"We've never seen food's true potential because it's too big to see, But viewed laterally it emerges as something with phenomenal power to transform not just landscapes, but political structures, public spaces, social relationships, and cities." --Carolyn Steel, Hungry City: How food changes our lives

Making a healthy diet more accessible to everyone on the Gulf Coast is a priority action identified in the 2013 Gulf Coast Sustainability Plan: Plan for Opportunity. From farms, to markets to community and schoolyard gardens, each link in the food system is vital to ensuring citizens increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables, particularly in food-insecure areas. The people-to-people interaction that happens naturally in a community garden promotes social bonds and connections around growing and preparing healthy food, in addition to the benefits of reducing pollution associated with shipping food long distances.