Emergency fund set up to help Georgia’s urban and rural farmers - Saporta Report

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Emergency fund set up to help Georgia’s urban and rural farmers - Saporta Report

Local food organizations have created a coalition to help Georgia’s urban and rural farmers weather the COVID-19 pandemic. The organizations, – which include the Food Well Alliance and Georgia Organics, Community Farmers Markets, Wholesome Wave Georgia, Global Growers Network, the Common Market Southeast and Atlanta Farmers Coalition – have created the Farmer Fund COVID-19 Emergency Relief Campaign.

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Local Farmers Move Online To Stay In Business Amid Pandemic - GPB News

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Farmer Ashley Rodgers grows vegetables on her organic farm in Douglasville, but in her 11 years farming she has rarely seen such uncertainty as restaurants closed their doors and farmers markets shut down to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Disruptions amid the coronavirus spread couldn’t have come at a worse time for her small farm, Rodgers Greens and Roots, Rodgers said. 

“This is the most difficult time of year for me financially,” Rodgers said. “It's like we're out of money from what we were able to sell, you know, during the winter, and I've spent a ton of money, maxed out my credit cards from a cash flow standpoint."

Now farmers across Georgia are forced to find new ways of operating during a pandemic. 

Read more at GPBnews.org.

Atlanta area farmers markets fight to stay open amid a COVID-19 crisis - AJC

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Atlanta area farmers markets fight to stay open amid a COVID-19 crisis - AJC

Across metro Atlanta, an early marker of spring is the opening of neighborhood farmers markets, their tables full of tender salad greens, eggs and fresh bread. But as the COVID-19 pandemic worsens, small local farmers who sell at those markets are racing to find ways to stay afloat if those markets do not open in the coming weeks.

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Gwinnett, Lawrenceville receive $10,000 grant for community garden - Gwinnett Daily Post

/ Lawrenceville Senior Center/
Gwinnett, Lawrenceville receive $10,000 grant for community garden - Gwinnett Daily Post

Gwinnett County and the City of Lawrenceville received a $10,000 grant from Food Well Alliance for a new community garden at Rhodes Jordan Park to provide vegetables and greens to nearby residents who may not have access to nourishing food.

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Project to make East Point an urban agriculture destination moves into Phase 2 - South Metro Neighbor

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Project to make East Point an urban agriculture destination moves into Phase 2 - South Metro Neighbor

East Point, the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), and Food Well Alliance (a nonprofit that supports community-driven agriculture and urban food systems) recently completed six months of community engagement that culminated in the selection of a Steering Committee comprised of three community-appointed delegates and seven city-appointed delegates. It is now the steering committee’s goal to work with ARC and Food Well Alliance on the planning phase of the project.

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YEAR IN REVIEW: Cities throughout south Fulton made gains in 2019 - Marietta Daily Journal

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YEAR IN REVIEW: Cities throughout south Fulton made gains in 2019 - Marietta Daily Journal

In August, East Point was selected as the pilot location for a plan to prioritize urban agriculture. Atlanta-based nonprofit Food Well Alliance, which is a collaborative network of local food leaders, is heading up the new program called the City Agricultural Plan. Guided by the planning expertise of the Atlanta Regional Commission, the goal is connect thriving community gardens and urban farms in order to provide greater access to locally grown food across the metro Atlanta Region.

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East Point works to boost residents’ health - Atlanta Journal Constitution

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East Point works to boost residents’ health - Atlanta Journal Constitution

East Point is working toward becoming not only a place to access healthy food, but a place where healthy food is grown. Already, Truly Living Well and Working Hands Enterprises are farming land in East Point. And, the city recently received a grant from Food Well Alliance to develop metro Atlanta’s first city agriculture plan.

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PLANNING & PLANTING: Food Well Alliance officials happy with initial response to City Agricultural Plan in East Point - South Fulton Neighbor

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PLANNING & PLANTING: Food Well Alliance officials happy with initial response to City Agricultural Plan in East Point - South Fulton Neighbor

Food Well Alliance has officially kicked off the planning process for the first ever City Agricultural Plan in East Point. The plan aims to protect and expand urban farming and gardens as well as put community ideas into action as rapid development continues in the metro-Atlanta area.

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Urban Agriculture In The Westside: Growing Community Resilience And Healing - Saporta Report

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Urban Agriculture In The Westside: Growing Community Resilience And Healing - Saporta Report

When Food Well Alliance was founded in 2015, the number of community gardens, urban farms, and farmers markets across metro Atlanta was noticeably on the rise. The recognition of disparities in access to healthy food and its connection to chronic, diet-related disease had reached national attention. And at the same time, the concept of a “local food movement” was now commonly used to describe a growing trend of consumers and farmers promoting locally grown food as an environmental alternative to industrial, chemically-intensive agriculture.

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Whole Foods Donates $45K to Atlanta’s Urban Agriculture - Progressive Grocer

/ Whole Foods Midtown/
Whole Foods Donates $45K to Atlanta’s Urban Agriculture - Progressive Grocer

Whole Foods partnered with Atlanta nonprofit Food Well Alliance to raise and donate $45,105 to the Resource Center for Urban Agriculture. On April 18, all 11 Atlanta area Whole Foods stores donated 5 percent of the net sales to the cause as part of the natural grocer’s semi-annual Community Giving Day. 

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