January 15, 2025Abundant Philly to Manage Organic Gardens at Manatawna Farm
Philadelphia, PA, January 15, 2025 — The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education announced the transfer of the management of nearby community gardens to Abundant Philly, an urban gardening education and greenspace development organization.
This transition marks a new chapter for the renamed Organic Gardens at Manatawna Farm, which has been a vital part of the community for nearly 50 years, serving as a green oasis and hub for organic urban agriculture in upper Roxborough. The new name reflects the garden’s history as part of the former Manatawna Farm property.
Since 1972, the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education has managed the Organic Community Gardens on the Manatawna Farm property. The Schuylkill Center continued to manage the gardens after the land was sold to the city of Philadelphia in 1984. More than 100 households annually license large garden plots across the five acres in upper Roxborough. Abundant Philly will take over the grounds maintenance and stewardship of the plot licensing program this season. Ownership will remain with the city of Philadelphia.
These efforts will be led by Abundant Philly owner and founder, Kyonne Isaac, who has been a plot holder at the gardens for the past four years. Kyonne is an urban gardening horticulturist and educator who has developed and maintained public community gardens in the South Philadelphia and Tioga neighborhoods since 2018. Her work includes designing ornamental and edible landscapes for private households, and building educational experiences on organic urban gardening practices for organizations, including the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS), Turning Points for Children, Bethel AME Church, Achievability, and the Ardmore Community Center, aka The SHACK.
“We are excited for the next chapter of the Organic Gardens at Manatawna Farm,” said Erin Mooney, executive director of the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education. “Kyonne’s leadership in managing the garden plots will deepen the community of gardeners and for those in Philadelphia who are interested in urban agriculture.”
Abundant Philly will create a Gardener Community Engagement Council for the Organic Gardens at Manatawna Farm, which will help current garden plot holders build connections amongst the gardeners and the larger public through regular social events, educational opportunities, and cultural exchanges.
“I’m honored to take on this new role in the gardens,” said Kyonne Isaac. “Tending to my garden and building meaningful friendships has been one of my favorite parts of my life in Philly; and I’m excited to support the gardens continuing to thrive into the next 50 years.”
Prospective and returning garden plot holders will secure their gardening spaces between February and the end of March. For more information, please visit Abundant Philly’s website.
Media Contact:
Kyonne Isaac
Abundant Philly
[email protected]
About Kyonne Isaac & Abundant Philly
Kyonne Isaac has been licensing a growing space in the Organic Gardens at Manatawna Farm for three years. Working on this land has been transformative for her mental and physical health, and genuinely one of her favorite parts of her life in Philadelphia. It is with deep appreciation for the beauty of the space, the community of gardeners, and all that the land has given to her that she steps into a stewardship role this year.
Kyonne is the founder and CEO of Abundant Philly – an urban greenspace and gardening education development firm started in 2021, with a mission to spread the good news of gardening to everyone in the Philadelphia region. As an urban gardening educator,
horticulturalist, and program development consultant, Kyonne has dedicated her life’s work to finding solutions to one our community’s largest needs: food sovereignty. To accomplish this mission, Abundant Philly works alongside other community organizations to provide technical assistance in expanding their garden education offerings, create new park/garden developments and refine organic urban farming practices.
Working with partner organizations, Abundant Philly has curated experiences for dedicated volunteer groups in the garden spaces she stewards, designed gardens for private households, and acted as the general contractor to perform garden installations for public spaces in the greater Philadelphia Area.
Most recently, Kyonne contracts with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society as a lecturer on organic vegetable growing, and as an active member of their Green Team building greening spaces and educational events for the Tioga-Nicetown neighborhood. Her work also includes leading environmental education workshops for the Ardmore Community Center, Turning Points for Children, Villanova University and managing production farms for the Victory Gardens Program at Bethel AME Church and Haverford College.
Before moving to Philadelphia, Kyonne earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology with honors from Stanford University and her master’s degree from Princeton University as a fellow with the National Science Foundation. Kyonne comes from farming families on both parents’ sides; and considers herself to be a principled steward of the land, dedicated to growing the community of gardeners and farmers in Philadelphia.
