Urban farmer seeks social justice ............Michael J. Billoni

Local urban farmer seeks social justice

BY MICHAEL J. BILLONI

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines food deserts as “areas that lack access to affordable fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, and other foods that make up the full range of a healthy diet.” The key word here is access, which is impaired or limited by income, location, time, and ability to travel to supermarkets or vegetable shops. Such areas are plentiful on Buffalo’s East Side.

Enter award-winning urban farmer Allison DeHonney, whose mission is to raise and provide crops at considerably lower prices than stores currently offer to food desert residents. DeHonney comes well qualified: she’s president and CEO of Buffalo Go Green Inc. and Urban Fruits and Veggies LLC (UFV), founded six years ago on Buffalo’s East Side, nominated Erie County Food Policy Council Chair, and one of BlackWNY Magazine’s “Women to Watch,” among a host of other accolades.

DeHonney prefers to call these crisis areas “food apartheids,” rather than call out “food deserts,” which implies a geographic problem. “A desert signifies a naturally occurring geographic situation on earth; by no means are these areas naturally occurring. The problem is systemic,” says DeHonney, who holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Medaille College and is certified in “Food as Medicine Everyday” from the National University of Natural Medicine. “Food apartheid looks at the whole food system, and takes into account income, race, and geography. It encompasses the social and racial inequalities in our food system and recognizes that they are what make it difficult for people living in low-income areas to access fresh, healthy food.”

In the six years since its founding, UFV has made great strides. “I am most proud of how this work has taken me into the social justice and food justice space,” DeHonney shares. “I am also extremely proud of being a [pilot member] of the Black Farmer Fund [BFF], which began because of the difficulty for Black farmers, Black food systems, workers and Black-owned and operated businesses to obtain funding. We are seeing great results.” DeHonney’s business is also an early stakeholder in the Bailey Green Project, a neighborhood revitalization effort spearheaded by Harmac Medical Company president John Somers, in conjunction with the UB School of Architecture. This East Side community near Bailey and East Ferry will feature multiple hydroponic greenhouses and Buffalo’s only Holistic Wellness and Agricultural Education Center, which will allow DeHonney’s team to grow fresh vegetables yearround. DeHonney is also responsible for founding the Fruits and Vegetables Prescription program (FVRx), through which local medical groups prescribe fruits and vegetables and UFV makes weekly deliveries to their facilities. “Our focus is to provide a quality product grown without any chemical pesticides, non-GMO seeds and organic fertilizers,” DeHonney says. “We partner with local farmers who have the same focus on safety and quality.” When DeHonney brought the program to Dr. LaVonne Ansari, Ph.D., executive director of the Community Health Center of Buffalo, the response was immediate; the program now operates at the center. DeHonney has also introduced the FVRx to the New York State Assembly and Senate. “I do not care what we have to do,” DeHonney says with a determined smile. “We must implement this important program.”

For more information, visit buffalogogreen.org. FY

Award-winning urban farmer Allison DeHonney

Photo courtesy of Urban Fruits & Veggies

Michael J. Billoni is a storyteller and publisher.