The non-profit organization is contributing to the health and wealth of local communities with access to fresh, marketable produce.
As a food destination, New Orleans is infamous for its Creole and Cajun, flavor-packed cuisine that brings international tourists by the thousands. However, the city’s low-income residents face a completely different reality; living with ongoing food insecurity in food deserts void of healthy options and premium grocery stores.
To address this inequality, Glory Gardens, a NOLA-based, non-profit organization is using ecological edible landscaping to contribute to the health and wealth of local households and communities. Farmer and professional urban gardener, Rianda "Reedy" Brooks serves as the Executive Director of the organization. Brooks has earned an ecological stewardship through intensive certification programs in holistic land management, permaculture design, agri-scaping, and the green infrastructure.
Through her work with Glory Gardens and vast experience, Brooks is on a mission to revitalize the New Orleans tradition of urban agriculture to support equitable access to nutrition-dense, fresh food, especially in Black neighborhoods like the lower Ninth Ward. In an interview with Prism, she shares that her ancestors were sharecroppers and she firmly believes that achieving ‘food independence’ is possible by teaching and passing down skills like landscaping and farming. Through Glory Gardens, Brooks trains young adults in nursery and greenhouse management.
The organization also designs and builds ecologically regenerative gardens and green spaces that reduce flooding and provides access to fresh produce that is sustainably grown and marketable. Their focus is to “center gardens as an impactful tool for implementing a holistic approach to improving the lives of individuals and the health of communities.”
