Nashville has looked at the problem of food deserts, and done a few things to solve it. For instance, you can double your EBT at the downtown Farmer’s Market. Edible Nashville publishes a yearly guide to local farmers and regional farmers that offer CSA’s.
The town of Andernach, Germany, with a population of 30,000, has managed over the last 16 years to create a complete Food Island. They have 38,000 square feet of food growing in all public spaces. In outlying areas, they have a permaculture garden, sheep, pigs, chickens, and beehives.
Here’s how it works: Instead of landscaping with inedible ornamentals, the citizen’s landscape with edible plants. Homeless people, refugees and the chronically unemployed work in the gardens year-round. People can pick the produce freely throughout the year. The excess produce is picked up by local shops who sell it to the tourists who come to the area. This creates a self funding loop where everyone is paid who works.
Dr. Lutz Kosack began the project, using his degree in landscaping, as well as in the science of biodiversity. It began by planting as many varieties of tomato as they could in the city center. This was to prove how biodiversity can create strength in an environment. At first, the attitude was skeptical. People thought that people would just trample the plants and destroy them, but they found that the opposite was true. They put out a green sign for when produce is ready and a red sign for when it is not. People not only respected this, but came out to volunteer and help. Over the last 16 years, they have planted everything from kiwis to pumpkins to chard to every vegetable imaginable.
Just imagine if every district in Davidson county were to start a similar program. Not only would homeless people and other poor folk be helped, but our city would become a beautiful place with an additional tourist attraction.
The benches that Downtown is now planning to reinstall could be surrounded by lovely edible plants and trees. Areas that are currently under utilized could have raised garden beds in them. Restaurants would have easy access to produce that they need to make special dishes for our population and for our tourists. Fresh produce stands could be licensed to harvest and sell right on the street corners.
Wouldn’t it be fun to just stroll through downtown and pick your picnic lunch as you go? Plus it would be another way to help our homeless neighbors.