Atlanta’s largest urban farm becomes a landowner
Truly Living Well urban farm shows how city folks can grow their own food, provides local food deserts fresh produce.
By Bo Emerson
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dec 30
Excerpt:
Garrison said the success of TLW is part of a boom in Atlanta’s urban farms and collectives, including Gilliam’s Community Garden (in the Westside neighborhood); Gangstas to Growers (a program for at-risk youth and the formerly incarcerated); the Grow Where You Are agricultural collective; and the Metro Atlanta Urban Farm.
“At conferences of people from Black-owned farms, I found out that folks around the U.S. look to Atlanta for a sense of what is possible,” he said.
Those trying to make a living in the business know that urban farms can’t compete with the low prices at supermarkets and big-box stores. Wholesome Wave Georgia offers a program that doubles the value of food stamps at local farms. And, said Hunter, local produce is more valuable.
“Every time you spend a dollar with an urban farm, that dollar is staying in this community,” she said. “The quality is better, it hasn’t traveled for thousands of miles, it’s higher in nutritional value, it will be fresher. You’re not just paying for the food; you are investing in a more robust local food system.”
