Fun Fresh Veggie Farm Days in Bronzeville

People Standing (Left to Right) Jeff Daniels, Asiah Forney, Robert Qualls, Isaiah Adams, John Owens, Keelan Moore, Senyatta Linton, Isaiah Shurn Two people holding sign kneeling down (left to right) Amandilo Cruzan and Akeem McDore.
People Standing (Left to Right) Jeff Daniels, Asiah Forney, Robert Qualls, Isaiah Adams, John Owens, Keelan Moore, Senyatta Linton, Isaiah Shurn Two people holding sign kneeling down (left to right) Amandilo Cruzan and Akeem McDore.

Fun Fresh Veggie Farm Days in Bronzeville

By Monique Smith

Food Deserts is often a phrase you hear when it comes to a lack of access to fresh, healthy and nutritious food options in the African American community. As defined by the United States Department of Agriculture, food deserts are defined as parts of the country vapid of fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthful whole foods, usually found in impoverished areas. This is largely due to a lack of grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and healthy food providers. A lack of healthy food choices has become a big problem because while food deserts are often short on whole food providers, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, they are heavy on local quickie marts that provide a wealth of processed and sugary foods as well as fat laden food choices. The latter have been contributing factors to America’s obesity epidemic.

The food desert problem has in fact become such an issue that the USDA has outlined a map of the nation’s food deserts.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, eating a diet rich in vegetables and fruits as part of an overall healthy diet may reduce the risk of heart disease, including heart attacks and strokes. Eating a diet rich in some vegetables and fruits as part of an overall healthy diet may also protect against certain types of cancers and other diseases.

People who have diets rich in foods containing fiber, such as some vegetables and fruits, may reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes and lower high blood pressure. The Centers for New Horizons in the Bronzeville community hosted a Farm, Fitness, & Fresh Produce Harvest Day on Saturday, August 20th on 42nd and Calumet.

“The community garden was started 3 years ago by John Owens, Centers for New Horizons Director of Community Outreach and Dr. Sokoni Karanja, Founder of Center For New Horizons as a way to present opportunities for youth within the community based around healthy and sustainable living,” said one of the event organizers, Mac Gordon.

Many residents throughout the community; (including seniors, children, and families of all demographics) come to the garden to not only purchase fresh, locally grown produce, but to also learn various methods on how to prepare the produce.

“We hope to teach our community how to live healthy, sustainable lifestyles by developing healthier food options that are currently nonexistent in most of our local food stores,” said Gordon.

Community gardens are popping up all over Chicago and community growers are not in it for the money.

According to a report by The American Nutrition Association and the British Food Journal, the average urban farm sees sales of just under $54,000 a year.

Gordan says the Bronzeville Community garden is open to the community throughout the year, “so our hopes are to continue expanding our resources, and outreach, to all of our Bronzeville residents & neighbors,” he said.

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