Groundbreaking set for sustainable agriculture center in Riverside

Construction is set to begin on Riverside’s green agriculture technology facility, and officials have invited the community for a groundbreaking ceremony next month. 

The Northside Agriculture Innovation Center, or NAIC, will use solar panels above fields of crops and on solar PV greenhouses to create a farming system that is resistant to climate change.

According to a city statement, input from residents and community partners led to the decision to convert the once-vacant 8.8 acres land to “best serve the community as a space to improve health and wellness, develop the workforce, foster innovation, and create businesses in sustainable agriculture and food production.”

More than 200 community members and a number of organizations

The project utilizes agrivoltaics, which is the use of solar panels above farming fields and solar PV greenhouses to generate renewable electricity.

“Riverside has a deep agricultural history as the birthplace of the citrus industry,” Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said in a statement. “The NAIC is an opportunity to show the same level of leadership on ag issues into the coming century.”

The groundbreaking ceremony was rescheduled for March after high winds in January and rain Thursday forced postponements. The kickoff event for the project’s first phase is 9:30 a.m. March 4 at 900 Clark St.

Phase 1 includes the competed site acquisition and soon the installation of about 50,000 square feet of solar PV greenhouses, 14,000 square feet of agrivoltaics, a 14,000-square-foot solar PV pole barn, a 30-plot community garden, outdoor farmer training facilities, trails, 450 trees and utility and water infrastructure, officials said.

The city has secured $9.8 million “for site development, amenities and workforce training,” according to its website.

Phase 2 will start when funding is available for the enclosure of the solar PV pole barn, which will have a “co-work learning center” with classrooms, offices, a demonstration kitchen and farm stand, according to the city. Street improvements, restroom facilities and completion of the project’s offsite trail system will round out Phase 2.

Officials said the agriculture center is a transformative project for the Northside neighborhood, as well as the city and nation. For years area residents have waited for the green spaces “in an area that has been negatively impacted by environmental factors and blight.”

Once transformed, the aim for ag center is for it to become a hub for “recreation, innovation and education.” Plans for the facility include a community garden, learning center and new farmer incubation facilities.

“Northside residents have played a key role in developing the NAIC from concept into reality,” City Councilman Philip Falcone, who represents the area, said in a statement. “We are grateful for their input as we take an important step forward with this project.”

A component of the NAIC is its recognition of it pays homage to the citrus industry, which shaped the development of Riverside and forward-looking, seeks to nurture sustainable and more resilient agricultural practices.

The NAIC also aims to address current challenges to food systems, such as extreme weather, heat and water availability that result from climate change. 

“The project creates a much-needed facility to foster regional opportunities to proactively adapt to more climate-smart agriculture practices by demonstrating how controlled environment and high-tech agriculture can secure our food production systems,” according to the city. “The Northside Agriculture Innovation Center also will train the next generation of farmers to be better prepared for the challenges that lie ahead.”

More information about the NAIC is at riversideca.gov/sustainability/northside-agriculture-innovation-center-naic.

To RSVP for the March 4 groundbreaking ceremony, visit naicceremony.eventbrite.com.

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