Food Deserts Benefit From Farmers Markets

by Greg Plotkin

categories: Children, Cities, Education, Guest Bloggers, Health & Healthcare, Hunger, Nonprofits, Research, Social Programs

Published July 09, 2009 @ 06:00AM PT

Many have come to realize that the problem of food deserts is not that there is no food to eat at all, but rather, that fresh, affordable and healthy food are much harder to come by than the fried chicken and Big Mac's found on nearly every street corner.  It is a problem of access and affordability more than anything else.

With the knowledge that Tennessee is one of the most food insecure states (particularly in regard to children) in the entire country, Vanderbilt University graduate student Darcy Freedman decided to conduct research to determine how to address issues of childhood obesity, family nutrition and food security issues in four of Nashville's underserved communities.

What she found was that families do not only need help accessing fresh food, they also need help learning how to eat healthy and understanding why it is so important to their health.  And thus, the Veggie Project was born.

Focused in the underserved neighborhoods of Andrew Jackson, Preston Taylor, Antioch, and Wedgewood-Houston in Nashville, the Veggie Project is committed to "improving access to fresh fruits and vegetables in food desert neighborhoods while supporting local agricultural systems with the hopes of improving the obesity epidemic in Nashville," according to representative Liz Aleman.

Children are the cornerstones of the markets, and are responsible for coordinating set-up, determining the amount of produce available each week and are even allowed to set the prices for all the products.  In return for their labor, the children receive vouchers which they can use to purchase fresh food at the markets.

(Now I have to admit, I am a little confused by this.  One of the greatest barriers to farmers markets helping food deserts is affordability--traditionally farmers markets tend to price out low-income people who are the ones most likely to live in food deserts.  I'm trying to find more information on the pricing at the Veggie Project markets and how this helps to make fresh fruits and veggies more affordable to those who need them most.)

Parents and community members are also encouraged to participate through the Super Chef - Super Shopper program which provides market vouchers to participants in return for completing surveys, submitting healthy recipes that use locally-grown produce or attending cooking classes hosted by the Veggie Project staff.  This is designed to give the project leaders more information about the barriers that keep fresh food from being a routine part of the lives of food desert residents.

I admire this project's commitment to helping families eat healthier and encouraging children to appreciate and enjoy their fruits and vegetables.  There may be no better way to achieve a reduction in the rate of childhood obesity than promoting healthy eating habits from an early age.

If you're interested in keeping up-to-date with the Veggie Project, follow their blog here.

(Photo credit: NatalieMaynor on Flickr)