Food Deserts have been identified  as a real issue impacting both urban and rural communities. Lack of access and availability to locally produced fruit and vegetables affects community nutrition and quality of life which ironically, can occur right within the production areas.

Several interesting projects have been  initiated in Michigan to work with and encourage local convenience stores to increase selection and purchasing opportunities of fruits and vegetables.

Ohio has initiated similar projects. Additional projects include City Fresh, increased local production and various season extention programs all focused on bringing a quality of specialty crops to underserved communities. 

This group can provide a forum to continue discussions, increase collaborations, post resources, tools and reference materials, discover new opportunities and evalute program effectiveness.