Urban gardens sprouting up - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

All around Indianapolis, urban gardens are sprouting. What's going on in Southport is so much more.

"This is more than an urban garden this is a food system," said Linda Proffitt, director of Global Peace Initiatives.

Tucked off of Southport Road on a former industrial site, the Global Peace Initiatives Center for Agriculture and Sustainable Living is coming to life.

Eventually, there will be gardens, a market, restaurant, and an artists' work area. But first they have to build this literally from the ground up, starting with safe soil and constructing hoop houses so food can be grown year round.

People can not only learn how to garden here. It just might change the way they look at food.

"As citizens, we don't know very much about the food we eat every day. We need to go back to the days where we grow our food locally and we control what we put in our systems," said Growing Power founder Will Allen.

Allen, who has been recognized as one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people, is leading the way.

Growing Power is a national organization dedicated to supporting the development and sustainability of community-based food systems. They have named the Southport facility as a training site for the next five years.

"Growing local food makes a lot of sense. It also creates jobs. We're going to be able to create thousands of jobs hundreds of different categories of jobs," said Allen.

First, they're helping families of all income brackets appreciate food and embrace a healthier lifestyle.

In addition to the garden, the goal is to have the farm market and café open by this summer.

For more information go to www.globalpeaceinitiatives.net  or www.growpower.org.