Communities Awaken to the Value of Urban Agriculture
/Whenever we hear a hopeful story, we feel encouraged. In the midst of the mess and destruction caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, there are some things that just might improve in the long run.
A new appreciation has surfaced for healthcare providers and other essential workers like mail carriers, grocery clerks -- and the farmers who grow our food -- which brings us to a silver lining that keeps surfacing for those who play a role in supporting, growing, and distributing locally grown food.
People are realizing that locally grown food is the safest, healthiest food they can find. They want to be connected to the places where their food is grown.
As more people have come to understand that the source of our resilience is in the soil, community gardeners and urban farmers have seen that they can play a critical role in changing lives – not just during the pandemic, but into the future. When the COVID-19 crisis unfolded into a pandemic, growers became more motivated than ever to provide increased access to locally grown food. Food Well Alliance swiftly moved into high gear to support them.
We took three immediate steps:
$1,000 Stimulus Grants were offered to 25 urban farmers growing in Westside, Southwest, Southside and Tri-cities neighborhoods. These communities have historically been denied access to resources and have the potential to be impacted by the crisis more than others.
A weekly video Zoom Session with leaders from eight local food organizations was initiated to align and collaborate with one another as we work to support our local growers.
The COVID-19 Emergency Relief Farmer Fund was established to provide public support for our local farmers by a collective of seven organizations – Food Well Alliance, Georgia Organics, Community Farmers Markets, Wholesome Wave Georgia, Global Growers Network, Common Market, and Atlanta Farmers Coalition. Donate at thefarmerfund.org.
We established an emergency mission to keep growers growing:
Phase One through May 10 is to get plants in the ground! We are accomplishing this by providing resources in four key focus areas: Urban Farms, Community Gardens, Home Gardens and School Gardens.
Manual Labor: In place of our regular volunteer program – temporarily on hold – we are providing staff and hiring skilled growers to help prepare the land, plant seedlings, and more.
Equipment: In partnership with the Atlanta Community ToolBank, we are providing tools, tillers and tractors to prepare the land for planting.
Healthy Soil: We are increasing our compost distribution to ensure every grower who needs compost gets compost.
Technical Assistance. As growers are pivoting to new models of selling their food, we are connecting them to alternative channels of distribution and access.
Educational Resources & Experiences. We are collaborating with metro Atlanta farms, community gardens, chefs, and various organizations to create virtual experiences and resource materials designed to educate new growers and keep people connected to where their local food comes from
Here are some of the highlights we think you’ll enjoy!
Planting seedlings at Metro Atlanta Urban Farm in College Park
Celebrate Earth Day on April 22 6-8 p.m.at our Greenhouse Party on Instagram Live with DJ Fifthwurld of Nature’s Candy Farms. Follow us on Instagram @foodwellalliance.
Every Friday, tune in with James Carr as he hosts Instagram Live interviews with heroes from all aspects of our local food system. Follow us on Instagram @foodwellalliance.
Take a virtual visit to Metro Atlanta Urban Farms, where the Bucket Brigade built 150 bucket gardens and delivered them to 50 food-insecure families in the City of East Point. Special thanks to City Councilmember Thomas Calloway and the East Point Department of Parks and Recreation.
We’ll soon release our Plant. Eat. Repeat. virtual video series with Moe Hemmings of Atlanta Botanical Gardens. She’s got all the info you need for successful planting, growing and harvesting this Spring and Summer.
