The women-led urban farm grows more than 14,000 pounds of fresh, nutritious fruits and vegetables every year.
PHOENIX — Lifting each other up and fighting food insecurity.
That’s the goal of a Phoenix community garden, that’s helping provide nutritious food for people who live in a food desert — an area where there’s not a grocery store nearby.
The community resource is now empowering families and helping them save money at the same time.
“Heart & Soil People’s Garden is about community. It’s about sisterhood. It’s about food sovereignty,” said Nika Forté, the garden director.
Forté spends a lot of time a special place that used to be a vacant lot near 2nd Street and Durango in Phoenix.
“This is centered right in the middle of a food desert,” she said. “There’s not a grocery store within 3-mile of this area.”
She also teaches beekeeping to underserved communities.
“Bees help increase your production by pollinating your space,” she said.
It’s now a thriving, eco-conscious …