Project to make East Point an urban agriculture destination moves into Phase 2 - South Metro Neighbor

he city of East Point has entered Phase 2 of a plan that will develop and prioritize urban agriculture.

East Point, the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), and Food Well Alliance (a nonprofit that supports community-driven agriculture and urban food systems) recently completed six months of community engagement that culminated in the selection of a Steering Committee comprised of three community-appointed delegates and seven city-appointed delegates. It is now the steering committee’s goal to work with ARC and Food Well Alliance on the planning phase of the project.

At their first meeting, the steering committee brainstormed an important question about the project; what are some initial thoughts on strategies that would enhance East Point's identity as a local food destination?

The committee came up with several ideas and voted to prioritize:

• Creating an Agriculture Department for the city of East Point
• Targeting key parcels of unused land
• Connecting to a network of external partnerships (e.g. UGA Extension Service)
• Engaging schools for farm-to-table and educational opportunities

“It was powerful to witness Phase 2 unfold with the first official steering committee meeting because it really brought to life our vision of urban growers having a voice at the table with policy makers,” said Food Well Alliance Executive Director Kim Karris. “Phase 1 was all about legwork and putting our ear to the ground - inviting residents, growers and community leaders to share their perspectives on how we should move forward. Now the steering committee gets to use all that valuable information as they work with ARC and the city to develop the plan.”

East Point Mayor Deana Holiday Ingraham attended every event during Phase 1 and said she believes a successful City Agriculture Plan in East Point has the potential to capture the attention of other cities. “We are, and will continue to be, a model city for fairness, justice, inclusion, and holistic equity which includes our health, and just really building community,” said Ingraham. “Not only for East Point, but across the country.”