master garderner

Nearly 17 million (14.6%) children in the United States live in households that are food insecure, meaning that at some point during the year, they do not get enough nutritious food to eat at home. Many Americans, especially those in rural, minority, and lower-income neighborhoods, have poor access to healthy, affordable foods like fresh fruits and vegetables. Through Let’s Move Faith and Communities, First Lady Michelle Obama has challenged community leaders to create 10,000 places—like gardens, farmers markets, and community supported agriculture sites—where communities can access fresh produce locally.

Cross posted from the Let's Move! blog:

Spring is here and that means it is time to get your hands in the soil and start gardening!  As part of Let’s Move! Faith and Communities, First Lady Michelle Obama has challenged congregations and neighborhood organizations to plant gardens in their communities.

By Tanya Brown, Farm Service Agency

To the untrained eye, a trip through Jim Duke’s Herbal Village in Fulton, Md., looks like a homestead for weeds and other unwanted vegetation. But for a group of master gardeners from the People’s Garden initiative, it was a journey through the land of healing.

“It gave me a deeper appreciation for the work done at USDA,” said Linda Parker, master gardener from Forest Service. “It’s a different part of USDA than what I’m used to seeing.”