GROWING SEASON

June 30, 2014 at 12:05a.m.

GROWING SEASON

By Katie Rickman

Sophia Buggs was born and raised in Youngstown, and at age 40, she’s finally living her dream.

Or, at least by Tuesday, she will be.

This city native will proudly run a fruit and vegetable farm as a full-time urban farmer.

But if you ask her, she considers herself an urban homesteader because unlike some urban farmers, her farm isn’t miles away from her home. Lady Buggs Farm is connected to her home by a well-worn path.

Of course, the questions of ‘why and how’ arise when pulling up alongside the 1.3-acre farm that stretches across nine empty lots where abandoned homes once stood on Carroll Street.

Buggs will tell you that some questioned the then-Florida resident when she decided to move back to her hometown for a new start.

“Don’t do it! Don’t go back to Youngstown!,” they said.

But she pushed forward and in 2011 began a journey that led her directly to her dream — educating those around her on the importance of living a healthier, happier life.

Although she has chosen a road less traveled by many, she says emphatically, “I want to be the change that I seek.” With the help of family, friends and volunteers, Buggs is doing just that.