Search Weight Loss Topics:

Home » Diets that Work » Milwaukee has a problem with food insecurity. Urban agriculture can be part of the answer. – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Buy Photo

Mary Beth Driscoll of Milwaukee walks the labyrinth at Alice's Garden, 2136 N. 21st St., Milwaukee, on June 18 to honor Juneteenth Day.(Photo: Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Urban farming is one way to help replenish food deserts in Milwaukee's impoverished neighborhoods, and it's not just about growing food.

Its not just about the fresh, healthy foods, but also the education behind it, said Venice Williams, executive director of Alice's Garden, an urban garden and farm that dates to 1972.We do a lot of work to help people understand their relationship with food.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, a food desertis a low-income area where a supermarket or grocery store is at least a mile away.Based on 2015 data, the USDA estimated that nearly 9% of Milwaukee's population lived in a food desert, including many areas of the city's north side.

Having access is very important from a health perspective," said Alfonso Morales, a University of Wisconsin-Madison associate professor and expert on urban agriculture. "Not only does the absence of healthy foods negatively impact health, but the presence of healthy foods positively impacts mental and physical health."

Studies back up Morales link between health and food.

Astudyof California residents examined how access to healthy food choices affected rates of obesity and diabetes. The study showed that residents in food deserts with fewer fresh produce choices and more fast food access were at higher risk of both obesity and diabetes. A2012 study found that the city of Cleveland could meet its entire fresh produce demand through sustainable urban farming.In California, the Berkeley Food Institute, which is affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley, has an ongoing study aimed at identifying the best urban farming policies and practices toreduce food insecurity.

The growth of food insecurity and food deserts have their roots in long-term discrimination in Milwaukee and other cities.

Redlining, the practice of denying minorities mortgages,access to loansand equal housing opportunities, had a profound impact.The University of Richmonds "Mapping Inequality interactivemapof redlining in the 1930s shows that Milwaukees north side was coded red, given a D grade (the lowest from A to D) and was labeled as bad for investment.

Ninety years after Milwaukees neighborhoods were classified, the effects of the system and segregation are still apparent today. The history of divestment helped cause services to flee.

Lack of access to fresh, healthy foodsin low-income communities meansmore peoplewill suffer from diabetes, heart diseaseand other diet-related diseases. African Americans in Wisconsinhave higher rates of hospitalization and death from heart diseasecompared to the total Wisconsin population, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

And that iswhy organizations such asAlice's Gardenhave stepped in to fill gaps in the food supply.

Alice's focuses on supplying Harambee neighborhood residents with fresh food and the opportunity to grow their own. Its an urban farm but also has a community garden.

The lineage of many Black families stretches back to the South,where growing food and farming was a big part of their ancestors' lives. But some families have lost theconnection with farming and food.

Williams isoptimistic that theright resources will help people adoptgardening and a deeper appreciation of healthy foods.

Were regenerating customs, said Williams. I am seeing a resurgence in growing and cultivating food. Were growing families, growing communities through food.

Ann Brummitt, co-executive director of the Victory Garden Initiative, works with a young student on the urban farm in 2019.(Photo: Submitted photo)

The Victory GardenInitiative, popular duringthe world wars, helpedpeople get throughtough times by encouraging them to grow their own produce in yards and community spaces. Victory Garden Initiative is fighting a different enemy now food security in underserved communities.

Its extremely important to have access to fresh and healthy foods, said Co-executive Director Ann Brummitt. We know there are communities who dont have access and the resources due to certain circumstances. Were here to bridge that connection of growing fresh food and people.

Victory Garden Initiative hosts the nations largest garden-building event, their Garden Blitz.

The Blitz installs raised garden beds including building the structure andsupplyingsoil and seeds to get the garden started. As of 2019, the initiative's11thyear, the grouphad installed over 4,500 raised beds in Milwaukee and other cities.

It also has run a farm stand in the Harambee neighborhood that operates on a pay-what-you-can model to give everyone a chance to have fresh produce.

Meantime, Hunger Task Forceoperatesa 208-acre farm that provides fresh produce to more than 47 food pantries in Milwaukee County.

Hunger Task Force Executive Director Sherrie Tussler said the farm produces between 500,000 to 700,000 pounds of food annually.

It goes to food pantries, homeless sheltersand soup kitchens," she said. "And it will often go alongside the Stockbox Program, which is a program for seniors.

Supplying food pantries with fresh produce helps people living in poverty often in food deserts get access to the nutritious foodthey normally wouldnt be able to find.

We feel like were contributing to overall public health by making sure at-risk people living in food deserts have access to food that is healthy and that they can prepare easily, Tussler said.

Patricia McKnight is an intern for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Ideas Lab. Her work is supported by a grant from theSolutions Journalism Network,a nonprofit organization that promotes reporting about responses to social problems. Email:PMcKnight@gannett.com

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

Read or Share this story: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/solutions/2020/07/13/urban-farming-one-answer-milwaukees-food-insecurity/5388888002/

Read the original:
Milwaukee has a problem with food insecurity. Urban agriculture can be part of the answer. - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Your Full Name
Your Email
Your Phone Number
Select your age (30+ only)	30313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120
Select Your US State	Select Your StateAlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington,DCWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming
Program Choice	Select Your ProgramInjectable HGHInjectable TestoteroneInjectable SermorelinInjectable Weight LossInjectable HCG DietInjectable Vitamins
Confirm over 30 years old	Yes
Confirm that you resident in USA	Yes
This is a Serious Inquiry	Yes
Message:

Home » Diets that Work » Milwaukee has a problem with food insecurity. Urban agriculture can be part of the answer. – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel