“the problem with local food right now is that it is very expensive. We would like to see local food affordable because it is part of the access issue. A lot of people talk about food deserts and I totally agree not having not having a grocery store makes a big difference, but when tomatoes are three dollars a pound or four dollars a pound or cucumbers are a dollar each-that’s also an accessibility issue because people cannot afford to buy this produce”
“Flanner Farms will sprout this year on the 2½-acre campus of Flanner House. It’s not a community garden, but instead a working farm. A weekly farmers market will offer a portion of the farm’s organic produce at below-retail prices.”
Read the rest of this story at: “WFYI.org“
This is a great article. Food deserts are a very real problem in many poorer urban areas – and unfortunately when they gentrify the only food options become high-end stores that are still inaccessible.
I know on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside they also have community garden initiatives like the one mentioned for at-risk residents to participate in. I believe there is also a commercialized version as well that hires at-risk residents and sells much of the produce to local restaurants and businesses. Both seem like great models and innovative ways to deal with both food security and urban food production efficiency.
Great blog by the way, you share some great articles. As a fellow urban gardener I am just getting my blog off the ground, detailing my container gardening experiences on a high-rise balcony.