In Good Tilth by Carole Colter

A Guide to Food Policy in Memphis and Shelby County

Introduction The word “tilth” refers to the quality of the soil, and when something is “in good tilth,” it means that it is “in good heart.”1 A network of Tilth organizations began in 1974 at the “Agriculture for a Small Planet” symposium in Spokane, Washington. Symposium attendee Wendell Berry asked, “From where you are, can you see any possibility of another kind of agricultural symposium...one that would try to bring together the various branches of agricultural dissidence and heresy?” Berry’s speech was heard as a call to action that inspired the symposium of Tilths that formed over forty years ago, and that are still active today across the Pacific Northwest, and more recently, Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis Tilth chartered in the fall of 2015, and exists to cultivate collective initiatives for land, food, people, and place in order to create an economically sustainable, socially equitable, and environmentally sound local food system. Memphis Tilth has seven programs: the GrowMemphis Garden Program, Bring It Food Hub, Food and Faith Initiative, Food Access and Affordability, Urban Farms, Community Kitchen and the Food Policy Program. In Good Tilth is a product of the Food Policy Program. The Food Policy Program’s mission is to advance policy and practice in Memphis and Shelby County.

In Good Tilth is a food policy handbook and resource guide that educates the public on current policies and how they affect Memphis and Shelby County. The handbook highlights the good work of local nonprofits, governmental agencies, the private sector, schools, and community members.

One cannot cultivate food without land. In Good Tilth explores the topic of land use and access and is a resource guide for those who want to practice urban agriculture. Furthermore, in pursuit for a socially equitable local food system, In Good Tilth explores the issue and effects of food access and security, and highlights the good work of Memphians tackling this issue. We hope In Good Tilth can be a source of information and inspiration on local food policy.

“The History of the Tilth Movement.” Tilth Alliance, 2008, Feb. 12, http://www.seattletilth.org/about/abriefhistoryoftilth. Accessed 27 Jun. 2017.

What is policy? The Oakland Food Policy Council defines policy as “A principle or rule, which refers to the process of making important organizational/governmental/corporate decisions, including the identification of different alternatives such as programs or spending priorities, and choosing among them on the basis of the impact they will have. Policies can be understood as political, management, financial, and administrative mechanisms arranged to reach explicit goals.” Special Thanks To:

A special thanks to Oregon Tilth for use of name and partnership. AgriCenter International AARP Foundation Food Advisory Council for Memphis and Shelby County Green Machine Memphis and Shelby County Office of Planning and Development Memphis Farmers Market Mid-South Food Bank Overton Park Community Farmers Market Rhodes College Shelby County Health Department Shelby County Health Equity Collective Shelby County Land Bank Shelby County Office of Sustainability Shelby County Trustee’s Office South Memphis Farmers Market Tennessee Grocery Access Task Force YMCA If you have any questions or updates regarding In Good Tilth please email info@memphistilth.org or call 901-443-7623

Disclaimer: In Good Tilth was written and published for educational purposes and not intended for legislatorial purposes. Policy suggestions are based on best practices from other cities.

Index Land Use and Access What is Urban Agriculture?

Pg. 4

Know Your Zone

Pg. 8

How to Acquire Land

Pg. 5

How to Follow Code Ordinances

Pg. 9

How Can Policy Help Growers?

Pg. 11

Food Access and Security Food Access and Security in the Mid-South

Pg. 12

Food Access and Public Health

Pg. 14

Policy Suggestions

Pg. 24

Food Policy in Memphis

Pg. 16

What is Urban Agriculture? Urban Agriculture is the act of growing plants and raising animals within city limits in the space of a garden or a small-scale farm. Community members are inspired to get involved with urban agriculture for many reasons, but the most notable reasons are for improving access to healthy food, economic benefits, and community revitalization.1 Some neighborhoods do not have grocery stores so residents depend on fast food restaurants and convenience stores. Urban agriculture gives those residents an opportunity to not only grow their own food, but to also have better access to fruits and vegetables. Urban agriculture creates agricultural job opportunities, and allows community members to save money by growing their own food. Moreover, urban agriculture in the form of community gardens provides a safe space for community members and fosters a sense of community.2 Resource Guide for Acquiring Land

In this handbook, Land Use and Access refers to having access to land through lease or ownership, publicly or privately, in order to practice urban agriculture. In Memphis, urban gardeners and farmers in Memphis and Shelby County practice urban agriculture in their own backyards, vacant lots, and at institutions. Access to land is the key to starting your urban farm or community garden. This resource guide will help you guide you through the different ways to obtain land. What are Tax Sale Properties and the Land Bank?

The Shelby County Trustee manages land through property tax delinquency, in other words, an owner’s failure to pay property taxes. To find out more about tax sales log onto the Shelby County Trustee’s Office http://www.shelbycountytrustee.com or call 901- 222-0200. On the other hand, if the land is not sold at the auction, the Shelby County Land Bank acquires the land and makes it available to the public to purchase.

“Urban Agriculture: What and Why?” Ruaf Foundation, 10 Jan. 2017, http://www.ruaf.org/urban-agriculture-what-and-why.

2 PolicyLink. “Growing Urban Agriculture: Equitable Strategies and Policies for Improving Access to Healthy Food and Revitalizing Communities,” Lifting Up What Works, 2012.

How Do I Acquire Land from the Land Bank? Step 1: You can find properties on the Shelby County Land Bank’s website: https://gisapps.shelbycountytn.gov/landbank/. The Land Bank has over 4,509 properties. You can also view Memphis Tilth’s Food Landscape Map: http://foodlandscapemap.org/ Step 2: If you’re interested in a property, you can make an appointment with the Shelby County Land Bank by calling 901-222-2400.

Step 3: You are required to attend a meeting wehre,you will sign an “Offer to Purchase” and other “Disclosure Documents” with a $200.00 deposit and other expenses payable to the Shelby County Trustee. Step 4: The purchaser’s name and offer is published either in The Tri-State Defender or the Memphis Daily News. The Land Bank welcomes offers 10% more than the purchaser’s. Offers are reviewed for 10 days after the purchaser’s offer is published. If an offer is made, you will schedule a “Bid Off,” or in other words an auction, with the Land Bank.

Step 5: If there is an offer, the Bid Off will take place and the highest bid wins. If of Michigan Department of Environment and Sustainability, “Mapping Detroit’s Hidden Social Geograthere isn’t another offer, the University phies,” Flickr, 2013 Jul. 19, https://flic.kr/p/fg3hX7. Land Bank will notify you and schedule another meeting with the approval of the Shelby County Board of Commissioners. Step 6: Upon approval of the “Offer to Purchase,” the Land Bank will notify you through a letter or phone call to schedule a meeting for final payment along with a “recording fee,” for recording and registering your property with Shelby County. Step 7: Final payments and recording fees are sent to the Shelby County Trustee’s Office and they will prepare the Quit Claim Deed and mail the original deed to the purchaser. For more information visit: https://landbank.shelbycountytn.gov/policiesandprocedures

How Do You Get a Landowner Agreement Maybe the land you want to grow on is already owned by somebody. In this case, a lease might be the best way to go. Below is a paraphrased version of the “Model Community Garden Lease” produced by Change Lab Solutions . The “Model Community Garden Lease” is an agreement between a landowner and gardener, which allows for a piece of land to be used for a community garden. Suggestions for What You Should Include in Your Lease

1. Identify all parties involved. Who is the landowner, where is the land located, who sponsors the land, and who is growing on the land? 2. When will the lease start? When will the lease be up for renewal? 3. Will the gardener(s) have to pay rent and who does the it go to? Are there any other payments? What are the consequences for a late payment or no payment? 4. What happens if the gardener(s) do not comply with zoning ordinances, laws, and codes? 5. Make sure to map out the landowner’s responsibilities. Can the landowner alter the land? 6. State garden rules. What are the rules for those working in the garden? 7. What are the security measures the gardener(s) are going to take in the garden. 8. What is the relationship of the sponsor (if applicable) to the landowner and gardener(s)? 9. Map out who is responsible for equipment. 10. State that the lease cannot be transferred to another person or entity. 11. State that the landowner and sponsor have the right to inspect land in order to make sure all parties are fulfilling their responsibilities. 12. List who is responsible for paying the utilities and taxes. 13. Map out consequences for breaches in contract. 14. List expectations for the use of personal property of any party. 15. Consider waiver of liability and insurance. To learn more about this process in detail, please go to: http://www.changelabsolutions.org/publications/ground-rules

Get Sponsorship from a Nonprofit The Shelby County Land Bank donates land to community development corporations (CDCs) or nonprofits that wish to start a community garden and agrees to maintain it. If you fail to adhere to code, your land will go back to the Land Bank. Before you seek sponsorship:

• Obtain land through the land bank, tax sale, or landowner agreement. • Make sure the land is safe for growing and you have access to water. • Make sure your garden or farm is available to the public. • Make sure you have volunteers and supporters. • Live, work, or worship in the neighborhood you’re growing in. The Memphis Tilth GrowMemphis Community Garden Program can sponsor your garden!

Every year the GrowMemphis Community Garden Program of Memphis Tilth accepts new community gardens into their network of gardens across Shelby County. GrowMemphis chooses a couple of sites from a pool of applicants every year. Requirements: • Develop a plan for creating and sustaining your community garden. • Engage with neighbors and evaluate how your garden can benefit your neighborhood. • Attend a Community Gardening 101 training program facilitated by GrowMemphis Staff. • Participate in collaborative projects such as annual greenhouse work. • Use natural or organic growing practices when possible. Successful Applicants will receive: • First year tools, supplies, and infrastructure. • Assistance in planning, coordination, and installation. • Community Gardening 101 trainings. • Monthly networking and training opportunities. • Annual seeds and starter plants. • Technical service • Collaborative services such as volunteer coordination, farmers market sales, in-kind donations of tools and supplies (when available) and etc. Email info@memphistilth.org if you’re interested.

Know Your Zone In order to make sure your urban farm or garden is safe, be sure to familiarize yourself with your zone, zoning ordinances, and codes. Zoning districts can be residential, open, industrial, special purpose, or overlay. Each zoning district has different sets of ordinances to follow. On the other hand, some codes apply to all zoning districts. Use this map to find your property’s zoning district: www.memphistn.gov/Visitors/MappingMemphis/DPDGov.aspx How to use map: Step 1: Click on “Map Layers” on the top toolbar. Step 2: Scroll down and select “Planning Layer”. Step 3: Scroll down and select “Zoning”.

To learn more about zoning check out: The Memphis and Shelby County Unified Development Code https://shelbycountytn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/22306 How Do I Change My Zone?

Gardeners can change their zone from residential district to ‘”conservative agriculture” which gives you more leeway to practice urban agriculture, because you won’t have to follow residential codes. Before Application:

1. Visit the website and review the paperwork: http://shelbycountytn.gov/DocumentCenter/ View/14905

2. Attend a mandatory Pre-Application Conference not more than six months or less than five business days after submitting application.

3. Host a neighborhood meeting to discuss re-zoning plans not more than 120 days but not less than six days to Land Use Control Board hearing. Documentation of this meeting must be sent to the Land Use Control Board. A sign must also be erected on the property. How to Apply:

1. You will need: • A plot plan and concept plan • Legal description which includes acreage, description of land, and street address • Vicinity map • Mailing labels • Letter of intent • Copy of deed 2. You will need to complete an application along with the appropriate paperwork.

3. You will need to submit a filing fee. Five acres or less is $750 and each acre after that is $75. The maximum rate is $7,500.00. 8

Maintaining Your Garden Resource Guide Although the City of Memphis does not have a definition for urban agriculture, the City does have definitions for “Garden” and “Neighborhood Garden”. What’s the difference? Garden: “A plot of ground where flowers, shrubs, vegetables, fruits, or herbs are cultivated.”

Neighborhood Garden: “Land operated by a group of community members, private or public entity, Neighborhood-Based Organization, or a Community Development Corporation for the purpose of growing or harvesting food or flowers for consumption, donation, or for sale off-site or on-site with permit. Neighborhood gardens are permitted to have chickens. Neighborhood gardens can also be divided among different plots as long as they are growing as a collective group.” The difference between a garden and a neighborhood garden is that a garden is someone’s private property, whereas a neighborhood garden is open to the community.

Good practices for gardens: • Take measures to prevent pests or rodents, especially when you’re composting. • Take precautions to prevent foul odors. • Make sure your compost and topsoil doesn’t run off into storm drains. • If you have a fence, make sure it is made of wood or is a chain link fence. • If you have security lighting, make sure it points towards your garden. • Make sure that all grass and weeds is not above a foot. • Grass next to a street needs to be 6 inches or less. • Compost needs to be put in a container.

What can I have in my garden? • Greenhouses that are no more than 40 feet • Pole barns (or farm building) that are no more than 40 feet • Aquaria (fish tanks) and hydroponics (a process that allows you to grow plants in sand, gravel, or liquid) • Sheds: If the shed is the only building on the property, it cannot be near the front or the back of the property and has to be 5 feet away from property lines. Sheds cannot be taller than 25 feet. All code references can be found in the Memphis and Shelby County Unified Development Code and the Memphis Municipal Code

Tips for composting: Some growers have trouble with code enforcement when it comes to composting. Here are some tips to make sure you’re composting safely:

• Keep your compost pile small. You will need a compost permit if you’re composting more than 400 cubic yards of yard waste or 100 cubic yards of food scraps. Rodents and pests are less of a problem for small piles. • Keep your compost pile away from your property line.

• Cover your compost pile with a tarp or something more natural like leaves or pine needles.

• Make sure your compost pile is not too wet. Add materials like wood chips to keep your compost fluffy and barely damp. • Make sure to balance your carbons with your nitrogens. Add three browns to every green. Too much nitrogen will make your compost pile smell. Too much carbon will take your compost longer to decompose. Visit https://tn.gov/environment/article/sw-mm-commerical-composting for more information.

What if my lot doesn’t have a water line? 1. You can call to have a plumber install a water line: Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Memphis 901- 410-5706 5702 Summer Ave, Memphis, TN 38134 http://www.mrrooter.com/memphis

Smith’s Plumbing Service 901-235-8199 6843 Summer Ave, Bartlett, TN 38134 http://www.smithsplumbingservice.com

Johnson, Bradley P., “Water Works,” Flickr, 2011 Jun. 9, https://flic.kr/p/9TADmn

2. You can use a fire hydrant but make sure to call Memphis Light, Gas, and Water for a meter. Make sure to ask for an irrigation rate. Memphis Light, Gas, and Water (MLGW) 220 South Main St. Memphis, TN 38103 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday 901- 820-7878 (for service requests) MLGWCustomerCare@mlgw.org

How Can Policy Help Growers? Below are some common barriers growers experience through out the city along with some policy suggestions derived from best practices in other cities. 1. Community Land Trusts

Some growers cannot obtain land simply because of the costs that go along with being a landowner. Community land trusts administered by land banks allow for community members to grow on city owned land through a lease.3,4,5 2. Codes that could promote Urban Agriculture

• Codes that inform growers how to compost safely and effectively. An example is Minneapolis’s Composting Code.6 • Clear city plan and definition of urban agriculture

Ackerman, Amy and Wooten, Heather. Seeding the City: Land Use Policies to Promote Urban Agriculture. ChangeLab Solutions, Oct. 2011

4 Yuen, Jeffery. “City Farms on CLTs: How Community Land Trusts are Supporting Urban Agriculture.” Land Lines: Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Vol. 26, No.2, Apr. 2014, pp. 2-9. 5 Flournoy, Rebecca, Rebecca, Hagey, Allison, and Rice, Solana. Growing Urban Agriculture: Equitable Strategies and Policies for Improving Access to Healthy Food and Revitalizing Communities. PolicyLink, 2012. 6

Minneapolis, Minnesota. Code of Ordinances. Sec.244.770, 2016.

Food Access and Security We’ve all experienced hunger, whether it is because we didn’t have enough time to eat breakfast, or we had to wait until dinner was ready. Most of the time we can satisfy our hunger, but millions of Americans go hungry every day simply because they don’t have access to food. The following section is about food access and security, its effects, and the work being done on this issue in Memphis and Shelby County. What is Food Security?

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations defines Food Security as “When all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.”7 What does Food Security Look Like in the Mid-South?

The Mid-South Food Bank provides food to soup kitchens, food pantries, and shelters in the Mid-South region. The Mid-South Food Bank serves 250,000 individuals annually, and over 23,000 individuals receive assistance weekly. Over 26% of people served by the Mid-South Food Bank are children and 29% are above the age of sixty. 59% of clients are African American and 49% are members of a household with someone who has worked in the past twelve months. Over 51% of households had incomes less than $10,000 a year and 75% of households had incomes that fell right at or below the poverty line. Over 74% of Mid-South Food Bank clients had to choose between buying food and paying for gas, transportation, or utilities. Furthermore, 33% of households report having one family Coleman-Jensen, Alisha, Gregory, Christian A., Rabbitt, Matthew P., and Singh, Anita. member with diabetes and 60% of households Household Food Security in the United States in 2015. United States Department of Agriculture, Sept. 2016 has one family member with high blood pressure. 8

7 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. An Introduction to the Basic Concepts of Food Security, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Food Security Programme. 2008. 8

Mid-South Food Bank. Hunger in the Mid-South. Mid-South Food Bank, 2014.

What is Food Access? Food Access can be categorized in five A’s: Affordability, Accessibility, Availability, Appropriateness, and Awareness. Affordability refers to a person’s ability to purchase fruits and vegetables; Accessibility refers to a person’s ability to travel to purchase food; Availability refers to the physical presence of food that meets a person’s dietary requirements; Appropriateness refers to a person’s ability to obtain foods that adhere to their culture, religion, or preferences; and Awareness is the ability for the consumer to have knowledge of and make decisions about where they buy and prepare their food.9 The infographic below is data collected from the Shelby County Health Department Community Health Assessment plan in order to access food access in Memphis and Shelby County.

9 Armstrong, Kim. Chapin, Elizabeth. Chastain, April. Person, Julia. VanRheen, Stephanie. White, Steve. Foodability: Visioning for Healthful Food Access in Portland. Portland State University, June 2009.

The Office of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases of the Shelby County Health Department tracked the mortality rates of zip codes in Shelby County from 2011-2015. They found the zip codes 38127, 38107, 38106+38126, 38114, and 38109 have high instances of mortality from chronic disease. Below is a food access map, and you will notice those same zip codes also lack healthy food access.10 Healthy Food Access by Census tract, Shelby County, 2013

10 Data Source:Â Shelby County Health Department (SCHD), Office of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases, prepared 3/31/17 from Death Certificate Files for Shelby County Residents, 2007â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2015, Tennessee Department of Health, Office of Policy, Planning and Assessment, Division of Health Statistics. U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census. Note: Use of these data does not imply SCHD agrees or disagrees with any presentations, analyses, interpretations or conclusions developed based on this information

The infographic (on right) is a combination of data from the Shelby County Health Department on death rates, the American Heart Association, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. In the area of public health, it is customary to calculate death rates per 100,000, thus making the statistic comparable to areas with more than 100,000 people or less than 100,000 people.

Carron, Kayla, Forrester, Jessica K., Marshall, Wilson, and Jones, Marcus. “Where You Live Affects How Long You Live.” 2017. Poster, Memphis College of Art.

11 Shelby County Health Department. Memphis, Tennessee. Office of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases. (Prepared 2017, March). Chronic disease age adjusted mortality rates, Shelby County, 2011-2015. Note: Use of these data does not imply SCHD agrees or disagrees with any presentations, analyses, interpretations or conclusions developed based on this information.

12 Mozaffarian D, Benjamin EJ, Go AS, Arnett DK, Blaha MJ, Cushman M, Das SR, de Ferranti S, Després J-P, Fullerton HJ, Howard VJ, Huffman MD, Isasi CR, Jiménez MC, Judd SE, Kissela BM, Lichtman H, Lisabeth LD, Liu S, Mackey RH, Magid DJ, McGuire DK, Mohler ER III, Moy CS, Muntner P, Mussolino ME, Nasir K, Neumar RW, Nichol G, Palaniappan L, Pandey DK, Reeves MJ, Rodriguez CJ, Rosamond W, Sorlie PD, Stein J, Towfighi A, Turan TN, Virani SS, Woo D, Yeh RW, Turner MB; on behalf of the American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Heart disease and stroke statistics—2016 update: a report from the American Heart Association [published online ahead of print December 16, 2015]. 13 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Health Statistics, Division of Vital Statistics, National Vital Statistics Report Volume 64, Number 2, Table 19, February 5, 2015.

Food Policy in Memphis The data shows that food access and security is a problem across the United States and Shelby County. National and local organizations have taken notice and have conducted different research, policy analyses, and programs that were informed by the policy issues around food access and security. Below is a timeline of all the work done in Memphis and Shelby County on the issue of food access and security.

1986 Agricenter Farmers Market at Agricenter International

The Agricenter Farmers Market was established in 1986. It is the oldest continuously operated seasonal farmer’s market in West Tennessee. The market started as an economic opportunity for farmers in the Mid-South region. A sustainable market place for local small to mid size farmers is often a topic discussed in food policy.

Today, Agricenter Farmers Market is the only market in Shelby County open six days a week, during the season of May 1 through October 31 (Mon.-Fri. 7:30 AM-5:30 PM & Sat. 7:00 AM-5:30 PM). It has more than 40 vendors and offers fresh produce, beef, seafood, baked goods, and crafts on Saturday. Agricenter Farmer’s Market is easily accessible due to its operation hours and convenience to a MATA bus stop in order to increase access, which is often an issue when it comes to food security.

2005 Memphis Farmers Market

In 2005, a group of volunteers came together to form the Memphis Farmers Market in order to address the issue of food security and access in Downtown Memphis. Allison Cook, the Executive Director of the Memphis Farmers Market, says, “ There was definitely community demand, and the [volunteers] went to find farmers/vendors to fill the need. After finding the first few farmers who were interested in creating a marketplace, the group of volunteers realized there was a demand from farmers and food producers who had amazing products but no place to sell them.”

After the market grew in size, the Memphis Farmers Market to further increase food security and access in downtown by accepting SNAP/EBT (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program/Electronic Benefits Transfer Card). The Memphis Farmers Market partnered with GrowMemphis in 2012 to create Double Green$, a dollar-for-dollar program that matches SNAP tokens. Now the market has partnered with the AARP Foundation Fresh Savings Program, with Fresh Savings, SNAP recipients can swipe their SNAP card for up to $20 and get the same amount of Fresh Savings tokens to spend on fruits and vegetables. Allison Cook says, “As the first farmers market to accept SNAP, we have been on the forefront of addressing food access and security with the current redevelopment of Central Station, which will include new bus and trolley connections, we will be centered at a wonderful location for non-driving shoppers to easily access the market.” The Memphis Farmers Market continues to be a mostly volunteer ran market with a full-time executive director and part-time market coordinator. Cook says, “ We think this speaks to the community’s involvement and support [of] our market.” Memphis Farmers Market also has the mission of supporting local growers by making sure their market is comprised of 60% farmers.

Memphis Farmers Market, 6 May 2017, https://www.facebook.com/pg /memphisfarmersmarket/photos/

MFM Squared, 28 June 2017, https://www. facebook.com/pg/memphisfarmersmarket/ photos/

2010 South Memphis Farmers Market

The Works, Inc. is a community development corporation in South Memphis that was established in 1998 by St. Andrew’s AME Church in order to serve the housing and community development needs of the area. The Works partnered with the community to identify focus areas of development, and one of those areas was healthy living. In 2010, the Works teamed up with South Memphis residents and the University of Memphis to open the South Memphis Farmers Market. The South Memphis Farmers Market (SMFM) has accepted EBT since 2011. The farmers market partnered with GrowMemphis to offer Double Green$ (a dollar-for-dollar matching program for SNAP users) and has since transitioned over to Fresh Savings provided by the AARP Foundation. The South Memphis Farmers Market is the largest redeemer of Senior Vouchers in the city. The farmers market has seven vendors; one of the vendors is a neighborhood farm, the Green Leaf Learning Farm.

The Works established an indoor market called The Grocer in an old fish market building in 2014. The Grocer offers a variety of fruits and vegetables as well as shelf stable and frozen items, and household necessities. Housed in the same building is The Kitchen @ SMFM, a teaching kitchen where they host, “Share our Strength’s Cooking Matters”funded by United Way of the Mid-South, a culinary and nutrition program for low-income community members. The Cooking Matters program is also offered as an elective for the Aging Mastery Program, a program for seniors with the Works and City of Memphis Division of Parks and Recreation. The class touches on cooking basics, food safety, budgeting, and nutrition. Candace Sapp, the Food Programs Coordinator at The Works, emphasizes that sometimes price and convenience outweighs health when one is living in a food desert. She also mentions that South Memphis residents were grateful that the Grocer opened up but some weren’t sure how to cook the produce offered at the store, thus inspiring the cooking class.

South Memphis Farmers Market, somefm.org/vendors/#The Works has a programmatic approach to the bigger policy issue of food access and meet-our-vendors security. They advocate for broader community issues and food access and security is one of the many issues they touch. Their overall goal is to make South Memphis healthier.

2010 Tennessee Grocery Access Task Force

Food Trust, American Heart Association, and Tennessee Grocers and Convenience Store Association

In 2010, the Food Trust, a nonprofit whose mission is “to ensure that everyone has access to affordable, nutritious food and information to make healthy decisions”, published Food for Every Child: The Need for More Supermarkets in Tennessee. The report was a response to the statistic that one million residents in Tennessee, including 100,000 children, live in a low-income community that is underserved by grocery stores. Food for Every Child inspired the Tennessee Grocery Access Task Force, which was facilitated by the American Heart Association and the Tennessee Grocers and Convenience Store Association. The task force included individuals from supermarkets, state and local government, economic development, public health, philanthropy, and public service. The Food for Every Child report includes ten policy recommendations made by the task force:

1. State and local governments should make healthy and fresh food retailing a priority for the comprehensive development of communities this may include project management and support of food retail projects as well as marketing support and a strategic plan. 2. State and local governments should modify or make use of economic development programs, such as tax incentives, and target them to the supermarket and grocery industry in underserved communities.

In response to the recommendation: • Chain grocery stores were asked to look into the creation of small-scale grocery stores, and they did not find it feasible. • Before the formation of Memphis Tilth, Urban Farms in Binghamton was managed by the Binghamton Development Corporation and Memphis Center for Food and Faith. Urban Farms had a small-scale grocery store, which closed because it wasn’t sustainable. Furthermore, the land Urban Farms occupied was bought by another entity.

3. The State of Tennessee should develop a business finance initiative to provide grants, loans, and other incentives to the renovation and creation of supermarkets and other healthy food stores in underserved communities. In response to the recommendation: • Innovate Memphis actively worked towards creating a small-scale grocery but found it difficult to recruit a neighborhood operator.

4. State and local governments should reduce regulatory barriers, more specifically the approval process, for healthy food store retailers in underserved areas.

5. State and local governments should develop a comprehensive food access approach to include a focus on grocery store access along with a multi-layered strategy to address food access across the state.

6. State and local governments as well as organizations should take advantage of programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs like Families First, high schools, workforce investments boards, and colleges to expand these programs to target supermarket and grocery store workforce training. 14 15

”Who We Are--Food Trust.” The Food Trust, 2012. http://thefoodtrust.org/about/mission

Harries, Caroline, Taylor, Stacy, and Tucker, Jordan. Food for Every Child: The Need for Supermarkets in Tennessee. The Food Trust, September 2010.

7. The State of Tennessee should continue its efforts to create a new distribution schedule for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). When SNAP is distributed unevenly throughout the month, food stores experience a surge of business, particularly in the beginning of the month, and find it hard to deal with the consequences. In response to the recommendation: • SNAP benefits are now available according to the last two digits of the recipient’s social security number.16

8. State and local governments should partner with the food retail industry, community organizations, and the public health sector to advocate for healthy food.

9. State and local governments should work with transit agencies, food retailers, and community organizations to provide affordable and efficient public transit to supermarkets. 10. State and local government should engage with the food retail and public service industries to inform this work. They should facilitate collaboration between the supermarket industry, community and economic development, financial sector, public health sector, public services, and more to guide implementation of the recommendations above.

2011 The Green Machine

The University of Memphis and St. Patrick’s Church

In 2011, the City of Memphis collaborated with the Vance neighborhood on a revitalization plan. They learned that residents wanted a grocery store in their neighborhood. In response to this need, a group of volunteers came together to launch a mobile grocery store known as the Green Machine, funded by the University of Memphis City and Regional Planning Department, a private funder, and St. Patrick’s Church. The Green Machine saw 15,000 customers and $53,000 of sales in fruits and vegetables in its first year.17 Not only did the Green Machine sell fruits and vegetables, but also taught the importance of nutrition and health.18 •

•

Barriers: - Lost key players of the project. -Population of the Vance neighborhood decreased due to the relocation of the Foote Homes. 19 Update: The Green Machine was given to St. Patrick’s Church and is currently not being used.

The Green Machine Mobile Food Market, 12 Oct. 2013, https://www.facebook. com/pg/TheGreenMachineMobileFoodMarket/photos/

Inside the Green Machine Mobilr Food Market, 24 July 2013, https://www. facebook.com/pg/TheGreenMachineMobileFoodMarket/photos/

United States Department of Agriculture: Food and Nutrition Services. Tennessee: Monthly Benefit Issuance Schedule. United States Department of Agriculture, Jul. 2, 2014. Web.

Backer, Jennifer Johnson. “Green Machine Brings Food to Neediest Areas.” Memphis Daily News, 2013 Apr. 17.

17 Shaw, Chris. “Mobile Grocery Store Looks for Permanent Home.” Memphis Flyer, 23 Oct. 2014.

19 Reardon, Kenneth M. and Raciti, Antonio. “The Green Machine Mobile Market: An Innovative Response to Food Insecurity in the Bluff City.” Handbook of Community Well-Being Research. Edited by Rhonda Philips and Cecilia Wong, Spring, 2017. 547-572.

2012 Overton Park Community Farmers Market Rhodes College and Overton Park Conservancy

The market started as an on-campus market at Rhodes College in 2012 as a way to engage faculty, staff, and students with the local food movement. The students had the idea of making the market open to the public, thus the market was moved to Overton Park in 2015.

The Overton Park Community Farmers Market (OPCFM), now a collaboration between Rhodes College and the Overton Park Conservancy, strives to be an inclusive location along a local food corridor in Memphis connected through the Greenline from Shelby Farms to Midtown Memphis. OPCFM envisions a local food system that is accessible to all Memphians from which all can benefit. OPCFM’s goal is to provide a platform for community members to support a local food economy. Today, the Overton Park Community Farmers Market has a specific focus on food access and security. The following programs promote this effort: Fresh Savings, SNAP subscription with Bring it Food Hub, and cooking and gardening demos with Memphis Tilth’s Community Kitchen and GrowMemphis Community Garden programs. Past projects of the OPCFM include the Farmers Market Guide and Memphis Local Food Guide. OPCFM uses intentional advertising, community events, and networking to make sure the community farmers market is a space for all.

The Community Farmers Market, along with the Rhodes College Anthropology and Sociology Department, formed the Southern Food Heritage and Equity Initiative. A group of students (most of whom are involved in the market) are learning how history affects food security in the region. Future plans: 1. Work with SNAP coordinators in neighborhoods to get the word out about Fresh Savings. 2. Revamp Farmers Market Guide to add more markets and make them more accessible.

2014 Recommendations for a Healthy Corner Store Initiative in Shelby County, Tennessee Harvard Food & Law Policy Clinic

Recommendations for a Healthy Corner Store Initiative in Shelby County, Tennessee19 was a report completed by the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic and the Harvard Mississippi Delta Project in 2014. The report outlined policy and start-up recommendations opening a healthy convenience store in Shelby County. The authors and researchers based their recommendations on case studies and stories from healthy corner stores in Louisville, Minneapolis, New York City, Philadelphia, Providence, San Francisco, and St. Louis. Policy Recommendations:

1. Best practices for increasing the supply of healthy food in convenience stores include: grant and loans for store owners to buy storage space for fresh food (i.e freezer, refrigerator), provide training for store owners (this includes mentors, marketing, floor plans, networking, purchasing and pricing, stocking, etc.), form relationships with store owners, and provide resources for procuring foods from distributors. 2. Best practices for creating demand for healthy convenience stores: Understand why people shop at convenience stores, engage with neighborhood leaders to publicize the convenience store, assist with infrastructural changes to make it appealing (i.e. make it attractive, provide marketing materials and outreach, provide outdoor displays, accept Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, and implement a “double bucks” SNAP incentive. 3. Best practices for implementing a healthy corner store initiative: Start small, be selective in what store you choose (the owner has to want to participate), and choose like-minded partners.

Sableman, Paul. “Corner Store,” Flickr, 2014 Nov. 1, https://flic.kr/p/0YpAD4

20 Bryniarski, Austin and Jaryaraman, Tharuni. Recommendations for a Healthy Corner Store Initiative in Shelby County, Tennessee. Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic, 2014.

2014 Healthy in a Hurry Initiative YMCA and Mid-South Regional Greenprint

In response to Recommendations for a Healthy Corner Store Initiative in Shelby County, Tennessee by Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic, the Healthy in a Hurry Initiative funded by the YMCA, Mid-South Regional Greenprint, and the Sustainability Plan Sub-Planning Award Program, was born for the purpose of improving healthy food options for residents of neighborhoods with concentrations of convenience stores. In 2012, the YMCA received funding from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Racial and Ethical Approaches to Community Health (CDC REACH) to start the Healthy Convenience Store Initiative. Targeted Areas defined by REACH:

• Zip codes identified by REACH through the Mobilizing for Action Through Planning and Partnership Community Health Improvement Plan by the Shelby County Health Department (38111, 38114, 38118, 38115, 38122, 38108, 38128, 38134, and 38133). • Areas with high populations of Hispanic and African American who are more likely to experience negative health outcomes (diabetes, heart disease, cancer, stroke, hypertension) due to poor healthy food access. • Convenience that are already certified to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or willing to get certified. • A convenience store that is close to public transits stop. How They Got Started:

• 12 neighborhood focus groups • A survey of stores and storeowners Quotes from Focus Groups:

“Convenience stores are for candy.”- Focus Group Participant

“If you start with the convenience stores, it’s going to be kind of hard because they don’t care. We are not their people. We are just drunks to them and junk food junkies.”- Resident Interview

“People keep asking when we are going to get fresh food”- Store Owner

Store Requirements: • Stores had to offer four new healthy products (two in dairy and two in produce) with the intention of adding new products over time. • Accept SNAP. • Replace current products with healthy alternatives. • Display educational materials. • Complete a memorandum of understanding and agreement (MOA) with YMCA. • Track healthy sales. Store Design Plan:

• In-store customer survey • Safe building structure and maintenance up-keep • Proper lighting • Available store floor space • Available shelf space and refrigeration DC Central Kitchen, “Delivering Fresh Options to DC Neighborhoods,” Flickr, • Strong customer base and culture 2011 Oct. 26, https://flic.kr/p/zPK32D • Business model and store manual • Healthy Convenience Store Initiative brochures, recipes, and info grapics • Ownership of building; convenience stores will be apt to improve store infrastructure if they own the building • Healthy in a Hurry Initiative branding so that residents can know that fresh food is served at this particular convenience store Barriers: • Education on healthy foods • Marketing produce • Creating a sustainable model • Support from convenience store owners • Trying to collaborate with people from different fields and cultures • Did not use a model from a city whose demographics and density matched Memphis • Did not reflect where people actually shopped for produce; most people reported shopping at grocery stores • End of funding • No clearly defined end result “Convenience store owners can play a role in advancing public health”- Connie Binkowitz, YMCA

21 The YMCA of Memphis and the Mid-South. Healthy in a Hurry: A Healthy Convenience Store Intiative of the YMCA of Memphis and the Mid-South. Mid-South Regional Greenprint, 2014.

2014 Healthy in a Hurry Initiative Continued YMCA and Mid-South Regional Greenprint

Project Outcomes: • Identified and mapped neighborhood convenience stores • Conducted focus groups in targeted neighborhoods • Worked with GrowMemphis to identify and map existing and potential gardens; the study concluded that a community garden as a supplier to convenience stores was not a viable business model • Surveyed storeowners and stores • Developed a store re-design • Developed action steps for implementing a pilot Healthy Convenience Store

“There are no current plans to expand the work the YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South’s Healthy In a Hurry Initiative. However, the YMCA has provided project documentation and support materials to the Food Advisory Council’s Food Access and Security Working Group. The YMCA will serve on the working group and share lessons learned and insights.”- Connie Binkowitz

2015 Community Health Improvement Plan Shelby County Health Department

The Shelby County Health Department published the Community Health Improvement Plan20 in 2015 in order to mobilize community partners and to identify, prioritize, and address key health issues. The goals, strategies, and action items of the Community Health Assessment (CHA) that took place between 2012-2013 informed the plan. CHA gave community members the opportunity to participate in a plan to address community health concerns. The goal was to create a stronger public health infrastructure and increase the health vitality of the community. Community members were asked a series of questions:

1. “What are the health problems in a community?” 2. “Why do health issues exist in a community?” 3. “What factors create or determine health problems?” 4. “What resources are available to address the health problems?” 5. “What are the health needs of the community from a population perspective?”

The Community Health Improvement Plan is a living document and strategic plan with the purpose to define and vision public health priorities, coordinate action plans with community partners on priority areas, and monitor and collaborate efforts of five strategic health priorities identified by community, identify community assets, and inform strategic planning process. One of the five strategic planning priorities is “healthy lifestyles” which ensures that someone’s environment can promote healthy eating and activity in order to reduce and manage obesity and related diseases like diabetes and hypertension. Statistics from CHA for Shelby County:

• 7 out of 10 Shelby County Residents are obese • The death rate for diabetes is 29 out of 100,000 people • There are 20 grocery stores per 100,000 people and 73 fast food restaurants per 100,000 people • Shelby County residents felt that the most important community health issue was diabetes and obesity • 83% of Shelby County residents felt that inactivity was a concern • 85% of Shelby County residents felt that poor nutrition was a concern • 73% of Shelby County residents had inadequate consumption of fruits and vegetables Objectives of the Community Health Plan:

1. Reduce proportion of obese adults from 35% to 32% 2. Reduce death rate from diabetes from 29 per 100,000 people to 26.5 per 100,000 people 3. Increase number of residents who have access to healthy food from 83.3% to 85% 4. Decrease the number of inactive adults from 24% to 20% Policy Recommendations from Community Health Plan:

1. Implement health equity in all policy 2. Advocate for and develop a spectrum of health care metrics to track progress 3. Increase healthy eating, active living, and chronic disease management through awareness, access to resources, education, and outreach Update: Public update available on website in 2017

20 Shelby County Health Department. Memphis, Tennessee. Health and Wellness Section. (2015, September). Community health improvement plan. Retrieved from http://www.shelbycountytn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/22145

2016 Fresh Savings AARP Foundation

At participating Kroger stores, when you spend $10 dollars on any SNAP eligible item, you’ll receive a 50% off coupon for a future purchase of fruits and vegetables. Each coupon has a max value of $10. At participating farmers markets, spend up to $20 on any SNAP-eligible item and receive up to $20 of Fresh Savings tokens, which can be used to purchase locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables. Fresh Savings token expires at the end of each market season. For more information visit www.aarpfoundation.org/freshsavings or email freshsavings@aarp.org. Participating Kroger stores in Shelby County: • Bartlett Towne Center 5995 Stage Rd. Bartlett, TN 38134

• Covington (coming soon) 8039 US Highway 51 N Millington, TN 38053

• Dexter-Cordova 1675 N. Germantown Pkwy Cordova, TN 38106 • Gleneagles 4770 Riverdale Rd. Memphis, TN 38141 • Frayser 2632 Frayser Blvd. Memphis, TN 38127 • Kirby & Quince 2835 Kirby Pkwy Memphis, TN 38119

• Poplar & Cleveland 1366 Poplar Ave Memphis, TN 38104

• Raleigh 3860 Austin Peay Hwy Memphis, TN 38128

Cheung, Lance, “Produce at a Grocery Store in Fairfax, Virginia,” Flickr, United States Department of Agriculture, 2011 Mar. 3, https://flic.kr/p/kUzgLd

• Southgate 1977 S. 3rd St Memphis, TN 38109 • Summer Avenue 4264 Summer Ave Memphis, TN 38122

• Winchester & Hacks 7942 Winchester Rd Memphis, TN 38125

Participating Farmers Markets in Shelby County • Church Health Garden-at-the Gate Farmers Market 1350 Concourse Ave Memphis, TN 38104 • Cooper-Young Community Farmers Market 1000 South Cooper St Memphis, TN 38104 • Memphis Farmers Market Corner of Front St & W GE Patterson Ave Memphis, TN 38103

• Overton Park Community Farmers Market 389 E Pkwy N Memphis TN 38104 • South Memphis Farmers Market 1400 Mississippi Boulevard Memphis, TN 38106

Billings, Gemma, “Downtown Bloomington Farmers Market,” Flickr, 2011 July 16. https:// flic.kr/p/aeyv2f

2017 Shelby County Health Equity Collective UT/TSU Extension and the Shelby County Health Department

University of Tennessee and Tennessee State University (UT/TSU) Extension Office in Shelby County and the Shelby County Health Department formed the Shelby County Health Equity Collective (SCHEC) in order to engage and connect residents to promote a healthier Shelby County.21 Health Equity is when all people have “the opportunity to ‘attain their full health potential’ and no one is disadvantaged from achieving this potential because of their social position or other socially determined circumstance.”22 SCHEC focuses on the root causes of health and policies that affect health equity. They were inspired by those causes outlined in the Community Health Improvement Plan as well as the need to create a space for coalitions to come together and engage with these issues. SCHEC is also evaluating pre-existing policy work in order to connect health equity to policy as well as evaluating systems and environment that affect health equity. SCHEC touches on the subject of food access and security and informs how other determinants such as transportation, and poverty affect food access and security. The Shelby County Health Equity Collective is an all-inclusive group with open membership: Amy Collier amy.collier@shelbycountytn.gov Andrea Jacobo ajacobo@utk.edu

2017 Food Access and Security Working Group Food Advisory Council for Memphis and Shelby County

Inspired by the data and research around food access and security, community members Amy Collier and Abigail Roche started the Food Access and Security Working Group with the Food Advisory Council for Memphis and Shelby County. The overarching goal of the working group is to develop a research-driven and community assessment based policy in order to promote food access and security and the local food economy. The mission of the working group is to do outreach, advocacy, and research in order to bring community members together to form a food access and security policy. The vision of this working group is to promote healthy living, food security, local food entrepreneurship and a sustainable local food system, collaboration, and cultural connectedness. The Food Access and Security Working Group is an all inclusive community group with open membership, if you are interested please contact the Working Group Chairs: Amy Collier collier.amylynn@gmail.com Abigail Roche aclroche@gmail.com

Food Access and Security Working Group Interest Meeting

21 Shelby County Health Department. Memphis, Tennessee. Health & Wellness Section. (2017, January). Shelby County Health Equity Collective Kickoff. [Powerpoint slides]. Note: Use of these data does not imply SCHD agrees or disagrees with any presentations, analyses, interpretations or conclusions developed based on this information.

22 Shelby County Health Department. Memphis, Tennessee. Health and Wellness Section. (2015, September). Community health improvement plan. Retrieved from http://www.shelbycountytn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/22145 Note: Use of these data does not imply SCHD agrees or disagrees with any presentations, analyses, interpretations or conclusions developed based on this i nformation.

Policy Suggestions Although a lot of good work has been done, there is still plenty of work to do. This list of suggestions was created from various documents outlining the work of other cities on the subject of food access and security. 1. Local government prioritizes food security through implemented plans, policies, and campaigns.23,24 2. Improving and supporting public transportation.23

3. Supporting policies that promote alternative healthy food retail options like public markets (mercados), mobile markets, and cooperative grocery stores.23 4. Supporting policies for existing farmers markets and community gardens.23

5. Complete a Community Food Assessment to an idea of the current landscape and community wants and needs25 as well as researching and supporting past academic research and policy recommendations.

6. Advocating for food assistance programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Women, Infant, Children (WIC), School Meal Programs, and other incentive programs.

7. Advocate and promote innovative programs for food assistance like SNAP online purchasing,26 doubling SNAP dollars,27and produce prescriptions.28 8. Advocate for healthy food in your community.29

Arellano, Stephen and Kuras, Amy. Creating a Food Secure Detroit: Policy Review and Update. Detroit Food Policy Council, 2017. Healthy Eating Active Living Cities Campaign. Be a City with Healthy Food Choices. Public Health Advocates, 2009.

25 Flourney, Rebecca and Treuhaft, Sarah. Healthy Food, Healthy Communities: Improving Access and Opportunities through Food Retailing. PolicyLink and the California Endowment, 2005.

26 United States Department of Agriculture. Office of Communications. USDA Announces Retailer Volunteers for SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot. U.S. Department of Agriculture, 5 Jan. 2017. Web. 27 28 29

“Shop Smarter. Eat Healthier.” AARP Foundation. AARP Foundation, Sept. 2015. Web. 7 May 2017.

“How We Work: Produce Prescriptions.” Wholesome Wave. Wholesome Wave, 2017. Web. 08 May 2017

Union of Concerned Scientists. Healthy Food in Your Community: A Toolkit for Policy Change. Union of Concerned Scientists, Oct. 2014