In Los Angeles, California, ALMA Backyard Farms is using agriculture to transform vacant lots into thriving urban farms while creating opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals.
According to the Department of Justice, more than 600,000 people are released from United States prisons each year. Nearly two thirds of them will return within three years. But ALMA wants to disrupt this trend.
ALMA’s mission extends beyond food production. The organization wants to bridge the gap between criminal justice and food justice and demonstrate that sustainable agriculture can be a powerful force for healing land, people, and communities.
“There’s no shame in my story anymore,” says Dennis Meman, Associate Farm Manager and formerly incarcerated for 27 years. “Working here gave me a sense of trust, something I hadn’t felt in a long time.”
Meman traces his connection to farming back to his childhood in the Philippines where backyard gardens were an important part of his life. At ALMA, he found more than employment. He also reconnected with the land, which has driven personal and communal growth.
ALMA’s Co-founders Richard Garcia and Erika Cueller launched the project in 2013 to address food injustice and the growing need for long-term solutions to reentry.
“We didn’t want to replicate the same transactional models,” Garcia tells Food Tank. “At ALMA, work is relational. It’s about restoring dignity, not just getting people a job.”
Participants in ALMA’s program receive training in organic farming techniques, food safety, composting, and harvesting. Garcia describes the work as “caring for living things,” noting that the skills learned on the farm often mirror the emotional labor of rebuilding one’s life post-incarceration.
Garcia sums it up best: “Working with plants is like working with infinity. You plant one seed, and it keeps growing. That’s what we’re doing here, one person, one plot at a time.”
ALMA’s flagship farm in Compton is intentionally embedded within the community it serves and accessible to the public. Monthly public brunches and seasonal events transform the farm into gathering spaces, where neighbors come together over fresh, locally grown meals.
“When people visit, they don’t ask, ‘How long were you in prison?’” Garcia tells Food Tank. “They ask, ‘Where did you get this tomato?’ That changes the conversation.”
Garcia believes the farm’s community integration has helped shift perceptions. It also addresses food insecurity in a neighborhood where access to fresh, affordable produce is limited. As cities and states across the U.S. experiment with alternatives to incarceration, ALMA hopes it can offer a working model.
But the organization has challenges. Restrictive zoning laws, for example, can make it difficult to revitalize vacant lots. Garcia also describes a “tension between the city’s vision of development and our vision of community.” But, he says, “we believe money and resources follows mission. If we stay rooted in our values, the rest will come.”
With Los Angeles set to host the 2028 Summer Olympics, Garcia also sees a unique opportunity for ALMA to share its mission with a global audience. “When the world comes to L.A., I hope they’ll visit the farm,” he tells Food Tank. “I want them to see that transformation is possible, not just in sports, but in our justice system, our food systems, and in people’s lives.”
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Photo courtesy of ALMA Backyard Farms
