06/12/2026
Food as Medicine Must Include Farmers
The first-ever Food is Medicine Conference in Washington, DC was an inspiring and powerful gathering, bringing together more than 800 participants across healthcare, research, policy, food systems, philanthropy, and community health.
As the owner of Asawana Farms, a specialty crop Food as Medicine farm in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, I was honored to attend and to witness the growing national momentum behind this movement.
One observation, however, stood out to me throughout the conference: the relative absence of farmers on the main stage.
Farmers are not simply suppliers to the Food as Medicine movement. We are the foundation upon which it rests. Before there can be produce prescriptions, medically tailored meals, or food pharmacies, someone must grow the food. Yet too often farmers are treated as downstream vendors rather than upstream partners in designing solutions.
The data presented at FIMCON was compelling. But one lesson I took away is that America’s challenge is not merely a lack of food—it is a lack of access to high-quality, nutrient-dense food. Over the last several decades, highly processed foods have increasingly displaced fresh foods in the American diet. When we discuss Food as Medicine, we should also be discussing food quality, soil health, regenerative agriculture, and access to fresh organic produce grown close to where people live.
I was also struck by the heavy emphasis on food provision and food donations. Programs serving veterans, patients with chronic disease, and other vulnerable populations are producing impressive outcomes. But an important question remains: How do we make these interventions sustainable over the long term?
At Asawana Farms, we have been exploring a complementary model.
Through our partnership with the University of Maryland Capital Region Health, we not only supply fresh organic produce—including crops such as okra and bitter melon—but also teach patients, healthcare staff, and community members how to grow some of their own Food as Medicine.
As part of a pilot project, we provided 5-gallon grow bags containing crops such as moringa, bitter leaf, kale, collard greens, and Swiss chard. These grow bags were installed behind one of the hospital buildings, where staff successfully grew and harvested food throughout the season.
The results were encouraging.
We found that when people actively participate in growing food, they become more invested in their own health and wellness. They gain knowledge, confidence, and ownership. Most importantly, they develop skills that remain with them long after a grant ends or funding priorities shift.
This approach addresses one of the most important questions facing the Food as Medicine movement: What happens when the funding runs out?
If a patient learns to grow nutrient-dense food in a 5-gallon grow bag on a porch, balcony, patio, or small backyard, that knowledge does not disappear. It can be shared with children, neighbors, and future generations. It transforms Food as Medicine from a program into a lifestyle.
Our model does not require large amounts of land. A person living in an apartment can grow moringa, kale, collards, herbs, peppers, and other nutrient-rich foods in containers. A healthcare system can establish demonstration gardens. A senior center can teach residents to grow food. A school can integrate food production into health education.
Food as Medicine should not only feed people. It should empower people.
As the movement continues to grow, I hope future conferences will place greater emphasis on farmer-led innovation and include more farmers as speakers, panelists, and thought leaders. Farmers bring practical experience, community trust, and scalable solutions that can strengthen the long-term sustainability of Food as Medicine programs across America.
At Asawana Farms, we stand ready to collaborate with hospitals, health systems, universities, nonprofits, insurers, researchers, and policymakers who are interested in exploring community-based Food as Medicine models that combine fresh food access with hands-on food production education.
The future of Food as Medicine is not only about prescribing food.
It is also about teaching people how to grow it.
https://youtu.be/k9A5S4bRLYk?si=_bYZOLdYSN0AS9qw
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