Alachua County gardeners and farmers will recognize World Food Day on Oct. 16 with a two-part gardening and movie event.
World Food Day is recognized internationally every year to raise awareness on the importance of local produce and food resources. This year, World Food Day focuses on the importance of agricultural cooperatives, where farmers pool their resources in certain areas of farming.
World Food Day raises awareness about food insecurity, which is as prevalent in the United States and Alachua County as it is in developing countries, said Sean McLendon, the Alachua County sustainability food manager.
"Many parts of the community don’t have equal access to good, nutritious fruits and vegetables," McLendon said.
The events on Tuesday night will highlight the importance of local growers and volunteers in the Gainesville community.
The first part of Tuesday's event will be at 5:30 p.m. at the Downtown Gainesville Farmers Garden, located on South Main Street and East University Avenue. The Gainesville Farmers Garden is a local organization that grows fruits and vegetables in a teaching garden and donates all the food to local food banks. On Tuesday, volunteers will harvest the remaining summer vegetables and planting the seeds for the winter season.
The second part of the event, a movie screening, will be held at Citizen's Co-op, 455 South Main St., at 7 p.m. The movie is called "Locally Grown: The Lexington Co-op Market Story."