Addressing Food Deserts in South Dallas

The food we eat is often chosen by what is nearby and affordable. But for an increasing number of city dwellers, this availability-affordability measure means buying processed foods from a nearby convenience store and not fresh fruits and vegetables from a grocer. Food deserts, as they’re called, rob its community dwellers of nutritious foods and often contribute to obesity and other health problems. To begin to address food deserts in South Dallas, the Seedling Farm was born and opened in November 2017 and offers free produce to the community. This is a collaborative effort has been brought to life by Dr. Owen Lynch of Southern Methodist University Meadows School of the Arts and senior research fellow at SMU’s Hunt Institute for Humanity and Engineering, and numerous local Dallas urban farm organizations.