Farmer Fredo plants a seed in southwest Georgia

MOULTRIE — Albany’s Fredando Jackson is taking his messages of healthy eating and educating people on how to grow nutritious foods at home to a bigger audience, with an exhibit and year-around garden plot at the Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition.

Jackson, known affectionately as “Farmer Fredo,” was honored on Tuesday with a ribbon-cutting at his 1-acre garden plot during the first day of the three-day farm show in Moultrie.

“We’re in a partnership with Sunbelt Expo to continue the (show’s) Sustainable Living Center,” Jackson told The Herald during an interview following the ribbon-cutting that included Gov. Brian Kemp and Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black.

Jackson’s garden, where he planted his first seeds of corn on Aug. 19, also includes cucumbers, cabbage, broccoli, pole beans, okra, mustard and sunflowers.

Jackson said he plans to utilize the Expo site to host several events where he will give demonstrations several times a year.

“In the future, we’ll be continuing to keep the property open to turn it into a continual learning process,” he said. “We’ll teach what to plant for the winter, what to plant for the fall. Today, I’m planting the seeds for what we want to see tomorrow in abandoned lots.”

The outreach is part of the mission of his nonprofit organization Flint River Fresh.

Jackson’s work also includes working with children in all 22 Dougherty County public schools and the elderly to promote growing healthy food. He said one of his primary concerns are the areas designated as food deserts, where people are not in close proximity to stores where fresh fruits and vegetables are sold.

A rural town located 10 miles from a store is just as much a food desert as an inner-city neighborhood, he said.

Southwest Georgians have high rates of cancer, which is partially attributable to high rates of obesity, and a healthy diet can help residents maintain a healthy weight.

“It’s also about having a space that allows for more interaction in our communities,” Jackson said of communal garden plots. “You have a safe space for young people to be at , for the elderly to be at and have more interaction.”

Jackson also is starting work at 209 through 213 Fifth Avenue in Albany on land donated for that use by Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital for a community garden.

“My goal is to grow 10,000 to 15,000 pounds of fresh vegetables on that acre,” he said.

The farm show started a garden plot about 12 years ago that was located outside the front entrance but in recent years has expanded the concept as part of the Sustainable Living Center, Expo Executive Director Chip Blalock said in his introduction of Jackson during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

After the ribbon-cutting, Kemp met with Jackson and asked him questions about his organization and its work.

Also at Expo on Tuesday, Michael McDowell of Virginia was named the Southeastern Farmer of the Year from a group that included finalists from nine other states.

The show, located at Spence Field on Highway 133, continues today, with gates opening at 8:30 a.m. and closing at 5 p.m.

Staff Photos: Alan Mauldin
AlanMauldin[email protected]
File Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]

File Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]