Food Deserts to Food Forests in Dry Climates: Models in Action

Cities across the arid west have long faced challenges of rapid population growth, extreme heat, and drought conditions. Added to this has been an abundance of unplanned developments with fast-food swamps and food deserts, where under-employed, low-income and refugee communities have few walkable options for fresh food and local fruit. The lack of accessible water and public greenspace in high-need neighborhoods has been a barrier to the start-up of local gardens and food forests with culturally and climatic appropriate crops. In this special webinar, we will introduce several model programs, partnerships, tools, and best practices in arid communities of the western US that have helped to overcome these barriers while reducing social isolation and training and employing neighborhood residents in tree care, garden stewardship, and culinary arts. Please join us! 

• Katherine Favor, USDA National Agroforestry Center, Lincoln, NE 
• Brooke O’Byrne, Soulful Seeds, Reno, NV 
• Barbara Eiswerth, Iskashitaa Refugee Network, Tucson, AZ
•  Moderated by Heather Altherr, USDA Forest Service