Urban Farms Add Greenery and Increase Food Access in Tennessee Cities

In partnership with: Tennessee Department of Agriculture

Despite limited access to land, urban farms across Tennessee are maximizing space available to place fresh food into the hands of their neighbors.

Green Leaf Learning Farm

In 2010, Memphis was in the top 10 among the nation’s most food-insecure cities. Marlon Foster, founder and CEO of Knowledge Quest, saw the need for those in his community to have access to nutritious foods.

“I set out to grow the most nutrient-dense products, with the highest growing standards, in one of the most distinct food deserts in the nation,” Foster says.

Formally initiated in 2010 to support the nutritional needs of the South Memphis community, Green Leaf Learning Farm now operates as a U.S. Department of Agriculture certified organic farm that focuses its efforts on three strategic pillars: student education, community and economic development, and healthy food access and security.

“I set out to grow the most nutrient-dense products, with the highest growing standards, in one of the most distinct food deserts in the nation,”

– Marlon Foster, founder and CEO of Knowledge Quest

“Our urban farm is 30 formerly vacant lots and four abandoned buildings that were repurposed,” Foster says.

One building serves as a produce pack house, while another is a uniquely renovated 10-unit collegiate dormitory used to house summer interns. The other two buildings are still undergoing renovation and will ultimately become a career and technical education center with a focus on ag technologies and the Green Leaf Market+Deli.

“We’ve invested $3 million in farm-based infrastructure,” Foster says.

CAC Beardsley Community Farm

Situated in a public park just one mile from downtown Knoxville, CAC Beardsley Community Farm was established in 1998 to address food insecurity in the Mechanicsville neighborhood.

“Prior to 2007, this neighborhood was a food desert,” says Sarah Heizenroth, education coordinator at Beardsley.

The farm began with smaller garden plots and space to demonstrate growing methods. Today, it yields roughly 10,000 pounds of produce annually, while educating about cooking and gardening as well as access to land and resources. The farm is maintained by a small staff and a team of AmeriCorps members, along with a few thousand volunteers from the community.

A walk through the park reveals a mixture of raised and in-ground beds, an orchard, chickens and even an apiary. Stationed within a mostly residential area alongside a growing refugee population, Beardsley has 34 plots exclusively for the refugee community who often come from agrarian backgrounds but reside in apartments with no access to land.

“We’re listening to the community and hearing what they want and providing those foods,” Heizenroth says.

See more: Black Seeds Urban Farms Feeds the Soul of Its Memphis Community

“We’re listening to the community and hearing what they want and providing those foods,”

– Sarah Heizenroth, education coordinator at Beardsley Community Farm

Reggie’s Veggies

Nestled in the suburbs of Nashville since 2016, Reggie’s Veggies, owned and operated by Reggie Marshall, sells a variety of produce. And although it’s surrounded by development, with a 3,000-student high school across the street and a new housing complex going up next door, his entire property of 2.6 acres is uniquely zoned for agriculture.

Marshall utilizes his degrees in animal science and nursing to bridge fresh food and health.

“My motivation, in part, is my own weight loss of 116 pounds over the last five years,” Marshall says. “I’ve improved my health and want to help others by bringing

healthy, nutritious produce to my community.”

See more: Tennessee Farmers Markets Create Community Around Local Foods

To do so, he had to first take the land he purchased and turn it into a viable growing medium using the “lasagna method” to build up the soil by adding layers of organic matter.

“There was nothing but rock,” Marshall says. “You couldn’t grow anything at all.”

Initially, he used 3,000 pots to grow plants, but after putting down items such as cardboard, coffee chaff and burlap bags, his soil is vibrant and healthy.

“Now, if I need to plant something I can just move the soil with my hand.”

As urban populations continue to increase, those residing within their concrete borders continue to find innovative ways to grow more with less and put food into the hands of those around them.