{"id":39231,"date":"2024-05-09t14:22:05","date_gmt":"2024-05-09t14:22:05","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/?p=39231"},"modified":"2024-05-09t14:29:32","modified_gmt":"2024-05-09t14:29:32","slug":"oxon-run-ward-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/oxon-run-ward-8\/","title":{"rendered":"local farm helps alleviate ‘food apartheid’ in washington, d.c."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
for years, washington, d.c. resident kenneth bridgers drove hours to a communal farm in preston, md. to harvest the produce he grew and bring it back to his community in washington, d.c.’s ward 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
according to bridgers, he felt motivated to pick up agricultural work after witnessing several grocery stores close in the area. he wanted to provide his neighbors with what those store closures took away from them: nutritious fresh food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
today, bridgers works as a farm manager just yards away from his childhood neighborhood for an urban farm created by dc greens<\/a> called the well at oxon run<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201ci\u2019m truly grateful to have the opportunity to come back home, come back to my community and be a steward of this space,\u201d bridgers said.<\/p>\n\n\n dc greens is a non-profit that focuses on elevating health equity by increasing the accessibility of healthy foods. one of the ways they have pushed towards this goal is through the establishment of the well \u2014 a community farm focused on giving away healthy foods at no cost, teaching residents how to grow their own produce, and connecting the community to nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n in 2018, dc greens lost<\/a> their k street urban farm to the establishment of a pepco electrical station. in response to the loss, the organization began planning for a bigger, multi-use community farm called the well. three environmental non-profits \u2014 dc greens, the green scheme, and friends of oxon run park \u2014 began fundraising for the space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n with the help of local donors and d.c.\u2019s department of energy and environment, the well opened for its first growing season in june of 2022. the well harvested 4,000 pounds of fresh food in 2023 and reopened for its third growing season in march 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n the project was in response to ward 8\u2019s growing food insecurity issue. d.c.’s southernmost district\u00a0offers<\/a>\u00a0only one full-service grocery store for its nearly 90,000 residents \u2014 down from three in 2016. lack of access to fresh food can contribute<\/a> to health issues such as diabetes. in ward 8, residents are four times<\/a> more likely to have the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n this scenario is often described as being a “food desert,” however staff at the well reject this term, instead calling it, “food apartheid.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201ca desert is naturally occurring,\u201d bridgers said. \u201cthis is more systemic, structural and man-made. food apartheid speaks to the intentional segregation of access of resources to a group of people.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n the term “food apartheid” was first coined<\/a> by political activist karen washington. washington noted the term “food desert” ignores the systemic racism which affects a community\u2019s ability to access a healthier variety of foods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n