Farming in the Fifth Ward

Abundance blossoms in an unlikely area at Last Organic Outpost

Since its inception in 2000, Last Organic Outpost (LOO)—a nonprofit community farm in the Fifth Ward—has embraced volunteer-sustained organic farming practices and transformative, inspirational conversation regarding the importance of urban farms in an area described by Joe Icet, the founder of LOO, as a “food desert.”

“Our world is faced with so many social issues, and while we can’t address all of them here on this farm, I know that one of the greatest issues we face, especially in Houston, is food security,” Icet says. “Instead of farms, many people in this area depend on assistance programs and fast food to get through the week. The absence of urban farms in the community is something that has to be addressed by cities, or else we are in real trouble.”

A retired pipefitter, Icet, aged 61?, has devoted the past decade and a half to arduous farm labor. In the process he has grown increasingly impassioned and vocal regarding a food-security plan for Houston, specifically in the Fifth Ward, where Icet both lives and spends his days. While there are innumerable ways to address social issues such as hunger, Icet believes that supporting tax incentives for landowners who provide and support urban farming in the community is one of the most viable options for addressing both food security and hunger.

“Access to land is the community’s most vital resource,” Icet says. “By encouraging landowners to have urban farms and allow members of the community to work these farms, it creates a lasting impact that transforms a whole community. Individuals can learn how to take care of themselves and their families, and with that, they become more confident, self-sufficient, participating citizens. We could also address hunger in a real way.”

These days, instead of waiting for change to take hold, Icet is taking charge. With the aid of volunteers from all walks of life and various donors, the farmer hosts classes, artistic meetups like poetry slams and readings, and community events inspired and sustained by a mutual appreciation for urban farming and all its facets.

Before Icet became a full-time Fifth Ward farmer, he worked for the Pipefitters Local Union 211 for nearly three decades. But it was during his latter years in that profession that Icet began to feel a transformation taking place. During his usually peaceful morning meditations, Icet’s reflections were becoming much more radical and redefining. The devout meditator began to hear the call to participate in the community in a more substantial way.

“Essentially, I realized I needed to do more for the world around me,” Icet says. “I don’t think we’re meant to wander around this world aimlessly or sit on the couch like a potato to find our bliss. I’ve always believed we should use the skills and gifts we’re given to engage our world in ways we don’t think possible. Our time on Earth is the test for the next life, and I’m trying to pass that test.”

To honor his call, Icet cultivated the earth—beginning on a patch of mushroom-compost soil on the banks of Japhet Creek with a small garden project that included dill, lettuce, arugula and mint. Today, the farm on Emile Street has evolved into a much more substantial entity: 1¼ acres filled with unique and unfamiliar produce, including tropical spinach, Siberian kale and moringa, as well as more familiar fare such as okra, mustard greens, figs, eggplant, sweet potatoes and other Texas staples. With the bounty produced on the farm, Icet feeds volunteers, local Fifth Ward residents and also sells produce at the Eastside Farmers Market.