Free Food Forest

Good News Good Planet

For more delicious news, go to www.GoodNewsGoodPlanet.com, and scroll to bottom for more ways to find the feel good stuff!* FREE FOOD FOREST More than 23 million people in America live in "food deserts"—low-income areas, mostly in cities, that lack access to fresh, whole foods. Without healthy foods, these populations are at a higher risk for obesity, diabetes, heart disease and depression. The city of Atlanta, Georgia is changing that reality by transforming 7 acres of unused land into the nation's largest food forest. The Urban Food Forest at Browns Mill was once a farm. After a business deal fell through, a conservation group bought it and eventually sold it to the city. Now it's a public park and garden with walking trails and gathering places. It’s also an educational space where volunteers and students tend crops of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and herbs. For many, it’s their first time interacting with food right from the ground. The land already had a pecan orchard, black walnut trees, muscadine grapes and blackberry brambles. Now, figs, nectarines, plums, apples, pears, pomegranates, cherries and native pawpaws have also been added. There are beehives, medicinal herbs and mushroom beds too. The public is encouraged to forage for whatever they want, and it’s all for free. There are only two rules, don’t take more than you need, and don’t pick it if it isn’t ripe. This project is a landmark step in addressing Atlanta's food deserts. The city's ultimate goal is to strengthen the local food economy, and the health of its residents, by ensuring that 85 percent of its dwellers are within a half mile of fresh food by 2021. This Urban Food Forest is the first in Georgia and the largest in the United States, but it's not the only one. There are now over 70 food forests nationwide, and growing. Access to fresh food can now be a soothing walk in the park, bringing residents closer to good health and the planet, and its amazing abundance. #### *Hungry for more of the Good Stuff? Search "Good News Good Planet" on YouTube, Instagram, Patreon, Alexa and wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.