I like the acronym CCROPP for this organization -- The Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Project. It's trying to make the crops (fruits and vegetables) grown in the San Joaquin Valley accessible to more people.

A healthy diet and healthy weight are keys to preventing Type 2 diabetes, which has reached epidemic levels in the Valley. In research for stories on diabetes for The Bee that appeared in the paper Feb. 15 and 16, I heard over and over from doctors and nutritionists that improving diet is crucial to the control and prevention of this disease.

So I was interested to learn about a Feb. 23 CCCROP workshop, "Growing Health and Wealth in the Central Valley" from 9 am. to 3 p.m. at the Piccadilly Inn/Airport.

It's a workshop for farmers, market managers, and the public to learn how to start a farmers market.

With a little push, maybe Fresno could become known for its farmers markets. A place where people stop on the way home after work to get fresh produce for dinner instead of grabbing hamburgers and fries at fast-food restaurants.