Fresno is the 5th most food insecure city in the United States. Metro’s Homegrown Health works to reinforce our local food system and increase access to fresh, healthy produce, by educating and supporting communities in the urban production of vegetables in backyards, community gardens and urban farms; through culinary and nutrition education; and the promotion of food based entrepreneurial development. Metro believes that a strong and healthy food system is a foundational component to healthy people and healthy places.

Fresno is the 5th most food insecure city in the United States. Homegrown Health works to reinforce our local food system and increase access to fresh, healthy produce, by educating and supporting communities in the urban production of vegetables in backyards, community gardens and urban farms; through culinary and nutrition education; and the promotion of food based entrepreneurial development. Metro believes that a strong and healthy food system is a foundational component to healthy people and healthy places.

PARCS Gardens -- Metro partners with the City of Fresno Parks, After School, Recreation, and Community Service Department (PARCS) to manage three community gardens on nearly seven acres of land with almost 200 families growing their own produce. Two of the gardens are in SE Fresno and the third is located in the Lowell neighborhood, just north of downtown. Metro assists the gardeners with gardening education, resource acquisition and general coordination.

Community Garden Consultation – Metro distributes a free Community Garden Toolkit designed for the Fresno area and works with community partners to develop community gardens throughout the region. Homegrown Health staff helps projects by guiding them through the planning phases of garden development, connects them to gardening resources, and offering educational seminars focused on garden sustainability. Over the last five years, we have seen the number of community gardens in Fresno grow from five to 23.

Urban Food System Development – Homegrown Health staff publically advocates for a strong local food system by working in collaboration with a wide array of food system experts, agricultural experts, health professionals, City officials, business leaders, and community members. We work to bring already existing components of our system into concert to increase food access and community health by partnering with a variety of entities to develop and promote a variety of urban agriculture projects. Staff also provides public presentations concerning our local food system and how urban agriculture positively augments that system.