Innovation Lab Grantee Report: Delta Fresh Food Initiative

Innovation Lab Grantee, Delta Fresh Foods Initiative (DFFI), proposed the Bolivar County Good Food Revolution—From Farm to Table as a collaborative designed to revive ownership of farming and to communicate its value to the Mississippi Delta community. Upon receiving a 13-acre tract of farmland, DFFI partnered with the Cleveland Central and North Bolivar Consolidated school districts to grow fresh and culturally appropriate food.
DFFI set out to create a space where locals could have access to healthy food and to encourage community members to both engage with one another in considering the value of fresh vegetables and to learn to grow their own vegetables. Staff set up a demonstration farm and kitchen for hands-on farm activities and curriculum-based nutrition education. Through this work, the team hoped to involve the community in being an agent in their own change.