A federal grant could help Atlanta provide low-income residents with access to fresh food by providing more resources to the city’s urban farmers.
On Monday, the Atlanta City Council accepted a $450,000 grant from the United States Department of Agriculture that would expand the city’s AgLanta Grows-A-Lot program for three years. The city will match 25% of the grant, bringing the total effort to $600,000. City leaders want to have 85% of residents within close access to fresh foods by 2022.
Established in 2017, the Grows-A-Lot program helps Atlanta-based growers create an urban garden or farm. Through the program, residents can apply for a five-year, renewable license to adopt vacant city-owned property to grow crops on.
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