The newly opened Seedling Farm aims to combat the food desert problem in South Dallas. Despite the lack of convenient access to grocery stores with fresh produce, the farm — located at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center’s Freedom Garden — is promoting healthy diets by teaching residents how to grow their own fruits and vegetables. 

According to the Dallas Morning News, the farm is a collaborative effort of the MLK Jr. Center; Big Tex Urban Farms; Texas A&M Agrilife; Owen Lynch, associate professor of organizational communication at Southern Methodist University; and numerous Dallas urban farm organizations. 

Tyrone Davis knows the dietary challenges of growing up in the South Dallas food desert. His family typically shopped at small neighborhood stores that primarily stocked highly processed, easy-to-prepare foods, and fresh farm-to-table menus were a rarity. 

“Diets are restricted by finances, poverty, and not having the correct knowledge about the health benefits to eating vegetables," Day told the News. "People eat what's attainable here. The hardest part is getting people to eat a cucumber [instead of fast food].”

At 47, Davis is an urban farm specialist and supervisor of The Seedling Farm where he teaches residents the basics of growing and what seasonal plants will thrive in their homes or community gardens. And to help new urban gardeners get started, seeds are planted and nurtured in the farm’s greenhouses until the sprouts are mature enough for residents to take home and transplant. 

"Teaching them how to take care of that plant, that's what I'm here for," Day said. "I want people to come in and learn how to do this, so they can have a sustainable garden."