'Food Forests' To Help Many U.S. Cities Gain Access To Fresh Produce

Cities across the country are looking for ways to help make sure people have access to fresh fruits and vegetables.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 18.8 million Americans live in food deserts. That's at least 33% of people being more than one mile from nearest supermarket, supercenter, or large grocery store for an urban area, or greater than 10 miles for a rural area. Some communities hope a growing "food forest" trend can help fill the need.

In Newark, the biggest city in New Jersey, a small food forest is just starting to grow.

"A food forest is like a garden, but it's designed to try to mimic a natural ecosystem like a forest," says Maria Stanko, a lecturer at New Jersey Institute of Technology.

In April of 2023, the New Jersey Institute of Technology officially opened its budding food forest. It's part of a global trend as communities work to cultivate fruits and vegetables that are native to their region.

The city of Atlanta has what's considered the largest free public food forest in the country.

"The goal is for people to be able to come, you know, receive some level of nourishment, whether that's through food and/or through programming and education and experience," says J. Olu Baiyewu, Director of Urban Agriculture for the city of Atlanta.

Describing the sprawling space, he says "It's hard to go more than probably 10 steps and not see some kind of food happening."

Even with more food forests sprouting across the country, one big question is how long before they might be a reliable resource for people struggling to access or afford fresh fruits and vegetables.

Stanko acknowledges with the amount of space needed to grow enough food to feed people, food forests are "one part of a problem that will require a lot of different kinds of solutions."

Atlanta is working to expand its program to include community gardens and farmer's markets.

"We want to make sure more and more people are fed. We have a city goal of 85% of residents, being located within a half a mile of fresh, affordable food," says Baiyewu.

He's hoping now that the seed is planted, the idea will grow in communities nationwide.