There’s a seven-acre food forest in Atlanta where people can freely find fresh produce and medicinal plants whenever they may need them.
Atlanta, United States of America (04 March 2021) – The Urban Food Forest at Browns Mill is the first city-owned and managed food forest in America and perhaps the world.
The seven-acre food forest is in Atlanta and anyone can freely find fresh produce and medicinal plants whenever they may need them. The world could learn from this… no, the world needs to learn from this!
The farm which was transformed into an edible landscape is Atlanta’s first Community Urban Food Forest, as well as a new model for a City of Atlanta park. The food forest produces a wide variety of fresh, flavorful, and healthy nuts, fruits, vegetables, herbs, and mushrooms, which will become available for public consumption.
“The Food Forest contains 2,500 edible and medicinal plants available to anyone in need.”
Located in an area identified as a food desert, the site was a working farm as recently as 2000. Neighbours still talk about the land’s former owners, Ruby and Willie Morgan, who left excess produce from their farm on fence posts for neighbours to claim and enjoy.
More than 1,000 volunteers help to plant, water and maintain the food forest. In a day alone, there can be more than 50 volunteers working in the forest.
“It’s really a park for everyone, said Atlanta city councilwoman Carla Smith. “Every time I go, there’s a community there who respects and appreciates the fresh, healthy foods. There’s a mentality there that people know to only take what they need.”
“Access to green space and healthy foods is very important. And that’s a part of our mission,” says Michael McCord, a certified arborist and expert edible landscaper who helps manage the forest.
“We host lots of students for field trips, and for a lot of them, it’s their first time at a garden or farm or forest. So here, they get to experience everything urban agriculture and urban forestry all in one day. It’s really special.”
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