Where you live, poor access to healthy food and economics have been shown to influence a person's risk of obesity. Approximately 23.5 million Americans, including 6.5 million children, currently live in so-called "food deserts," according to the White House. Earlier this year, the Obama Administration launched a $400 million initiative to increase Americans' access to healthy, affordable food.
While the administration works to increase the number of grocery stores in underserved communities, one Bay Area city is taking a different approach to providing nutritious food for residents
The Richmond Edible Forest Project, a joint effort between federal, city and community nonprofit partners, aims to teach local youth how to garden and produce a healthy food source for themselves and their communities. According to a release:
[The project] will help engage 700 underserved youth in education programs. The youth will learn how to install five edible forests [or gardens] in Richmond parks and school areas. ... After the first edible forest garden is installed, the project will offer a series of three-hour edible forest garden workshops for school and community gardeners and parks and recreation department staffs from across the Bay Area.
Photo by D Sharon Pruitt
