Photo: 200 fruit trees being planted at White Harvest Farms in Moncrief neighborhood, WJXT
“Volunteers are doing their part to ensure one part of Jacksonville has easy access to fresh food.
Fruit trees are being planted in that area [Moncrief] this weekend and Feb. 18.
Mikey Howell has been a farmer there for more than a year…
One part of the farm will be a citrus orchard. Volunteers spent the rainy and wet morning planting orange, lemon and grapefruit trees. Other food available includes apples, peaches, grapes, pears and blackberries.
There are also fall and spring crops, including collard greens, kale, herbs, broccoli, lettuces, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and squash.
Nearly 600 residents shopped at either the White Harvest Farm’s market or Clara White Mission’s farmer’s market in 2022…
It was Katie Sims’ first time volunteering. Now, she wants this to become a weekly routine.
‘These trees are going to be here for hundreds of years,’ Sims said. ‘Families are going to be able to nourish their bodies. This is the beginning. This is the beginning of change for this community. People should not have to travel far to get good food…’
The city of Jacksonville completed a food desert study in 2019 that revealed 38% of Northwest Jacksonville census tracts were considered food deserts. That is compared to 23% for the entire city…”
On Feb. 18, there will be more tree planting at White Harvest Farms as well as the Black History Month Food Festival with the Clara White Mission.”
— Aaron Farrar, News4Jax