Fertile Ground
The Fertile Ground Project uses public space interventions to address food access and food insecurity in Jackson, Mississippi, through the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge.
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In 2018, TREE co-authored a grant proposal for the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge in partnership with the City of Jackson. The proposal was selected as one of five projects nationwide from more than 200 submissions, resulting in $1 million in project funding and administrative support.
The Fertile Ground Project was conceived as a civic initiative addressing food insecurity through public art, design, and community collaboration. The project brought together an interdisciplinary team of farmers, chefs, nutritionists, architects, engineers, and artists to explore how creative placemaking and systems-based design could increase awareness, access, and dialogue around food systems in Jackson.
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2020
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City-Wide
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Jackson, Mississippi
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Project Partners: City of Jackson
Funding: Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge
Credits: Travis Crabtree, Salam Rida Project Managers, MSU Architecture + Landscape Architecture Design Build Studio, Kara Walker Studio - FIGA, Office of Jonathan Tate - Smith Park, Drew Dempsey Photography, A Plus Signs and Creative - Duling Ave and Congress Street, AND Gallery - Tyler Tadlock and Adrienne Dominick, RVTR + Akoaki, Footprint Farms, Fertile Ground Farms, Borrowed Productions
The Fertile Ground Project focused on neighborhoods most affected by food insecurity in Jackson. Working directly with residents, the project delivered a series of public space interventions that combined public art, edible gardens, and community programming to reimagine how everyday spaces could support access, visibility, and dialogue around food systems.
The LivingRoom: A Learning Garden
The LivingRoom learning garden at Galloway Elementary School was created as an outdoor classroom focused on health, food, and nutrition education. Developed as part of the Fertile Ground Project, the garden provides students with hands-on opportunities to learn where food comes from and how it is grown, a meaningful experience in communities impacted by food insecurity.
The garden was officially opened through a community planting ceremony where students helped plant trees and vegetables alongside project partners. These early experiences introduce young people to gardening, stewardship, and environmental awareness while reinforcing connections between food, health, and place. Beyond student use, the space is designed to function as a flexible outdoor education area for teachers, supporting curriculum-based learning across subjects.
By embedding food education directly into a school environment, the LivingRoom garden demonstrates how small scale, community centered interventions can support long term knowledge, self sufficiency, and wellbeing. The project received an Honor Award for Student Collaboration and a Merit Award from Mississippi State University, recognizing the role of students as active participants in the planting and life of the garden.
Fertile Ground: A Film About Food Access in Mississippi
Alongside its public space interventions, the Fertile Ground Project expanded into storytelling through film. Fertile Ground: Inspiring Dialogue About Food Access documents the lived realities of food insecurity in Jackson, Mississippi, highlighting how geography, infrastructure, and policy shape access to healthy food.
Collaborative Voices & Creative Exchange
The project brought together local and national voices, working with experts based in Jackson as well as collaborators from outside the state, including artist Kara Walker and architect Jonathan Tate. In 2021, Fertile Ground hosted a public EXPO featuring installations, workshops, farm-to-table events, and community programming.
