Recently I have been looking for information about urban gardening or farming. I would like to start growing my own vegetables in my backyard but I would also like to get involved in some type of community gardening project for my neighborhood and other inner city areas.I was born and raised in Chicago's inner city and there was a grocery store right down the street from my house. We were able to do our shopping and had access to fresh fruits and vegetables. As time passed and this grocery store became another grocery store and then a few years later it was gone and nothing replaced it. All that remained in my neighborhood were "quik-ee mart" type stores where you could buy, snacks, cigarettes, juices, sodas, but nothing fresh. Sadly, this is the state of many inner city areas-you can buy snacks, fast food, soda and juice but can't find an apple to save your life. However, lately I have been hearing more about individuals starting urban farms and co-ops to supply their neighborhoods with fresh vegetables. And I am going to keeping looking into to this so that I can get involved.
One person in particular that I have been hearing about and seeing is a long time south Bronx resident named Majora Carter. Majora is an African American woman who advocates for enviromental justice and has an organization called Sustainable South Bronx. Carter and her organization have been making the South Bronx a better and greener place to live with gardening, green job training, parks, transportations and many other projects. When I read about people like Majora I realize that one person can make a difference-it just takes some hard work and time and a never give up attitude.
What a great post. Good luck with the garden. We had container gardens when there was limited space in PA.
ReplyDeleteGood for you for trying to do something like this. I just blogged the other day about the Obamas and their new "victory garden" and how we should all do it. You should check it out if you're interested.
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