By Sky Chadde
In Vicksburg, Mississippi, the south end of town near the municipal airport has no grocery stores, no food pantries. Mired in a federally recognized food desert, nearby families struggled to obtain healthy food. Then, in 2019, in a once-empty lot, a community garden sprouted. Families could pick their own blueberries, peas and okra.
The nonprofit behind the garden, Shape Up Mississippi, aimed not only to address food insecurity in the predominantly Black neighborhood but also to promote the agriculture profession to children through an annual event. Farmers gathered at the garden to showcase their equipment, and local U.S. Department of Agriculture employees taught kids about soil health.
But Shape Up had to cancel the event this year, and for the past several months, it’s limited the number of days residents can harvest. Last year, it received $10,000 through the USDA, but the grant was unexpectedly axed in February. Shape Up was forced to curtail services.
Linda Fondren, Shape Up’s leader, said losing the grant will particularly hurt young mothers who relied on the green space. “All of a sudden,” she said, “they found something that was working for them, and then it got taken away.”
Shape Up’s garden was caught in the political crosshairs of a dramatic shift at the USDA. Since assuming power, the Trump administration has cudgeled what it deems “wasteful” spending on projects related to diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI. Shape Up’s community garden, which serves a community that is three-quarters Black, qualified.
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