Depending on the region, some people do not have access to high-quality, affordable, and fresh food.
To further investigate and address the existence of these “food deserts,” researchers and extension specialists have been doing outreach in communities, facilitating reform on an institutional, familial and individual level. Check out some of the latest projects land-grant universities are working on:
- Workshops called “Cooking together for Family Meals” have been created for parents and children in New York. The new knowledge and skills acquired within these classes have helped participants adjust and improve their eating habits.
- Community gardens in Missouri have been connected to food pantries, increasing access to fresh food. The “Seeds that Feed” program distributes vegetable seeds to food pantry clients, providing training on how to grow them.
- “Head Start Preschool Jump start a healthy lifestyle” in Maryland was created as an obesity prevention program in which music, stories, gardens and other tools were used to teach 300 preschoolers about nutrition. These preschoolers have since been documented requesting more vegetables and healthier choices.
These are just three out of nine examples on how land-grant universities are better understanding the impact of food systems on communities – check out their other projects here.
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