by Stacy Jackson
March 25, 2025
The free meals forest covers 1.7 acres of land and provides locals over 2,500 edible and medicinal crops which are free for anybody to make use of.
Located in Atlanta’s Browns Mill neighborhood is the nation’s largest free meals forest, a community-driven idea that has known as on the contributions of locals to combat meals insecurity and lift consciousness about sustainability.
The free meals forest is the primary of its type in Atlanta and provides residents a brand new sort of public park. Based on a press launch by The Conservation Fund, the city meals forest is already producing recent fruits, nuts, and greens for the neighborhood. “The meals forest approaches conservation by means of the idea of agroforestry — utilizing agriculture that integrates bushes and shrubs with meals manufacturing to create wholesome and ecologically resilient landscapes,” the group acknowledged.
Situated 4 miles south of Atlanta’s metropolis heart in an space as soon as recognized as a meals desert, the city meals forest spans over 7.1 acres and carries greater than 2,500 medicinal and edible crops that embody massive pecan bushes, blackberry brambles, and muscadine vines. Meals Forest Steward Celeste Lomax mentioned the realm is now not a meals desert. “You’ve got all the things you want proper right here on this meals forest,” she advised The Conservation Fund. “The nuts and the bushes and the berries…we now have the starch, we now have the beans, we now have all the things proper right here.” Aglanta famous that the positioning was previously a working farm owned by Ruby and Willie Morgan, who left extra produce for neighbors.
Nonetheless in its early phases, web site plans embody eradicating invasive species and restoring and defending native crops. The forest will even include neighborhood backyard beds, a fruit and nut orchard, herb gardens, strolling trails, and gathering areas. At the moment, 30 new neighborhood backyard beds and over 100 fruit bushes have been planted, which has been a step in the proper route because the challenge combats meals insecurity in Georgia. Based on Feeding America, greater than 1,400,000 Georgians are going through starvation, and over 400,000 are youngsters.
The forest is about extra than simply meals. “I need to have the ability to educate and educate individuals the best way to develop their very own and the best way to change into self-sufficient,” mentioned Lomax. “We additionally preserve the neighborhood concerned by utilizing the meals forest as an academic area and a holistic well being and wellness therapeutic place.” Afternoon yoga and therapeutic applications are hosted below the pecan tree, along with aromatherapy classes.
The city meals forest is a collective contribution between The Conservation Fund, the town of Atlanta’s Workplace of Sustainability and Resilience, the Division of Parks and Recreation, Timber Atlanta, native residents, and varied stakeholders. A partnership with Greening Youth Basis provides residents paid workforce coaching to organize them for inexperienced job alternatives and jobs on the park. Academic assets for all ages are additionally supplied on-site.
The meals forest has already seen the assistance of over 1,000 volunteers.
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