When I got the e-mail last week announcing that Will Allen —

When I got the e-mail last week announcing that Will Allen — urban farmer, CEO of Growing Power, MacArthur “Genius,” fierce advocate for the urban poor — was coming to Seattle, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard anything about it before. To anyone with more than a passing interest in food and how it’s grown (and in this town, that should be a lot of you), this is a big deal. Allen’s urban farming efforts are driven by the recognition that health problems such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes — all of which disproportionately affect low-income urban populations — are a direct result of their limited access to healthy, affordable produce. From his farming site in Milwaukee, Allen uses and teaches a variety of innovative, low-cost urban farming techniques that are now being used across the country and internationally. He’ll talk about all this and more tomorrow night, Wednesday, February 3, at 7 p.m. at Mercer Middle School on Beacon Hill. The event is free. (Bonus: You can load up on cheap fruits and veggies [some organic, some not] at nearby produce heaven MacPherson’s.)