Shreveport’s urban farm made more accessible by United Way volunteers

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) - Shreveport’s urban farm began in 2019 thanks to the Choice Neighborhood Grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Since then, the farm has grown more than 2,000 lbs of produce; that food is delivered to the residents of the Bayou Grande area. Along with the produce, they are also given cooking demonstrations and workshops to learn how to prepare the food in a fast and easy manner. The urban farm was recently awarded a new grant to provide better accessibility to the gardens. Previously, the garden beds were not easily accessible for the elderly and those with disabilities. On Wednesday, May 24, volunteers for United Way’s Day of Caring gathered at the farm to help set up new beds, pull weeds, and help create better access for everyone.

“Shreveport Green received a grant through the Community Resource Connection group and we are one of three people in Louisiana it is funding that is coming from the USDA to help support urban agriculture and what we are doing today is we are building our handicap accessible beds, so we will have about 10 beds total that are around three feet tall, so anyone that is in a chair or has mobility issues will be able to come to our garden and experience everything that everybody has been having for the past year,” said Lauren Jones, director of Shreveport’s urban farm.

“I’d love to come help weed. Because we got a tractor and now we can cut the grass and we just need to neaten it up. We need to make it more beautiful, to make it inviting so that people can come by here and say, ‘Look at what they have done with this field,’” said Lynn Yancey, a volunteer.

Jones says she hopes this will educate others in learning how to garden and grow their own food, and allow people to try new produce that comes from the garden beds.

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