re-engage with bigger social and political debates, as well.”
Growing Vegetables and Democracy
After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Jenga Mwendo knew she had to leave her high-powered job in New York City and return to her hometown in the devastated Lower Ninth Ward. “My parents raised me to contribute,” Mwendo explains. “My fi rst name means ‘to build’ and my last name means ‘always progressing’.” In 2009, Mwendo founded the
Backyard Gardeners Network (BGN), a local nonprofi t organization that restores and strengthens what had once been a thriving, closely-knit, self-reliant community, rich with backyard gardens and citizen engagement. Residents went to work, recognizing the potential of community gardens to revitalize their neighborhood and bring affordable healthful food to residents, many of them suffering from obesity, heart disease and diabetes. The BGN both revitalized a community garden and converted a blighted lot into a Guerrilla Garden, where people of all ages gather to grow food, share stories, embrace their cultural heritage and learn how to become responsible citizens. “We bring people together and make decisions collectively,” says Mwendo. “The garden is for our community, by our community.” Understanding the value of involving children and teens, she adds, “Kids know they will be loved here. This is a nurturing environment.” Like Mwendo, Stephen Ritz, a top
10 fi nalist in the Varkey Foundation’s Global Teacher Prize, is reaching youth through food. Based in New York City’s South Bronx, one of the country’s poorest school districts, he and his students are growing vegetables in school, thereby improving children’s diets, health, school performance and future potential. “We are contributing to food democracy by making sure every child we touch, regardless of income, zip code and skin color, faith or nation of origin, has access to fresh, healthy, nutritious food that they help grow,” says Ritz. So far, his Green Bronx Machine community has raised 30,000 pounds of vegetables. “We’re growing justice,” Ritz announced in his March 2015 TED Talk. “My favorite crop is organically-
In a food democracy, everyone is a stakeholder. Not only do people have equal access to food, but they’re informed, active, engaged and participating.
~Rose Hayden-Smith, author, Sowing the Seeds of Victory
grown citizens—graduates, voters and students who are eating [better] and living healthier lives!”
Kitchen Gardens Nourish the World
Roger Doiron is the founder and director of Kitchen Gardeners International (KGI), an online global community of some 30,000 people in 100 countries that are growing some of their own food. He spearheaded First Lady Michelle Obama’s White House Garden. Doiron’s campaign to bring a food garden back to the White House (presidents John Adams, Jefferson and Jackson all had edible gardens) began in 2008, went viral, took root and the rest is history. Today, the fi rst lady continues to champion garden-fresh food to improve children’s health. From his own 1,500-square-foot garden in Scarborough, Maine, Doiron and his wife harvested 900 pounds of organic fruits and vegetables worth $2,200 in a single season. “Talented gardeners with more generous soils and climates are able to produce even more food in less space,” he says, “but maximizing production is not our only goal. We’re also trying to maximize pleasure and health.”
Doiron believes, “Quality food is central to well-being and is one of the best ways to unite people of different countries and cul- tures around a common, positive agenda.” He’s convinced that kitchen gardens will play a critical role in feeding a growing population faced with climate challenges. On July 4, his organization celebrates Food Independence Day as a way to recognize the role of home and community gardens in achieving self-suffi ciency.
Saving Seeds, Saving Democracy Jim Gerritsen operates Wood Prairie Farm with his family in Bridgewater, Maine. He’s dedicated to using organic farming methods to protect the environment and food quality, provide ample harvests and
Let nature be your teacher.
Fermentation Fervor: An Intensive Saturday, July 25 10am–5 pm Learn how to make 6 ferments: Sauerkraut, Kim Chi, Vegan Tempeh, Sourdough Bread, Ginger Beer & Water Kefi r. Lunch included!
Kombucha 101
Sunday, July 26 10am–Noon Learn why it is so healthy.
Includes your own take-home Scoby!
Healing with Chakras *CEUs avail Saturday, Aug 15 10am–4pm
Space is Limited! Sign Up Today at
HolisticLivingSchool.org Visit our Website and Video Blog to learn more about Florida’s Edible & Medicinal Plants! 1109 E. Concord St. • Orlando, FL 32803
407-595-3731 July 2015
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