Baton Roots to Provide Fresh Food Access
Year-Round In North BR
Baton Roots Community Farm at BREC Howell Park on Winbourne Avenue was planted in 2019 and instantly began programming that invited the community to grow with us. Neighbors of all ages have participated in weekly garden demonstrations and high school students took a deep dive into urban agriculture on the farm.
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, our in-person programming has paused, but our fresh food production is poised to see a major increase. At BREC’s Howell Park, the existing Baton Roots farm plot will increase from ¼ acre to expand across the full 4 acres of Baton Roots over the next year.
Additionally, our partner sites at three high schools will see an increase in production to a total of one acre. By increasing staff and working deeper with our existing partners, we foresee the capacity to grow an abundance of fresh vegetables for our community.
The increase in production will help address issues that the current pandemic has highlighted; underlying health issues in low-income communities and a fragile food system. Through this expansion, our farm network will be able to produce 200,000 pounds of fresh and healthy food that will be directly distributed to our surrounding community.
Sincerely,
Mitchell Provensal
Baton Roots Program Coordinator