“The best way to trick kids to eat veggies is to get them to grow it. They see the entire process from seed to plate,” said Lucke, who added that a number of community partners have been working for at least two years to make this day a reality. “We knew that the east side was a food desert. We knew that the east side didn’t have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. And so having an urban micro-farm, we felt, would be a good step in the right direction.”
“One of the things that we heard from the residents was, ‘We don’t have enough access to healthy food options. We need to bring more of those here,’ and I think the urban farm is going to be part of that solution,” said Rosario Neaves with SAHA, who noted that from the youngest to the oldest, all neighbors will benefit. “It’s going to be great for families to enjoy together. It’s also going to create job opportunities on the east side and access to better overall healthier nutritious food.”
Having an urban garden not only boosts jobs but it opens up a way of life that points towards making healthy solutions to your diet. Indeed urban gardens should be encouraged in cities and where schools can be accessed so as to nurture children into understanding the value of healthy eating.