Delve into the vibrant world of urban agriculture. In this episode, David Zelski shines a spotlight on Gratitude Botanical Farm, an unconventional oasis nestled in the heart of Atlanta. Founded by childhood friends, this two-acre micro-farm is defying expectations and nourishing the community in more ways than one. Explore the challenges and triumphs of urban farming. Combating food deserts and preserving cultural heritage, Gratitude Botanical Farm is sowing the seeds of change in Atlanta's urban landscape.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 18.8 million Americans live in food deserts. That's at least 33% of people being more than one mile from nearest supermarket, supercenter, or large grocery store for an urban area, or greater than 10 miles for a rural area.
What is the role of an urban ag director? And in the City of Atlanta, also known as the City in a Forest, how is urban agriculture impacting the City? In this episode, Jeffrey Landau interview’s Atlanta’s newest Urban Ag Director, J. Olu Baiyewu. Listen as Jeffrey and J.
Elise Evans, a long-time volunteer and former board president of Food Forest Collective, the nonprofit that manages the Beacon Food Forest, shared that the forest has helped in many ways with food insecurity.
âWeâre not a food bank,â she clarified, âbut we do something unique where we empower people to show up. We accept all volunteers who are kind and want to have a sense of purpose in growing food together. Itâs sort of a large-scale demonstration site. Anyone can do this in their ecosystem and weâre showing them how that can be done.â
The Beacon Food Forest in Seattle is mostly an open harvest site. Except for areas designated as food bank plots and City of Seattle P-Patches, they allow free foraging on-site. Over the past eleven years, theyâve seen successful results and havenât observed anyone âwiping outâ a harvest. Evans said: âIn the golden hour of the evening, we see many people on site harvesting food for their d