The Taproot Project: Rooting fresh food for all in Franklinton

The Taproot Building secures hyperlocal, nutrient-dense food, and healing ecological knowledge for all people in Franklinton.

About our neighborhood

Franklinton suffered from devastating floods, divestment, and overwhelming poverty in the 20th century and is a USDA-classified food desert with the lowest life expectancy rate for the state of Ohio—a mere 60 years old (Health Policy Institute of Ohio, 2021).

A 2014 OSU study found that 45% of participants walked to purchase their food, but produce is not consistently provided in corner stores. Developers are rapidly building new housing in the community—very little of which is affordable.

What does this mean for Franklinton?

So far, it has meant the displacement of historic neighbors whose roots are planted in this very soil; a lack of nourishing foods for all people who live here; a widening gap in the lived experiences of high- and low- income neighbors in the area.

Even amidst the discouraging current reality of inadequate food access, poor health outcomes, and disconnection between historic and newer neighbors.

Enter: the Taproot Project!

The Taproot Building provides a permanent space for growing produce, community gatherings, and a small-scale grocery store option near some of our most vulnerable neighbors on the Sullivant corridor.

a new space for connection & wellbeing

Franklinton Farms today operates mostly on leased properties and our office is not as accessible to vulnerable neighbors as our strategy/mission requires. Sullivant Avenue is an ideal location for our operations hub!

On an organizational level, our team is quickly expanding; we have evolved from a volunteer-led organization to one with a team of 16 staff who are growing out of our current space!

A larger office will be necessary for our growth moving forward, including: a sound-proof, private space, specifically for 1v1 or small-sided meetings (we currently hold those off-site, outdoors, or in a space intended to be a storage closet).

The Taproot is in a central location for our network of growing sites and is between several corner stores. It will be a walkable site where residents can purchase produce, which is not offered anywhere nearby.

Prices will reflect our current sliding scale options (full price, half price, 75% off for SNAP users).

The potential build site is directly across from our Garage Hub and between our four Sullivant Avenue Farm Gardens. The property includes an existing block structure which is currently usable, a small structure that would be turned into a greenhouse, a parking lot, and an open lot.

By the end of renovations, we envision a final space that offers a fresh market; office space; a separate building for growing microgreens; a secondary garage, which will provide safe storage for our agricultural equipment (what has had to be stored outside has faced numerous attempts at theft); additional farm gardens; a greenhouse; and a kitchen where our Food Truck Coordinator can safely and efficiently prepare food and provide cooking demonstrations.