For our 4th Action Project in Policy, my classmates and I were assigned to get out into the streets! The assignment asked us to align with an organization, do work, and investigate. I worked with GCE students LN, HP, and JH. For our project, we decided to focus on the growing “food desert” dilemma. A food desert is an urban area that does not provide healthy produce to it’s residents. The residents must rely on gas stations and corner stores for grocery shopping. We believe that putting farmers market’s in food deserts is a solution to the problem. We visited the Division St. Farmers Market on Division and Dearborn St. The reason we chose this farmers market over all of the markets in the city, is that the Division St. market accepts Link cards, which is a government system that provides food payments for those who cannot afford it. While at the market, we interviewed 4 farmers about how their work can help eliminate food deserts, and how Link cards change their customer diversity. I gained a wealth of information on how farmers market’s work and what it means to really fight a food desert. Below is the short documentary we made about our experience, along with a sensory poem from fellow student LN. Please watch and enjoy!
Farmers Markets: A Hoop Dreams Production from JH on Vimeo.
“Farmers Market” By LN
People walking on the ground, a ground full of seeds and weeds a ground desperate for trees.
Trees where wind echoes like a curious hungry dog,
that only becomes more hungry when a man bites an apple.
An unforgettable smell like garlic melting through my nose.
Making it difficult for me to smell anything else in the atmosphere,
this is the farmers market.