Ohio Food bank’s ‘urban farms’ provide fresh produce, job training

Mike Kelley of Clarfield Farms plants Hungarian hot wax peppers.

At the end of the month, officials plan to award other local, urban gardeners and farmers $140,000, part of a $300,000 grant the food bank received from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

By Rita Price
The Columbus Dispatch
Jul 12, 2017

Excerpt:

The goals at both farms are to transform empty, inner-city land into operations that can supply needy residents with fresh produce and provide opportunities for jobs, training and civic engagement.

“We have, between the two farms, about 10 acres, and we’re farming about 5 right now,” said Jill Jess of the Mid-Ohio Foodbank. “Last year, we grew about 42,000 pounds of produce.”

The farms also supply the South Side Roots Cafe and market at the Reeb Avenue Center, and they raise money by selling produce to local, independent restaurants. Clarfield and Wheatland aren’t certified organic, “but we follow those principles,” Jess said.

Neighbors who live near one of the farms can pick up fresh produce from pay-what-you-can farm stands, and they are invited to help with harvesting.

Read the complete article here.