisor Mark Ridley, the second district member of the Los
Angeles Board of Supervisors. We have made various inroads with the cities of
Compton, Gardena and Carson.
We will establish a ‘Hub City / South Bay Urban Sustainable
Agriculture/Conservation Initiative’: This initiative is needed to strengthen
and act as an umbrella for the fragmented efforts that are presently underway.
The initiative will guarantee that our community has access to fresh, flavorful,
high nutrient produce. The initiative will enable our community to reclaim our ex-
offenders; horticultural therapy has been proven to be very beneficial in working
with ex-offenders. The initiative will help to reinforce our community safety-net.
We are initiating a comprehensive feasibility study. This study will consist of
various surveys and key inventories. It is important to identify and target the
owners of vacant land and buildingswho would be willing to have their
properties utilized as conservation easements, green buffersand land banks. We
will take inventories of the fauna & flora existing within our local parks. Our
parks are outdoor classrooms. Current sustainable agriculture and conservation
programs within the community must also be identified and included within the
survey. With this key information we will galvanize an Urban Sustainable
Agriculture/ Conservation Initiative that will act as a catalyst for elevating
these stakeholders and programs to the next level. There is a need to seize the
various opportunities within the ‘Green Movement', and to create ‘Green
Incubators’ that will spin-off entrepreneurial and job opportunities, that are so
vitally needed in the surrounding communities. Aquaculture, hydroponics,
biofuels, recycling, solar and fruits/vegetables (heirloom & exotic) market
gardens are just a few examplesof the opportunities that exist.
There is a need to establish working committees within the initiative to act as a
watchdog; to provide oversight in the areasof Food Safety as well as Food
Security. Collaboration with the various community churches, temples and
synagogues is very important. An alliance with various food related businesses
such as local wholesale distributors, restaurants, grocery stores, health food
outlets, holistic practitioners, catering services, food vendors, farmersmarkets,
food banks(pantries) should all be part of this effort. Partnerships with the local
plant nursery operators, gardeners, landscapersshould also be part of the
initiative. There are various conservation efforts being promoted by the West
Basin Municipal Water District Board and Shell Oil. We are presently working to
establish memorandums of understanding (MOU). It is also important to utilize

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grass-roots communication networks. We have well over 30 local beauty shops/
barbershop outlets, local bus operators and more.
Starting this month, our steering committee will be intensely searching for the
appropriate site for the center. We are presently working in a temporary
warehouse facility. Once we are able to set-up the collection in an appropriate
location, there will be a comprehensive natural resources library with over
10,000 books, periodicalsand historical documents. A computer lab utilizing
assistive technology will also be established and much more. These resources
will be availablefor the community members to utilize, which will help to ensure
their success in the areas of sustainable agriculture and conservation projects.
We will train a small group of volunteers to manage the operations of the center.
We will also create service-learn projects, internships and senior projects for local
& international students. We will also be engaged in numerous fund raising
efforts. We will introduce a novelty line, featuring people of color in outdoor
settings (fishing, gardening, camping and more…), and we will sell memorabilia
and novelty items. We will feature unique organic food items. We hope to have a
series of open-house receptions to get the word out about the resource center/
learning academy and the various opportunities. We are looking for volunteers to
help us form a media team so that we can establish a web site and publish key
brochures. The goals over the next year are to create various PSA’s,
documentaries, a radio talk show program and a cable television program. We
are talking with various celebrities and professional athletes in hopes of securing
bridge funds.
2009 will be the year that The Timbuktu Resource Center/Learning Academy
will set ‘Sail’. The climate is right. There is truly a need for a special placea
demonstration ‘City Farm/Nature Center’ with the capacity to alter existing
behavior and to reconnect city people to the land. We must reclaim the values of
our early ancestors. The food we eat is killing us! An improved government
health-care system will only scratch the surface. We must alter our behavior. It is
unacceptablefor us not to value the importance of growing our own food.
Just as the ‘Victory/Liberty Gardens’ of the past ‘Symbolized Our Nation's
Need to Reconnect to the Land’; we must also strive to reconnect ourselves to
the land and the values of our ancestors. Homemaking should take top priority in
all families. Men, women and children should all be involved in growing food and
in preparing meals. It is completely unacceptableto eat all of your mea lsaway
from your home every day. Sitting around a table with your familyand sharing a
meal is so valuable.There are too many fast food restaurants and liquor stores
in our communities. Too many backyards, front yards and balcony areasare not
being utilized. There are too many trees dying in our community. Fruit trees are
not being properly harvested (a need for Urban Forestry & Gleaming
Projects). There are too many empty lots that could be used as community
gardens. There are too many empty buildings that could be used to set up indoor

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fish farms as well as hydroponic operations. There are buildingssuitable for
hosting roof gardens that are not being utilized. And way too many local creeks
and wetlands are being polluted every day. We must protect our watersheds. We
must support local city beautification/ clean-up projects. Organic/Biodynamic
methods are the keys for farming in the city. There is no place for harsh
chemicalsand pesticides within our initiative.
Too many people go to bed hungry every night. They are suffering from
malnutrition. They live in your community! The world is suffering from a
food shortage.
We must utilize our natural resources better! The time when we will not have the
options that we have taken for granted for so many years is imminent. Our
country is slipping into a depression and we are not prepared. We must move
away from our shallow value system which dictates that we move so fast that
we have no time to value one another. We have to ‘Progressively Invest in
Human Potential’! President Obama can only do so much. He is evidence of a
‘Paradigm Shift’. His election should symbolize the unlimited potential that lies
within all of us. We must be willing to alter our behavior and consider a new
path; we are going to suffer greatly if we don't!
So, I challenge all of you to be part of a worthwhile effort. We need you to
volunteer your time and resources. We believe that the time is now! It is
important to seize the opportunities that exist within various niche markets.
Barter exchange systems and co-ops must be utilized to leverage the broken
economy. We are the ‘Original Earth Stewarts’ who were given this earth by the
Creator, to cherish and nurture. We have a responsibility to the ‘Next Generation’
to manage our natural resources more effectively. We should be striving to control
our destiny and quality-of-life!
We must reclaim our Agricultural/ Outdoor Heritage!
The Timbuktu Resource Center/ Learning Academy is the appropriate
vehicle for the ‘Rough Seas Ahead’.
On the Frontline,
Reginald A. Fagan

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Agriculture Part of Compton's Past, Present and Future
Author: Rachel A. Surls
Friday September 18 2009
I often see and find inspiration in the links between current events around Los Angeles and our
county's agricultural heritage. This week my "ahah" moment came at the Compton Creek
Symposium, an event put on jointly by my organization, UC Cooperative Extension, and the Los
Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council. This was a two-day event that brought
together community, staff of government agencies, city officials and local non-profits to discuss
the Compton Creek watershed and its renovation.
One symposium presenter, Reginald Fagan, talked about what Compton was like when he was a
boy. He grew up playing alongside the creek, collecting shellfish and crayfish, and riding his
bike and ponies along its bank. He was a member of the 4-H Bison Club active in Compton at
that time. "When I was growing up here we all had gardens. Food wasn't an issue", said Fagan.
Another participant at the symposium told me about growing up in Compton in the late 1950's.
"This was the country. There were dairies everywhere".
A piece of Compton's farm history is alive today in the community of Richland Farms, a
neighborhood of approximately 400 homes, many on an acre or more of land, where residents
own horses and livestock.
During the two-day symposium, as participants shared their visions for the future of Compton
and its Creek, urban agriculture and gardening were mentioned numerous times as viable
components of that future. For example, Reginald Fagan is currently working to develop an
agricultural resource center for Compton, The Timbuktu Resource Center and Learning
Academy, which will engage local youth in sustainable agriculture. Others talked about creating
a community garden near the creek. In fact, the approved regional plan for the area is entitled
the "Compton Creek Regional Garden Park Master Plan". The plan includes native plants and
trees, pocket parks, a community garden, and even a hitching post and watering trough for
horses, along with many other features to enhance the area.

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Aerial view of Compton, circa 1936. Compton Creek is in the foreground.