January 30, 2025
For many Alabamians, the new year has brought a renewed commitment to healthy habits, such as exercising more and eating a balanced diet. One way to achieve both goals could be right in your backyard. Gardening is a fantastic way to improve both physical and mental health in 2025. Not only is it a great form of exercise—burning up to 300 calories per hour—but it has also been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, improving overall well-being. Additionally, gardening provides an opportunity to cultivate fresh fruits and vegetables at home.
Recently, Alabama physician Dr. France Koe shared her journey into medicine with ENI. Her personal mission to improve health through nutrition and wellness began in her garden.
“I actually started gardening when I was 19, before I even had children, and I loved it,” she shared. “That was the beginning of my interest in farming, nutrition, and medicine.”
A non-traditional medical student, Dr. Koe’s interest in medicine was partly inspired by her experiences as a gardener and parent.
“After spending my 20s as a stay-at-home mom—learning about health issues, getting my kids healthier, and trying to improve my own health—I realized how important nutrition was,” she shared.
After graduating from the University of Alabama School of Medicine’s Rural Medical Scholars Program, Dr. Koe opened Wills Valley Family Medicine in Collinsville. At her clinic and in her community, she dedicates time to improving access to healthy foods, in part by partnering with local farmers’ markets.
“There are farmers’ markets in some towns, but funny enough, there are fewer in rural areas because they tend to be downtown or several miles away from where people live,” Dr. Koe explained. “Sometimes there are stands available, but only one day a week, so people really have to plan ahead.”
To help meet the needs of her neighbors and patients, she created AgroShareMD.com, a website offering agricultural education videos to help people grow their own healthy food.
“I have videos online showing people how to build garden beds, raise chickens, and grow their own food,” she said. “It might seem overwhelming at first, but you can start small. Even if you live in an apartment, you can grow a tomato, a pepper, or some collards in a pot on your balcony.”
For those with more space, the possibilities are even greater.
“A couple of 4×8 beds are enough for one person to grow a lot of food year-round,” Dr. Koe emphasized.
To learn more about Dr. Koe’s resources and experiences, watch our video below and visit AgroShareMD.com.