Inspired by the Chimamanda
Adichie’s TED talk we watched in class, I went home and spent about an hour
watching a few more TED videos. My favorite was about a man named Ron Finley,
described as a "guerilla gardener," who began planting vegetables all
over South Central LA a few years ago. He would plant fruits and vegetables in
empty lots, traffic medians, and by sidewalks. Urban gardens are a great
example of a community taking action to solve a problem they are facing. This
can be compared to Julia Paley’s example of the government cholera posters
telling people to collect their own garbage to protect themselves against the
disease. Urban gardens are increasing power within a community, but Paley might
argue that this takes the responsibility away from the government, which should
be providing adequate food for a community. But when the government isn’t
providing this service, should a community not step up to fill in the gaps?
Urban gardens are a
growing phenomenon, and food justice is a big issue—especially in the Bay Area.
I was in the Mission District of San Francisco last weekend and saw urban
gardens at both Cesar Chavez Elementary School and a local park. Organizations
such as Alice Water’s Edible Schoolyard Project and Oakland Based Urban Gardens
(OBUGS) are involving young people in these community projects. By changing the
way young people interact with food, these organizations aim to transform the
eating habits of the next generation, as well as their own communities.
Ron Finley’s mission to
convert the dilapidated public spaces of South Central into vibrant edible
gardens is a prime example of community participation in poverty action. The fresh
food produced in these gardens provides a free and healthy meal to the people
who are in need of them. Typically, people living in poverty in cities like LA
and Oakland either cannot access or cannot afford the fresh produce that will
keep them healthy. Innovators and community activists like Ron Finley are
changing the way poverty is addressed. As Finley would say, “if you ain’t a
gardener, you ain’t gangster.”
Here’s a link to Finley’s talk: http://www.ted.com/talks/ron_finley_a_guerilla_gardener_in_south_central_la.html
thanks for this insightful post, Erandi. I agree with what you said, but I would be wary of just planting vegetables everywhere- such as vacant lots and traffic medians. I don't think this is a one-size fits all solution, and soils need to be tested, and considerations about maintenance and who will actually get to eat this food and what time of food they want need to be made. I personally would not be that keen to eat tomatoes grown in a traffic median along a polluted road!
ReplyDeleteOne of the interesting distinctions / dialogues going on within the local food movement has been the defining of "food sovereignty" as a movement aim as an alternative to "food security" which has been so easily co-opted by corporate food conglomerates....the big AG monocroppers and all...I definitely recommend reading up on the food sovereignty movement...Via Campasina (http://viacampesina.org/en/) is one of the actors advancing this vision
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