(STL PR) JJK FAN Innovation Center Grows Food, Research and Opportunity in East St. Louis

Guests from JJK FAN, the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation's Food, Agriculture and Nutrition Innovation Center in East St. Louis, were interviewed on St. Louis on the Air. One guest was Dr. Antonio Brazelton Jr., Senior Coordinator of Research Partnerships at Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. Brazelton studies the root systems of heirloom collard greens, explaining that roots are one of the best places to understand how a plant adapts to its growing conditions, especially for urban farmers who often don't have the deep soil that traditional growers rely on. To evaluate the heirloom varieties, he brought in community members from across East St. Louis — local farmers who judged taste and market appeal, and high school students who helped with root imaging. Brazelton says that kind of input brings plant science directly to the people it serves.