By giving consumers direct access to local produce, new city-led initiatives in agriculture combat food insecurity. Atlanta has created a free food forest, a first-of-its-kind.The Urban Food Forest in Browns Mill was planted on land that was originally intended for townhouse construction.Now, the site is being transformed into a city-owned food forest.The food forest is the largest in the US, with more than seven acres of plants.Atlanta residents will be able to enjoy pesticide-free fruits, nuts, vegetables, herbs, and mushrooms as part of an edible landscape. This is part of Atlanta’s mission to provide healthy food within a half mile of 85% of its residents by 2022.Boston also invests in food forests.Mayor Martin Walsh committed $200,000 in February 2021 to convert vacant land into urban food forests.This was done as part of the most recent round of funding from the Community Preservation Act.Other food forests, such as the Beacon Food Forest in Seattle, are expanding their size to meet increasing demand.Pennsylvania funnels government funds to urban agriculture.The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture will open its Urban Agriculture Grant Program on March 1, 2021.The $500,000 grant will be used to expand agricultural infrastructure to urban food deserts in order to increase access to local, fresh food. It will also provide opportunities for community building and learning.Russell Redding, Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Agriculture, said: “This pandemic brought to light inequities but also the importance of urban and community gardens in our commonwealth’s food system.”This funding will help urban communities in Pennsylvania become more resilient. The food produced by these projects will also nourish those who are hungry, breaking down the walls that separate food from poverty.Eric Adams, the mayoral candidate for New York City, wants to transform unused urban space into sources of fresh food and agricultural education in local communities.Adams, in an interview with Eater, said that one $13 million project “is trying to turn a housing development named Marlboro Projects into a two-story green house which will teach farming and education about farming as well as how to deal food deserts.”Urban agriculture initiatives such as these are helping to democratize access to fresh produce at a time when food security is a major concern.One community gardener said to Eater that “in a world where everything can be commodified feels commodified…growing your own food feels like a revolution.”
