Fertile Ground Doc

Mississippi has a complex relationship with food. During slavery and sharecropping periods food was used as a tool of control, today urban food swamps and food deserts are another form of control. “Big Food” controls most of the Mississippi food system, showcasing itself through convenient store fast food urbanism and mono-cultural landscapes.

In 2017, Jackson was named the fattest city in America, unpacking what that means is critical to the project. That means Jackson is ranked in top percentile for lacking access to healthy food, low fruit and vegetable consumption, diabetes, high blood pressure, and physically inactive adults.

The Department of Planning and Development is using the Fertile Ground Project as a research tool to better inform policy decisions, community engagement, and future development for delivering better urban food access.