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Community garden laying down roots to alleviate food desert

5 years 1 month 3 weeks ago Monday, January 21 2019 Jan 21, 2019 January 21, 2019 5:40 PM January 21, 2019 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - Local high school students who've grown up in urban areas are learning how to plant their own food for the first time.

"I didn't know onions looked like that," Tara High student Rahjae Hollins said. She and her classmates spent the morning volunteering in a garden.

For some of them, it's the first time seeing the planting process because of where they live.

"A lot of fats and unnatural things have been sold, especially here," student James Robinson said. "We need healthier foods."

Which is why Mitchell Provensal with The Walls Project started this community garden.

"I've always been interested in where food comes from," Provensal said.

He partnered with the mayor's Healthy BR initiative to teach students the agricultural business and help bring healthier food choices to 70805.

"There's no grocery stores, and the stores that are here don't have fruits and vegetable. So we're making it easier for people to have access to fresh and healthy food," he said.

The community garden, called Baton Roots, is located in Howell Park on Winbourne Avenue It's open to everyone.

"We don't have a fence. So people that are working with us, or people who see vegetables and they need something for dinner, they can come and grab what they need."

Eventually, the garden will take up four acres, complete with an in-ground farm.

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