May 24, 2021: How Asante Microfarm is combatting LA’s food deserts

Food deserts are a serious issue, especially in urban areas like Los Angeles. For Jamiah Hargins, he wasn’t going to let the lack of grocery stores near his neighborhood stop him from feeding his family fresh produce. After starting a garden and swapping crops with neighbors, Jamiah started a full-fledged micro farm in his front yard, feeding around 50 families high-quality fruits and vegetables.

On this episode of the Happy Mouth podcast, chef Nyesha Arrington and restaurateur Philip Camino take a look at Jamiah’s journey. From small beginnings and starting Asante Microfarm to his mission to fill Los Angeles with micro farms, this is a great story addressing a major problem.

Jamiah Hargins found it difficult to find fresh produce in his West Adams neighborhood.
After swapping fruits and vegetables with neighbors, Jamiah started Crop Swap LA, centered on growing food in unused spaces
Food deserts aren’t just for poor areas, with neighborhoods like View Park -- where the median household earnings are more than $92,000 a year -- not having a grocery store within a mile.
Jamiah’s micro farm -- Asante Microfarm -- is just 970 square feet but grows over 600 plants and feeds around 50 families.
Jamiah and other volunteers set aside 10% of every harvest for local families in need
Asante Microfarm uses an irrigation system that recycles water, using just 8% of the water needed to maintain a front lawn of grass.
Jamiah has a goal to set up 400 micro farms across Los Angeles

Links:

Happy Mouth Podcast Instagram

Happy Mouth’s April 26 episode on food deserts

LA Times - ‘Microfarms’ come to South L.A. frontyards, bringing fresh produce to food deserts

Poverty USA - Homelessness and food deserts in Los Angeles

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