Recipient Organization
FRESNO METROPOLITAN MINISTRY
1055 N. VAN NESS AVE., SUITE H
FRESNO,CA 93728
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Fresno lies in the heart of the Central Valley of California where the nation?s food is grown, and is the home of the poorest Congressional District in the nation, with some of the poorest health outcomes due to disease by diet: obesity, diabetes, heart disease. There is an ongoing trend of a huge and poor urban area in the middle of the produce capital of the nation, and increasingly people without enough food to eat and under enrollment in federal nutrition programs. Fresno has vast food deserts in the south part of town, except for fast food and convenience stores; and now we are in the midst of a severe drought, causing loss of jobs and production of food. The asset of agrarian immigrants and people who know how to grow food is not met by access to land to grow food for their families, nor access to markets vending local produce. This project has been developed from neighborhoods demanding local fresh produce, and commitment by over 300 local people interested in changing the urban landscape for a new urban agrarian movement at the neighborhood level, policy level, and utilizing the engagement of a strong Community Garden Coalition to form a dedicated Food Policy Council. Participants were clear that they have need for food immediately, and long term for not only family ability to raise food, but for the ability to market fresh food in their neighborhood as livelihood. The gardener participants tied this need to re-create real community in their neighborhoods, safety of their communities by knowing their neighbors, and the mental health asset for people jammed up in small dilapidated housing projects. Support for the project has been overwhelming in the at risk neighborhoods, by the local business and government communities, and as a new vision of Fresno as a Garden Destination. The goals of this project will address a continuum of community urban agriculture needs, self reliance in communities through providing their own food in community gardens, and new markets for fresh produce. The project will take back neighborhoods through garden organizing and leadership development, and assure an infrastructure of local food access. Fresno will have a comprehensive response to local food, farm, and nutrition issues, and a strong sustainable Fresno Food Policy Council, a neighborhood based leadership group, and a healthier population.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
100%
Goals / Objectives
The goal of this Fresno Healthy Access Project is to support the sustainability of urban gardens, leading to an established Food Policy Council and new venues to market fresh produce. Fresno Metro Ministry will create a Fresno Community Garden Coalition (FCGC), develop at least ten new community gardens in low income neighborhoods, and link the over 300 interested garden supporters to these community gardens. Fresno will become a Community Garden Destination, a showcase. A teaching,demonstration garden in South Fresno will create an opportunity to display agrarian skills among the 100 farming languages and cultures. The FCGC will identify land in low income neighborhoods that can be converted to raising produce at schools, city/county land, and private land. New ways of vending local produce will support employment and good health in low income neighborhoods. The FCGC will establish 10 community gardens as is an immediate response to the poverty and unemployment with the loss of farm jobs because of the drought, and the lack of healthy food in our neighborhoods. The gardens will become hubs for local leadership development, and utilize the shared skills of these neighbors to grow their food. A Community Garden Website,Community Garden Referral Line, answered in at least three languages, and a Community Garden Library and Resource Center will be established on Community Gardening and Food Policy. Trained Gardener Leaders will address barriers to community gardening, land use, zoning, state and federal policy issues in neighborhood pockets of poverty in order to re-create a healthy local food system through a Food Policy Council and new markets for fresh produce.
Project Methods
This project is a community based project. Methods for achieving the goals of the Fresno Metro Ministry Healthy Food Access Project will be assessment, inventory of resources, and community organizing in low income neighborhoods. Communications at the neighborhood level and wider community engagement through a variety of tactics will assure success. The project will inventory urban gardens, and convene a Fresno Community Garden Coalition with the staff support of a new Community Garden Coordinator. New land access will be sought and developed for urban agriculture. The project Evaluator, Dr. John Capitman and the Central Valley Health Policy Institute will develop the evaluation plan that will include the Common Output Tracking Forms for Community Gardens, and follow the methods and success of the project from the outset (other evaluators will contribute to parts of the evaluation also). A Train the Trainer model for volunteer capacity to collect data, and implement and organize new gardens will expand capacity. Multicultural and multilingual staff and volunteers will conduct outreach to engage our over 100 languages here in Fresno. The Community Garden Coalition will work with city policies and ordinances to create a true urban farming and gardening expansion and destination in Fresno. Community organizing will be the operative method that includes the neighborhood residents, businesses, housing projects, agriculture, community based organizations and city officials. Leadership development at the gardens will be critical to success. Yearly community forums on sustainability of local food systems will be held, and opportunities for state and national training for gardeners. Long term goals include a demonstration/teaching garden, seed banking and a Garden Resource Library. The Fresno Community Garden Coalition will develop ways to vend excess produce in neighborhoods providing a new source of income and access for low income neighborhoods to healthy food at a reasonable cost. A Food Policy Council will be created to deal with Garden/Urban farming issues with the City and County, and further healthy food access for the wider community. Sustainability will be the focus of all parts of this project.