Edible landscapes bring healthy food to urban neighborhoods

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San Diego (33.2% Latino) is sprinkling the city in gardens. Healthy foods from the local corporate gardens are just outside the door.

Urban Plantations, an organic gardening company offers its landscaping services to corporate, residential and assisted-living clients. Bringing organic fresh produce to locals, the company is all about making edible landscapes a norm in the city. However, more needs to be done in encouraging people to want to use produce of edible foods within their companies cafeterias, mentioned Karen Contreras, the founder and president of the company.

Many companies and campus clients utilize the food in their cafeterias, but not to the majority that would be harvested on a farm, Contreras explained in a recent article. Contreras leads clients to utilize the foods, but never demands her clients to incorporate foods into the gardens.

The gardens not only offer citizens and companies local fresh foods, but Contreras is also providing jobs for those that know how to garden in cities. She hopes that local colleges will take notice and offer urban agriculture courses.

Offering fresh fruits and vegetables within urban areas like San Diego- areas where many Latinos live- may help give the opportunity for healthier foods to be incorporated into Latino’s daily diets. Access to free fresh produce through work or in and around work areas may also be helpful in promoting a culture of health to Latinos living and working in the city.